Rio 7's. What team?

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Anyone catch the early games? Anyone know if we have probables and posssibles or just a mix?

[Adder]

Anyone catch the early games? Anyone know if we have probables and posssibles or just a mix?

French team was an "A"/"B" team. Overall tournament is prettyvweak and both teams are just slightly better.

Sent from my LG-H320 using Tapatalk

[rowan]

Not long to go now - 30 days, in fact :

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — When rugby sevens was added to the rollcall of sports for the 2016 Summer Olympics, New Zealanders rubbed their hands in gleeful anticipation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/o ... story.html

Rugby is returning to the Olympics for the first time in 92 years, bringing the ruck, the maul and the hooker back into the lexicon of the Summer Games.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/o ... story.html

VAMOS FIJI!!

[rowan]

I have to admit I'm not a great fan of women's rugby (or football). I have a lot of respect for women's tennis, and used to watch a lot of netball back home (I used to cover it for the press, as a matter of fact), but I think men and women are suited to different types of sports and from a spectator's point of view women's rugby just isn't very entertaining. Nevertheless, this is a nice story:

Jillion Potter is no ordinary rugby player. The United States Women's Eagles star has both recovered from a broken neck and fought off cancer -- and now she is targeting a place in the sevens team at the Rio Olympics. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/07/sport ... index.html

[rowan]

Here's the schedule from Roon ba if anyone was wondering: http://theroonba.com/rugbysevens/men/fixtures.html

09.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Australia - France Olympic Games Pool B
09.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) South Africa - Spain Olympic Games Pool B
09.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Great Britain - Kenya Olympic Games Pool C
09.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) New Zealand - Japan Olympic Games Pool C
09.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) USA - Argentina Olympic Games Pool A
09.08 Rio de Janeiro Brazil - Fiji Olympic Games Pool A
09.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Australia - Spain Olympic Games Pool B
09.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) South Africa - France Olympic Games Pool B
09.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Great Britain - Japan Olympic Games Pool C
09.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) New Zealand - Kenya Olympic Games Pool C
09.08 Rio de Janeiro Brazil - USA Olympic Games Pool A
09.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Fiji - Argentina Olympic Games Pool A
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) France - Spain Olympic Games Pool B
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) South Africa - Australia Olympic Games Pool B
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Kenya - Japan Olympic Games Pool C
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) New Zealand - Great Britain Olympic Games Pool C
10.08 Rio de Janeiro Brazil - Argentina Olympic Games Pool A
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Fiji - USA Olympic Games Pool A
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 3rd best 3rd Place - 3rd best 4th Place Olympic Games 9th-12th Place Semi-Final
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Best 4th Place - 2nd best 4th Place Olympic Games 9th-12th Place Semi-Final
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 1st Pool A - 2nd best 3rd Place Olympic Games Quarter-Final
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 2nd Pool B - 2nd Pool C Olympic Games Quarter-Final
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 1st Pool C - 2nd Pool A Olympic Games Quarter-Final
10.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 1st Pool B - Best 3rd Place Olympic Games Quarter-Final
11.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Loser 9-12 SF1 - Loser 9-12 SF2 Olympic Games 11th Place Match
11.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Winner 9-12 SF1 - Winner 9-12 SF2 Olympic Games 9th Place Match
11.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Loser QF1 - Loser QF2 Olympic Games 5th-8th Place Semi-Final
11.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Loser QF3 - Loser QF4 Olympic Games 5th-8th Place Semi-Final
11.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Winner QF1 - Winner QF2 Olympic Games Semi-Final
11.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Winner QF3 - Winner QF4 Olympic Games Semi-Final
11.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Loser 5-8 SF1 - Loser 5-8 SF2 Olympic Games 7th Place Match
11.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Winner 5-8 SF1 - Winner 5-8 SF2 Olympic Games 5th Place Match
11.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Loser SF1 - Loser SF2 Olympic Games 3rd Place Match
11.08 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Winner SF1 - Winner SF2 Olympic Games Final

[rowan]

Ticketing is not going well. Rio 2016 will give away rugby tickets to local schools. This is good, but shows rugby couldn't fill the stadium. Not sure if rugby's place is guaranteed at the next Olympics, is it? What we really need is some Fiji magic to light up the final !!

[rowan]

NZ v GB & Oz v Canada for the women's semis then. Fiji out in the QFs, sadly. They'll have to wait for their men to provide the island nations first ever Olympic medal now - Inshallah!

