Perry Baker unleashed one of the most impressive individual tries you’d ever want to see in 7s, and also produced a brilliant try-saving tackle as the USA beat Fiji 19-7 to make the USA 7s tournament Cup Final.

Baker was almost absent in the first half, except for that tackle, but the Eagles stayed within shouting distance, and that was enough.

Fiji looked to score first, with Also Naduva making a break downtime sideline. He had a gap of a meter or two on Baker, but it wasn’t enough, as the USA wing tracked the very quick Naduva down and tackled him into touch just before the trying.

It was a big play, especially as the USA got a couple of penalties and was in scoring position soon thereafter.

A forward pass out of contact ended that movement, and eventually Fiji did score, with the imposing Sevuloni Mocenacagi stiff-arming Martin Iosefo and galloping in.

With the first half almost up the USA team put together a useful movement into the Fiji 22, but a knock-on ended the half with no try for the Americans.

That all changed early in the second half. Baker, who had been used largely as a decoy runner, got the ball right on his tryline with three Fijians shadowing him. The defending World Sevens Player Of The Year ducked back to his goal line, then sold a move, sold another one, and cut outside. Covered on the wing, Baker cut back inside, beat a couple more defenders, and was gone. It was a 100-meter run in which he had a one-on-three and beat it. It was a mind-numbingly brilliant play, and the crowd loved it.

How does Martin Iosefo feel about defeating @fijirugby to advance to the #USA7s Cup Final? ?

The #Eagles are ON ??? in #Vegas! Show your support now: https://t.co/qKsSILOxyG pic.twitter.com/iEx92Mcyqa

— USA Rugby Trust (@USARugbyTrust) March 4, 2018

Fiji kept getting in penalty trouble, and that caught up with them when a deliberate knock-on put Fiji down a man with a yellow card.

From that penalty the Eagles put together a perfectly-executed penalty play that sent Matai Leuta in under the posts. So now it was 14-7, and there was more.

Ben Pinkelman poached a ball in the ruck, and Baker had a run, passed it inside to Make Unufe, who linked with Folau Niua, who popped it back to Baker. The wing scored in the corner what was an excellent team try. Niua ended the game with a nice tackle to push a Fijian into touch, and that as it. The second half was all USA, and everyone contributed. But the major difference was Baker’s ability to create scoring opportunities out of nothing.

RE:LIVE: Simply one of the best tries you will ever see in rugby sevens. @SpeedSt11ck is RIDICULOUS! #USA7s pic.twitter.com/KoaAlsLQxW

— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) March 4, 2018

So the USA is in to the final in Las Vegas, putting together possibly its best string of games this season, and could claim the team's first tournament title since the spring of 2015. The USA plays Argentina in the final. 

USA 19

Tries: Baker 2, Leuta

Convs: Niua 2

Fiji 7

Tries:  Mocenacagi

Convs: Ravouvou