Source: Mike Lee - KLC Fotos for World Rugby

Rugby sevens match schedule confirmed for Tokyo

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Tokyo 2020 Olympic rugby sevens match schedule announced with 19 days to go to kick-off

  • Women’s competition kicks off with France v Fiji on 29 July
  • Women’s gold medal decided on ‘Super Saturday’ 31 July

The match schedule for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic rugby sevens competition has been confirmed by Tokyo 2020 and World Rugby with 19 days to go until kick-off as excitement builds towards the sport’s second appearance at the Games.

Players, teams and fans around the world can now finalise their preparations and look forward to six days of intense, action-packed competition at Tokyo Stadium, with matches played during two competition sessions per day.

The women’s competition gets underway on 29 July when France face Fiji. The 10,000 fans permitted inside Tokyo Stadium will be looking forward to the fourth match of the day when Japan start their campaign against reigning Olympic champions Australia.

The women’s gold medal match will take place at 18:00 local time on 31 July, as part of ‘Super Saturday’ – traditionally a highlight of the Games.

In June, the 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams were allocated to three pools of four, according to rankings based upon performances in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and other World Rugby sanctioned tournaments over the past two years.

Women’s Pools

Pool A: New Zealand, Great Britain, Russia, Kenya

Pool B: Canada, France, Fiji, Brazil

Pool C: Australia, USA, China, Japan

As the countdown to Tokyo gathers pace, many teams have already announced their squads with a number of players that have starred in Rugby World Cups in the 15s game selected to try and attain Olympic glory for their countries in Tokyo.

Catch up with women’s squad news here.

Following a successful test event involving members of the Japan national teams in April, preparations are on track for a world-class tournament at Tokyo Stadium, which proved to be an excellent host venue during Rugby World Cup 2019.

To ensure teams are as best prepared as possible to perform on the greatest sporting stage of all, World Rugby has invested US$4 million into Olympic qualified unions’ sevens programmes and towards the costs of hosting a number of high-performance preparation events over the past three months.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “With today’s confirmation of the match schedule we move an important step closer to the highly anticipated kick-off for Olympic rugby sevens in Tokyo. Players and teams can now fine-tune their preparations for every match, while fans around the globe can mark their calendars and set their alarm clocks to cheer on their teams.

“Rugby sevens has captured the imaginations of millions of people around the world, attracting an estimated 30 million new fans on Olympic debut at Rio 2016. With just 19 days to go, we cannot wait for rugby sevens to once again step on to the Olympic stage and thrill global audiences with its fast-paced, highly skilful and action-packed style of sporting entertainment.”

Great Britain Women’s Sevens co-captain Abbie Brown said: “Just like everyone in the sporting world, we have waited so long for Tokyo to happen, so now it’s just around the corner you can really tell how special it’s going to be and how excited everyone is to get out there and play. As a squad we have spoken about carving the path for future rugby players in Great Britain so having rugby as part of the biggest multi-sport event is a great opportunity to showcase not only why we have so much love and passion for the game but also to inspire girls and boys to pick up a ball and give it a go.”

Australian Women’s Sevens co-captain Sharni Williams said: ““It’s amazing to be here five years after Rio, never did I think I would get an opportunity to represent my country, let alone at a second Olympics. The unknown has been hard to navigate but we now have the Olympics firmly in our sights.”

Canada Women’s Captain Ghislaine Landry said: “The opportunity to go to another Olympic Games with this team is very exciting. For the last five years, we’ve been training hard and hunting down podium finishes. I’m proud of our team and I know we are heading into the Games with a ton of talent and huge potential. We can’t wait to show Canada, and the world, how fast and exciting rugby sevens is.”

Rugby sevens is expected to be one of the most keenly awaited events of the Tokyo Games, following the outstanding success of Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, which captured the nation’s imagination with record-breaking broadcast audiences creating huge numbers of new rugby fans across Japan and Asia.

Women’s Fixtures:

29 July, 2021
Pool B, Match 1 KO 09.00

FRANCE 7S V FIJI 7S

Pool B, Match 2 KO 09.30

CANADA 7S V BRAZIL 7S

Pool C, Match 3 KO 10.00

USA 7S  V CHINA 7S

Pool C, Match 4 KO 10.30

AUSTRALIA 7S V JAPAN 7S

Pool A, Match 5 KO 11.00

RUSSIAN OC 7S V GREAT BRITAIN 7S

Pool A, Match 6 KO 11.30

NEW ZEALAND 7S V KENYA 7S

Pool B, Match 7 KO 16.30

CANADA 7S V FIJI 7S

Pool B, Match 8 KO 17.00

FRANCE 7S V BRAZIL 7S

Pool C, Match 9 KO 17.30

AUSTRALIA 7S V CHINA 7S

Pool C, Match 10 KO 18.00

USA 7S V JAPAN 7S

Pool A, Match 11

NEW ZEALAND 7S V GREAT BRITAIN 7S

Pool A, Match 12 KO 19.00

RUSSIAN OC 7S V KENYA 7S

30 July, 2021

Pool B, Match 13 KO 09.00

FIJI 7S V BRAZIL 7S

Pool B, Match 14 KO 09.30

CANADA 7S V FRANCE 7S

Pool C, Match 15 KO 10.00

CHINA 7S V JAPAN 7S

Pool C, Match 16 KO 10.30

AUSTRALIA 7S V USA 7S

Pool A, Match 17 KO 11.00

GREAT BRITAIN 7S V KENYA 7S

Pool A, Match 18 KO 11.30

NEW ZEALAND 7S V RUSSIAN OC 7S

9th Place Semi Final, Match 19 KO 16.30

3RD BEST 3RD V 3RD BEST 4TH

9th Place Semi Final, Match 20 KO 17.00

BEST 4TH V 2ND BEST 4TH

Medal Quarter Final, Match 21 KO 17.30

1ST POOL A V 2ND BEST 3RD

Medal Quarter Final, Match 22 KO 18.00

2ND POOL B V 2ND POOL C

Medal Quarter Final, Match 23 KO 18.30

1ST POOL C V 2ND POOL A

Medal Quarter Final, Match 24 KO 19.00

1ST POOL B V BEST 3RD

31 July, 2021

11th Place Play-Off, Match 25 KO 09.00

LOSER M19 V LOSER M20

9th Place Play-Off, Match 26 KO 09.30

WINNER M19 V WINNER M20

5th Place Semi Final, Match 27 KO 10.00

LOSER M21 V LOSER M22

5th Place Semi Final, Match 28 KO 10.30

LOSER M23 V LOSER M24

Medal Semi Final, Match 29 KO 11.00

WINNER M21 V WINNER M22

Medal Semi Final, Match 30 KO 11.30

WINNER M23 V WINNER M24

7th Place Play-Off, Match 31 KO 16.30

LOSER M27 V LOSER M28

5th Place Play-Off, Match 32 KO 17.00

WINNER M27 V WINNER M28

Bronze Final, Match 33 KO 17.30

LOSER M29 V LOSER M30

Gold Final, Match 34 KO 18.00

WINNER M29 V WINNER M30