Rugby Sevens Day 2 repechage wrap-up: Who has qualified for the knockouts?
The race to Paris is in the home stretch for the world’s top rugby sevens players, with the final sprint taking place in Monaco this weekend from 21-23 June.
The World Rugby Sevens Repechage will decide the final men’s and women’s quotas for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 rugby sevens competition.
The excitement continued on day two as teams fought to advance to the knockout rounds on Sunday. It’s all or nothing at these repechages, with the golden prize being a ticket to Paris.
Advancing to the knockout round for the women are The People’s Republic of China, Paraguay, Uganda, Czechia, Kenya, Argentina, Poland, and Hong Kong, China.
Great Britain, Canada, Uganda, South Africa, Chile, Tonga, Spain, and Hong Kong, China will be on the pitch for the men's on Sunday (23 June).
Read on to learn more about the action from Day 2 in Monaco.
Day one at Stade Louis II set the stage with dominant performances from favorites, as Spain, Great Britain, and South Africa topped their respective pools in the men’s competition. In the women's draw, China, Argentina, and Uganda emerged as leaders.
As the tournament progressed into its second day, the stakes were higher and the competition became fiercer.
Olympic dreams stay alive for top seeds Great Britain and South Africa
Rio 2016 silver medallist Great Britain and bronze medallist South Africa have both advanced to the quarter-finals, but only one of them may make it to Paris 2024.
Great Britain ended Day 2 at the top of their pool, clinching the top seed spot with a decisive victory over Canada.
The Olympic carrot also dangles in front of South Africa’s Blitzboks, who finished Day 2 undefeated. They kicked off the tournament with a commanding 44-0 win over Mexico on Friday and continued their dominant form on Saturday, defeating Tonga 31-7 - with a 19-0 lead at halftime and scoring five tries in total. Their final pool match was a thrilling table-topper against Chile, who were also undefeated. Rio 2016 bronze medallist Siviwe Siyozwapi attributed the team's success to focusing on themselves and "positive self-talk." South Africa will have to keep this momentum tomorrow to secure the last remaining spot at the Paris Olympics.
But first, they will have to get past Uganda. Timothee Kisha led the Africans to a quarter-final spot in a first-ever meeting between Uganda and China earlier today, much to the delight of their enthusiastic fans present. Uganda's last team sport to qualify for the Olympics was in 1972 in Munich with their hockey team. Now, their Rugby Sevens team has a chance to become the second team sport to represent the nation at the Olympics. Can they overcome the competitive field ahead?
The People's Republic of China, Uganda, Kenya emerge on top for the women
Uganda had even more to celebrate as their women also ended the second day on a high note, securing a significant victory against Hong Kong, China. This win keeps Uganda undefeated heading into the quarterfinals. Star player Grace Nabaggala expressed her confidence, stating, "The games are no longer easy. But day one, a win. Day two, a win. And I know that tomorrow, we are going to the final."
Kenya also made a strong impression, starting their day with a dominating 51-5 win against Samoa. Their match against Argentina was a nail-biter, but the African team managed to finish the day at the top of Pool D. Argentina, however, is determined to seek revenge in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.
Top seeds, the People's Republic of China have demonstrated peak form throughout the weekend, securing three wins, including two shutouts where they didn't concede a single point. Their consistent performance has solidified their status as the team to beat.
Anticipation builds for what promises to be an electrifying knockout stage on Sunday (23 June) in Monaco.
Looking ahead: Rugby sevens at Paris 2024
There are 12 quotas per gender, with only one left up for grabs per gender.
Who else has secured quotas?
The winners of the repechage will face the following teams in Paris this summer:
- Men: France, New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji, Australia, Uruguay, Ireland, USA, Kenya, Samoa and Japan.
- Women: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, USA
Don't miss the thrilling action on the final day of the repechage tournament on Sunday, 23 June. The Paris 2024 pools will be announced following the finals. You can watch the Rugby sevens in Monaco live on rugbypass.tv