Rio 2016 !
Rio 2016 - Rio de Janeiro gets closer... Only 32 days before the kick-off of the Olympics ! After more than 90 years of absence, rugby makes its big return at the Olympic Games to the delight of all the rugby aficionados ! Sevens rugby will for sure grow in popularity after such strong international exposure and particularly in Africa where it is already growing really quickly !
The number of women's and men'steams playing sevens rugby on our continent is evolving rapidly, more than 1000 teams this year. Already 3 African teams will take part in the Olympics. This is will be a fantastic opportunity for Africa to showcase the best we have to offer :
SOUTH AFRICA &KENYA (Men)KENYA (Women)
As a reminder, South Africa qualified for theOlympics by ending in the top 4 teams of theWorld Rugby Sevens Series. Kenya qualified through the regional qualifiers organized in Johannesburg in November, 2015. Same process for the women, the Kenyans qualified through the regional tournament ; they camesecond after the final against South Africa but received a second chance when South African had to cancel their journey to Rio.
In Monaco and in Dublin, the international repechage gave a new opportunity toMorocco, Tunisia and Zimbabwe for the men ; Madagascar, Tunisia and Zimbabwe for the women. Finally, in spite of very good results for our African teams, both Spanish men and women’s teams grabbed thelast tickets for Rio.
Forthe women, after a beautiful first day marked by two victories in three matches, Tunisia finally lost38-0 againstIreland in the quarterfinal of the Cup. Then they narrowly lostagain in front of Argentina in semi-final of the match for the 5th position17-7.
POOLS FOR RIO :
Women’s -6-8 August (seeding in brackets)Pool A: Australia (one), USA (six), Fiji (seven), Colombia (12)Pool B: New Zealand (two), France (five), Spain (eight), Kenya (11)Pool C: Canada (three), Great Britain (four), Brazil (nine), Japan (10)
Men’s -9-11 August (seeding in brackets)Pool A: Fiji (one), USA (six), Argentina (seven), Brazil (12)Pool B: South Africa (two), Australia (five), France (eight), Spain (11)Pool C: New Zealand (three), Great Britain (four), Kenya (nine), Japan (10)
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About Rugby Africa:
Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com) is the governing body of rugby in Africa and one of the regional associations under World Rugby. It unites all African countries that play rugby union, rugby sevens, and women’s rugby. Rugby Africa organizes various competitions, including the qualifying tournaments for the Rugby World Cup and the Africa Sevens, a qualifying competition for the Olympic Games. With 39 member unions, Rugby Africa is dedicated to promoting and developing rugby across the continent. World Rugby highlighted Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia as three of the six emerging nations experiencing strong growth in rugby.
