Paris Olympics: Former Cardinal Newman running back makes his mark for the U.S. rugby team

Former Cardinal Newman star running back Stephen Tomasin made his mark at the Paris Olympics on the first day of competition on Wednesday.

Playing rugby sevens for the United States against France to kick off the Olympics, Tomasin scored a conversion to give Team USA an early 7-5 lead over the host nation.

France later came back to take a 12-7 lead before the United States scored a game-tying try with five minutes left. The game ended in a 12-12 tie.

“I always say, there’s nothing better than playing a team in their own country,” Tomasin told the USA Today afterward. “To be able to quiet a crowd is just as fun as being able to hear a full roar. Even though we’re playing against them, it was still great to hear. We definitely fed off it. We knew what we were coming into.”

Tomasin never played rugby until college. He was the North Bay League Offensive MVP during his senior year at Cardinal Newman in 2011. The year before, the Santa Rosa native had a memorable playoff game when he totaled 338 yards and six touchdowns in a North Coast Section Division III quarterfinal game.

Tomasin was invited to try out for the San Diego State football team, but instead turned to rugby as a freshman and quickly found success in the sport. He’s been on the national team since 2013 and competed with Team USA during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

The Americans played two games on Wednesday and were stomped by Fiji, 38-12, in their second game.

Fiji has won both Olympic gold medals in rugby sevens since the sport made its introduction in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The Americans ended Wednesday in third place in Group C behind Fiji and France. They’ll need to beat Uruguay on Thursday at 6 a.m. PT for a chance to advance.