June 28, 2016
Women’s and Men’s Rugby Pools Announced For Rio 2016 Olympics
Doug Coil
The pool draw for the men’s and women’s Rugby Sevens competitions of the Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games took place today.
The Women, seeded 6th, find themselves in Pool A with Australia (1), Fiji (6) and Colombia (12). The matches will be held on August 6-8, 2016 at Deodoro Olympic Park.
In Pool B, the teams are New Zealand (2), France (5), Spain (8), and Kenya (11), while in Pool C the teams are Canada (3), Great Britain (4), Brazil (9), and Japan (10).
Richie Walker, Head Coach of the Women’s Eagles Sevens said that “Having the Series champions and No. 1 team in the world right now in our pool is really good for us to be able to play against the best in the pool stages and see how we match up. We will train hard and have a purpose in our camp knowing it’ll take beating the best to win our pool, so that is extra motivation.”
“But we are also preparing for all of our opponents, because it can change up our game plans and strategies as all three teams play differently. It is my job to make sure we prepare for everyone evenly and not pay too much attention to just one.”
The draw for the Men found the USA, seeded 6th in Pool A along with Fiji (1), Argentina (7), and host Brazil (12). Pool B includes South Africa (2), Australia (5), France (8, and Spain (11), while Pool C has New Zealand (3), Great Britain (4), Kenya (9),and Japan (10). The matches will be held on August 9-11, 2016 at Deodoro Olympic Park.
In both competitions, the top two teams from each pool, plus the two best third-placed sides, progress to the quarter-finals.
Mike Friday talked about the Pool saying “We are very much looking forward to the challenge of Pool A, and it will be a tough one. We are under no illusion of how all these teams play, and will be ready and eager for the opportunity and challenge ahead as we know we will have prepared thoroughly and will have also developed our own game on both sides of the ball. Whilst we respect all three of our group opponents, we will fear none of them, as we have a great balance and blend of power, pace, and physicality to our squad.”
The Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games will be announced by the International Olympic Committee in time. Team USA rosters will be announced on USARugby.org Monday, July 18.
World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Today’s announcement represents another exciting milestone on rugby sevens’ road to Rio 2016. Confirmation of the pools bring the competitions to life and add a further injection of excitement for teams and fans alike.
“We were determined to return rugby to the Olympic Games because we knew inclusion would be game-changing for our sport. We knew it would open the door to reach and inspire new participants and fans worldwide and enable our top men’s and women’s players to realise their dreams of becoming Olympians, competing alongside the greatest athletes in the world. That dream is now very much a reality and we are excited and honoured to be back on sport’s greatest stage.”
Incoming Chairman Bill Beaumont, who begins his mandate on 1 July, said: “Our top men’s and women’s players are excited about becoming Olympians and representing their nation and our sport at the Olympic Games.
“I anticipate that it will be one of the highlights of Rio 2016 as we showcase this great sport to a new audience of hundreds of millions around the world and inspire the next generation to get into rugby. It’s an exciting time to be involved in rugby and I know that all our member unions are ready to make the most of this opportunity as we continue to grow the game across the globe.”
“As we rapidly approach one month to go, we are anticipating very special and successful rugby sevens events that showcase the very best of our dynamic sport and its character-building values.”
USA Women’s and Men’s Sevens
By July 18th, the USA rosters will be known for both the Women’s and Men’s Sevens teams. Any of the pool of athletes will represent the United States well. Only twelve athletes can compete on the Olympic team, although a couple of alternates may accompany the team to Rio in case of injury prior to the tournament.
Women’s Eagles Sevens: OTC Residency
Bui Baravilala, Amelia Bizer, Megan Bonny, Ryan Carlyle, Bianca Dalal, Lauren Doyle, Lilly Durbin, Cheta Emba, Joanne Fa’avesi, Carmen Farmer, Victoria Folayan, Kelly Griffin, Nicole Heavirland, Jessica Javelet, ,Kathryn Johnson, Alev Kelter, Hannah Lopez, Jane Paar, Jillion Potter, Richelle Stephens, and Kristen Thomas
For a USA Rugby preview of their pool, click here.
Men’s Eagles Sevens: Rio 2016 Camp
Nate Augspurger, Perry Baker, Danny Barrett, Garrett Bender, Pat Blair, Andrew Durutalo, Nate Ebner, Nic Edwards, Will Holder, Madison Hughes, Martin Iosefo, Carlin Isles, Matai Leuta, Folau Niua, Thretton Palamo, Ben Pinkelman, ConRoy Smith, Joey Sok, Shalom Suniula, Kevin Swiryn, Zack Test, Brett Thompson, Peter Tiberio, Stephen Tomasin, Maka Unufe, and Chris Wyles
For a USA Rugby preview of their pool, click here.