NB: Empty stadium for some of the games

[Digby]

N

NB: Empty stadium for some of the games

Reminds one of SA during the last Lions tour.

[rowan]

So technically-speaking it was Canada which won the first Olympic rugby medal in 92 years, the first ever for women, and that country's first ever Olympic rugby medal.

Australia, of course, picked up the first Olympic gold in 92 years, the first ever for women, and the country's first rugby gold in 108 years (when they won the men's event combined with NZ as Australasia).

Now for the men. So looking forward to seeing Fiji on the Olympic podium for the first time ever. Hopefully they'll be in the middle position...

[rowan]

I wonder if the Kiwis will blame foodpoisoning . . .

[rowan]

I guess we can also say that silver was NZ's first ever Olympic rugby medal, since they had only previously participated as the junior partner in the Australasian team.

Meanwhile, the men have got underway, with France surprisingly thumping the Aussies (looks like they won't be doing the double), Boks blitzing the Spanish (who shouldn't have qualified in the first place IMHO), and Britain routing a disappoint Kenya (not a good Games for the East Africans so far). Kiwis v Japan up next. Fiji a little later against the host nations (should be a riot)!

[rowan]

Wow, Japan beat the Kiwis. I'm starting to really get into this Olympic 7s!!

[rowan]

Was that the 7s equivalent of Japan's win over the Boks at RWC 2015 ?!

So NZ v GB is going to be huge...

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Was that the 7s equivalent of Japan's win over the Boks at RWC 2015 ?!

So NZ v GB is going to be huge...

Depends. I'm hoping we'll be qualified by then and that the Kenyans will take NZ7s out for us by then.

[kk67]

Anyone else familiar with Rasta Rasivhenge ??.
This is a quality rugby bloke. He's the little SA ref that's been making the Womens tournie so entertaining. Glad to see he's also doing the Mens. It's shocking that they are introducing senior XV's ref's. Let's not pretend this is a meritocracy.

I saw Rasta reffing 8 years ago when it was an introductory sport and he was fantastic then. 8 years ago,.....He hasn't changed much. This Fella is one of my heroes.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Anyone else familiar with Rasta Rasivhenge ??.
This is a quality rugby bloke. He's the little SA ref that's been making the Womens tournie so entertaining. Glad to see he's also doing the Mens. It's shocking that they are introducing senior XV's ref's. Let's not pretend this is a meritocracy.

The only 1 is joubert and he's paid his dues in the 7s series.

Thon wee Sa ref is a good'un.

[kk67]

You know the bloke is quality when Sir Clive calls him 'officious'.


On a similar train,.....Clive is clearly furious that the ref's are so technical at the breakdown. He's going Postal on it.

[rowan]

The entire New England Patriots squad took time out from training to watch Nate Ebner player for the US 7s team in Rio, apparently. There were only two reasons I have cared much about 7s being added to the Olympic program. First was to see some Pacific Islands on the podium, hopefully. Second and foremost was to raise the profile of the game internationally. The Fiji men's team are the only remaining hope as far as the first reason is concerned, though they should end up with a medal of some denomination, but the second appears to have borne fruit already...

[rowan]

Precisely the scenario I feared. The one team most likely to deprive Fiji of a medal now limp through to face them in the quarters, and don't be surprised if NZ suddenly hit form for this particular match. 7s is like that...

[Donny osmond]

I know the conditions are a bit crap but these last 2 games have been mince. Wheres the running into space? Wheres the moves that make space to attack? Its all just waiting for the defence to make a mistake.

Japan just scored to surely seal a semi spot. That, I'm v happy about

[rowan]

Oh, I thought the quarters were tomorrow, and Fiji had probably already beaten NZ by the time I wrote that previous pessimistic post!! Very, very relieved about that. & Japan through too. What a bonus! Would an Argies win over GB be too much to hope for? We'll soon see...

[Donny osmond]

Oh, I thought the quarters were tomorrow, and Fiji had probably already beaten NZ by the time I wrote that previous pessimistic post!! Very, very relieved about that. & Japan through too. What a bonus! Would an Argies win over GB be too much to hope for? We'll soon see...

You put a smile on my face there Rowan. Gbr looking shaky 1st half...

[rowan]

Is it raining there or something? Very low scores indeed.

[Donny osmond]

Is it raining there or something? Very low scores indeed.

Yes terrible weather.

RULE BRITANNIA, BRITANNIA RULES THE WAVES...
ETC ETC

Gbr win sudden death play off after a 0-0 game.

[Donny osmond]

South Africa been by far the best team of the 1/4 finals. Oz out.