Slam: Australia's Australia's Andrew Bogut, right, dunks the ball. Credit:AP "Everyone's talking about our offence and dunks - and Patty [Mills] scoring, and me scoring," Bogut said. "It was won defensively. We knuckled down defensively. Before this tournament we said our identity's going to be 'we need to be pricks defensively. We need to be mean guys, we need to be physical and that's the only chance we have of beating a lot of these teams that are a lot more talented than us.'" The striking yellow leggings sported by Bogut on Saturday were a great fit. And just like his skins, the Boomers' medal chances in Rio suddenly seem bright. Really bright. With the tights covering the protection for his recently injured knee, Bogut played more than 22 and 1/2 minutes and starred as Australia beat a French side that just two years ago claimed bronze at the World Cup.

It is the first time in 20 years that the Boomers have won their Olympic opener, and they now have a strong platform on which to build, with tough matches against Serbia (Monday) and the US (Wednesday) ahead. A racially-charged spat with Opals gun Liz Cambage, a faux controversy involving chef de mission Kitty Chiller and the small matter of an NBA-season-ending knee injury suffered less than two months ago did not appear to hinder Bogut, who finished off a series of masterful alley-oops throughout the afternoon to make an early imprint on this tournament with 18 points. As his teammates praised his hard work in recuperating, Bogut discussed his myriad maintenance gear hiding under the leggings. "I've just got a bunch of stuff under this. No brace, I couldn't do the brace. Just a bunch of tape..things that can keep me pain free and a decent range to run...and a bunch of pads," he said. Patty Mills (21 points), Matthew Dellavedova (10 assists) and Aron Baynes (14 points) were also hugely influential, easing fears that Australia would be unable to cope without Dante Exum and Ben Simmons - both absent in Rio.

With the French shooting poorly, Baynes led the way in the first quarter as the Boomers headed to a 20-14 lead by the end of the first quarter. That advantage was soon extended to 15 points midway through the second quarter, providing the smattering of Australian fans around the Caricoa Arena 1 with plenty to cheer about. But the Boomers dropped their guard late in the half, allowing France to charge back into the game. San Antonio superstar Tony Parker was instrumental in the resistance, notching 16 first half points. His jump-shot on the buzzer cut the margin to just three points at half-time. It looked as though Australia might have spent their petrol tickets. But that was as close as France got. The Boomers lifted a gear in the third quarter, and with Parker on limited minutes, France couldn't match the underdogs. A 61-48 lead heading into the last quarter was soon extended to beyond 20 points, and Andrej Lemanis and his men could celebrate. Loading