France won an historic first gold medal in men's Olympic Rugby Sevens, beating two-time defending champions and rugby sevens' powerhouses Fiji 28-7 in the final.

It was also the first gold medal of the Games for the host nation.

Tied at 7-7 going into the break, the French dominated the Fijians much to the delight of the home crowd.

Antoine Dupont scored two tries and set up another to inspire France to the win.

The result is a remarkable comeback for the French who failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic tournament.

Earlier, South Africa beat Australia 26-19 in a closely-fought bronze-medal match.

The Aussies took a 7-5 lead at the break, but the Springbok Sevens took control of the match in the second half.

Two quick tries by Zain Davids, both converted by Tristan Leyds, coupled with a red card to Australia's Nick Malouf for a dangerous tackle on Tiaan Pretorius, put South Africa in control at 19-7.

However, the Aussies scored two late tries, one of which was converted, to pull level on the scoreboard.

From the last restart, with seconds left on the clock, the Springboks created space on the left with Selvyn Davids racing away before giving the ball to Shaun Williams to score the match - and medal - winner. (Agencies)