Indigenous sevens veteran Maurice Longbottom has secured Australia a path into the semi-finals for the first time in its brief Olympic history.

The Australians were clinical in their 18-0 win over the USA that avenged both of the nation's past quarter-final losses at the Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro Games.

Under pressure against the form and fit Americans, who entered the last eight of the finals on the back of a draw to hosts France, Longbottom kicked a vital second-half penalty goal after Australia earlier failed to convert either its opening two tries.

The 29-year-old scored the final eight points on the day to secure the semi-final berth in the dying minutes of the knockout clash after clutching the ball at the back of a ruck to scramble over the line.

Moments after touching down for the side's third try, Longbottom looked up to the heavens in a personal touching tribute.

For the Dharawal man, the magnitude of the Olympic stage is bigger this year than his own ambitions.

Even bigger than playing for his country that the diminutive dasher has done since 2017.

It was about the love of his departed grandfather, who was one of Longbottom's biggest supporters, even before the South Sydney reject decided to take his rugby exploits down the Olympian path.

"(He died) last week, so it's been a tough couple of weeks for myself," Longbottom told AAP.

"The results help; I know it's where he'd want to be right now.

"He was a big role model in my life, that's for sure."

Longbottom acknowledged his grandfather before walking onto a blade of grass on the famous Stadium de France the day before, first pointing to the skies.

Earlier in the competition ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday night, Australia won all three of its pool games to top the group.

The 22-14 win over Argentina prior to the quarter-final delivered the easier route to the semi-finals.

On the opening day in front of a packed Parisian crowd, Australia also first pulled away of Samoa to win 21-14 before more comfortably disposing of Kenya 21-7 later in the day.

Australia meets tournament favourites Fiji for a place in the gold-medal match.

The Fijians have won both two of the past two Olympic tournaments since rugby sevens was only introduced into the Olympics in 2016.

But Australia back in 1908, under the Australasian banner, took out rugby union gold at the London Olympics.

France is set to take on South Africa in the other semi-final after the BlitzBoks' lineup caused an upset over a red-hot New Zealand 14-7.