After a wait of 92 years, Rugby Union is finally returning to the Olympic Games, this time in the far better-suited version of the game, Sevens. Taking place over a single weekend and with matches that last a mere fifteen minutes, Sevens is the perfect type of sport to fit in the tightly packed Olympic schedule and over the past few years teams from all over the world have been fighting to squeeze into the twelve team tournament. After Spain qualified in dramatic fashion, beating favourites Samoa in the repechage final, we finally have our list of teams that will be going for gold in Rio.

Argentina:

World Series Ranking: 5th 5th

Method of Qualification: Won the 2015 CONSUR Sevens Championship

Head Coach: Santiago Gomez Cora

Key Players: Axel Muller, Santiago Cordero, Bautista Ezcurra

General Comments: Argentina applies the same sort of style of Rugby to Sevens as they do with the 15-a-side game. They play with a very fast pace with plenty of offloads but are also not afraid to give the forwards a go up the middle.

Australia:

World Series Ranking:4th 4th Method of Qualification: 2015 Oceania Sevens Championship Head Coach:Andy Friend Key Players:Henry Hutchison, Pama Fou, Allan Fa’alava’au General Comments: At the age of just 19, Hutchison has been one of the star players on the Sevens circuit this season. Australia’s power comes from their big men and are one of the most physical teams in the series.

Brazil:

World Series Ranking: 17th 17th Method of Qualification: Host Nation Head Coach: Andres Romagnoli Key Players: Daniel Sancery, Felipe Sancery General Comments: As Brazil are not a core team of the World Sevens Series, it’s difficult to tell where there strengths and weaknesses are. One of them will undoubtedly be a lack of experience against top tier opposition but home advantage at the Olympic games should be enough motivation for this developing Rugby nation to put in a proud performance.

Fiji:

World Series Ranking: 1st 1st Method of Qualification: Came 1st in the 2014/15 World Sevens Series Head Coach: Ben Ryan Key Players:Osea Kolinisau, Jasa Veremalua, Leone Nakawara General Comments: Fiji is arguably the most exciting Sevens team in the world. They play with what looks like is complete reckless abandon but what is actually carefully honed skills and a Rugby intelligence that is often two or three steps ahead. They base their game around fast paced offloading and always having a support runner available. When you see them play, you can see how they’ve been World Series Champions for the last two seasons.

France:

World Series Ranking: 11th 11th Method of Qualification: Rugby Europe Sevens Championships 2015 Head Coach: Frederic Pomarel Key Players: Julien Candelon, Virimi Vakatawa, Pierre Gilles Lakafia General Comments: The French team is a somewhat recent revelation on the Sevens Circuit, only starting to become a threat over the past couple of seasons. Despite being ranked 11th, France managed to come 3rd in their home tournament in Paris in May, and are likely to cause more than a few upsets at the Olympics.

Great Britain:

World Series Ranking: 8th(England), 10th(Scotland) and 12th(Wales) 8th(England), 10th(Scotland) and 12th(Wales) Method of Qualification: England came 4th in the 2014/15 World Sevens Series, qualifying GB as a whole Head Coach: Simon Amor Key Players: Dan Norton, Sam Cross, Mark Robertson General Comments: This is an odd one as Team GB does not compete on the Sevens circuit, instead England, Scotland and Wales compete as three separate nations. To qualify for the Olympics, England was nominated to represent GB in the Sevens Series but at the Olympics, the team will be comprised of players from all three countries.

Japan: World Series Ranking: 15th 15th Method of Qualification: 2015 ARFU Sevens Championships Head Coach: Tomohiro Segawa Key Players: Lomano Lemeki, Yoshikazu Fujita, Chihito Matsui General Comments: Japan’s best result this season was a 6th place finish in Las Vegas, losing to New Zealand in the Plate Final. I wouldn’t expect them to do the same in the Olympics but they’re more than capable of pulling off an upset or two in the pool stages.

Kenya: World Series Ranking: 7th 7th Method of Qualification: 2015 Rugby Africa Sevens Competition Head Coach: Benjamin Ayimba Key Players: Collins Injera, William Ambaka, Nelson Odhiambo Oyoo General Comments: The Kenyan team is possibly the most frustratingly inconsistent team in Sevens Rugby. On their day they can beat any team in the world but are unfortunately prone to performing well under their abilities. They’re not short of try scoring ability, however, with Collins Injera having recently broken the record for most international tries.

New Zealand: World Series Ranking: 3rd 3rd Method of Qualification: Came 3rd in the 2014/14 World Sevens Series Head Coach: Gordon Tietjens Key Players: Sonny Bill Williams, Gillies Kaka, Regan Ware General Comments: New Zealand isn’t quite the powerhouse in Sevens that they are in 15s but they aren’t far off it. Dominant a few years ago, they’ve been beaten more than they’d like in these seasons leading up to the Olympics, so while they’re still medal favourites, drawing the All Blacks may not be as bad of a thing as it used to be.

South Africa: World Series Ranking: 2nd 2nd Method of Qualification: Came 2nd in the 2014/15 World Sevens Series Head Coach: Neil Powell Key Players: Seabelo Senatla, Cecil Afrika, Philip Snyman

General Comments: South Africa’s Seven’s team is built on speed and power, none of this fancy offloading rubbish. They base their game around outmuscling or outpacing their opposition and so far it have been very very successful.

Spain: World Series Ranking: N/A N/A Method of Qualification: Monaco Repechage Champions 2016 Head Coach: Ignacio Inchausti Key Players: Ignacio Martin, Pablo Feijóo General Comments: It’s difficult to comment on Spain as they have not been a Core team on the Sevens Series since 2013, but what we can talk about is their performance in Monaco. Beating Samoa (ranked 9th in the world) in the final with a last-minute try and seeing their captain crying tears of joy shows how much Spain have worked for this opportunity. Don’t expect them to go far in terms of a medal, but don’t expect them to go down without a fight either.

United States of America: World Series Ranking: 6th 6th Method of Qualification: 2015 NACRA Sevens Championship Head Coach: Mike Friday Key Players: Perry Baker, Madison Hughes, Danny Barrett General Comments: The USA have been one of the most surprising teams of the past few years. They had barely ever been a threat until a few seasons ago, but when Mike Friday took over it was like a whole new team. He had introduced star players like Carlin Isles who were not only scoring tries for fun, but also raising awareness of Rugby in the States. After winning the London 7s last year and knowing how the Americans love the Olympics, expect the USA to be outside medal contenders.

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