Relief washed over captain Lewis Holland’s face as he fell on a ball to score the try that finally secured Australia’s men’s rugby sevens Olympic berth on Saturday.

Australia trailed Samoa 12-0 at halftime in Saturday’s Olympic qualifier at the Oceania titles in Suva, but remained calm as the rain poured down to prevail 19-12.

A loss would have consigned Australia to a last-ditch qualifying tournament on the eve of the Games.

Instead Holland, who charged down a kick to score the match-winner at the death, can begin preparations for a second Olympic campaign.

“It’s a bit of a relief; the last three months have been building towards this moment because we didn’t get there through the world series (after finishing seventh),” he said.

“We were prepared for that game, prepared for being 12 down, 19 down. We held our composure and it showed that if you do, things tend to go your way.”

Samoa played with just six men for a bulk of the first half but still scored twice as Australia struggled to hold the ball and create a physical presence.

Henry Hutchison was a decisive influence after coming off the bench though, while Holland showed his poise as they scored 19 unanswered points.

“They’re ecstatic, I’m ecstatic too,” coach Tim Walsh said.

“There was a lot of pressure building up on this one game and the rain comes pouring down.

“But preparation brings confidence and you create your own luck.”

Australia’s women will also return home with confidence, beating New Zealand twice in two days as they fine-tune preparations for their gold medal defence.