How a very rude comment from a cult hero Aussie prime minister inspired our rugby sevens team to create history in Paris

Forty-one years after his words inspired Australia to a famous America's Cup victory, the late Bob Hawke has done it again.

It was the former Prime Minister who Australia's men's sevens coach John Manenti turned to before the team left their Paris Olympic village to play the United States in a quarter-final. They won 18-0.

In 1983 Hawke told Australia II skipper John Bertrand to 'destroy the bastards' before they did just that to end a 132-year US stranglehold on the cup.

Bertrand was a guest in camp with Manenti's side earlier this year and a quarter-final match-up with the US played to script.

'One of the slides I showed the boys before we left was a quote from Bob Hawke, which was 'go and smash the bastards', that he'd said to the crew,' Manenti said after they'd booked a Saturday semi-final with two-time defending champions Fiji.

'It was just a reminder that Australia-America has some history and again, like yesterday, we felt an obligation to get the Australian Olympic campaign off to a good start.'

Victory snapped a run of quarter-final exits for Australia's improved men in the sport's previous two Games appearances.

Australia led 10-0 at halftime, in control and scoring through James Turner and Corey Toole, before Maurice Longbottom slotted a penalty goal and picked up a loose ball to cross over himself and complete the rout.

Australia had earlier beaten this year's world series stand-outs Argentina 22-14, having registered victories against Samoa and Kenya on Wednesday's opening day.

The quarter-final win was built on stout defence rather than silky offence, Mark Nawaqanitawase stuck on the bench as the clock ran out after a brilliant cameo against Argentina.

'Winning ugly's okay,' Manenti said.

'It wasn't our finest performance but we've played better and lost games and that was a pretty important one to win.

'I know we've got more weapons to fire there and we're going to need them.'

Teams will have a day off before Friday night's opening ceremony, before medals are decided at Stade de France on Saturday.

Earlier, Fiji remained unbeaten in Olympic competition after a comeback 19-15 defeat of Ireland, with the match-winning try looking as though it was created from a Fiji knock-on that went undetected.

South Africa will play hosts France in the other semi-final after they upset New Zealand 14-7.

In front of a surging capacity crowd, the French led Argentina 21-0 at halftime.

But they conceded two second-half tries and were forced to hold on with one man in the sin-bin for the final minutes.

French 15-a-side captain Antoine Dupont showed his composure to wind down the clock and then throw a dummy on the full-time siren before racing away to seal a 26-14 win.