<
        >

          New Zealand social media reacts to Olympic rugby loss to Australia

          Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
          • ESPN staffAug 8, 2016, 11:50 PM

          History was made as Australia claimed gold in the inaugural women's Olympic sevens tournament at Rio de Janeiro.

          Australia's success was made even sweeter as it was achieved against old foes New Zealand, and they were quick to celebrate in response given the Kiwis' coach, Sean Horan, had sledged pre-game that "the Australians don't like pressure, they don't like the physical side".

          But Horan wasn't making excuses following the match, even though a number of contentious calls appeared to fall Australia's way including one for their opening try.

          "There were some crucial calls made, but that's just sport," Horan told New Zealand's Radio Sport.

          "There's going to be human error. But Australia have been pretty good all year," he told Radio Sport after the match.

          "We started well, but there were some defining moments in the game and we didn't make the most of our opportunities, the Australians did."

          Still, the New Zealand public weren't much too pleased and went to social media to voice their displeasure over several crucial decisions that didn't fall their way in the final 24-17 scoreline.

          The Aussies may not be known to be the most gracious of winners as they couldn't resist the temptation to sledge their Tasman rivals.

          But in the end, the politicians remained cordial in their congratulations and celebratory messages for the historic gold-medal final.