Rugby 7’s is set to kick off Monday at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In addition, Speak Your Peace is going to be providing coverage of the men’s and women’s tournaments this week. There are going to be articles, social media posts, and more this week. So, be sure to follow us on Instagram and get ready for a great week of rugby.
Rugby 7’s Preview: Men’s Tournament
Starting in Pool A, we’ll see New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and South Korea. It is a loaded group, featuring three top 10 sevens teams in the world. Therefore, this is going to be the toughest group on the men’s side. New Zealand and Australia will conclude Pool A action on July 27th and that could decide the top spot. However, the sleeper team in this pool is Argentina so watch out for them.
In addition, Pool B is possibly the most wide-open group on the men’s side. It features Fiji, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan. Fiji is looking to repeat as they took home gold in rugby sevens at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Certainly, Great Britain is a fascinating team considering they home silver in 2016. Of course, Japan is the host nation so they will be motivated to perform well. Finally, Canada’s men team is making their first appearance in Olympics sevens, so they might just be happy to be there.
In Pool C, the Springboks and US will battle for first place. They also meet on July 27th, making it a great day for rugby sevens action. In addition, joining this group is Ireland, the fastest-growing sevens team in the world. Jordan Conroy is the best player in the world you haven’t heard of and he is going to take Ireland as far as he can go. Finally, rounding out this group is Kenya, who will surprise a lot of people with their speed and playmaking.
Women’s 7’s Tournament
I am pumped for the women’s tournament. Participants in Group A include New Zealand, ROC, Great Britain, and Kenya. It’s a fascinating pool as ROC and Great Britain are going to battle it out for second place behind New Zealand. Kenya is going to try and play spoil for each team but they are likely going to finish last in Pool A.
Battling for Group B supremacy is a plethora of quality teams. That includes Canada, France, Fiji, and Brazil, making this group one of the most competitive. So, with that said, I am taking a tough Canada team to win this group and France to come close behind in second. Although, Fiji and Brazil are teams I wouldn’t count out as they could surprise everyone by making the medal round.
Finally, rounding out Pool C is USA, Australia, China, and Japan. The player to watch in this pool is America’s Alev Kelter. She is a fantastic center for the US and will be pushing for more than 5th place, which her team got at Rio 2016. While Japan and China are looking to score some upsets, they are likely going to miss out on medals barring shocking results.
Final Rugby 7’s Predictions
In the men’s tournament, I believe the medallists will be some combination of New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. Fiji and Great Britain are also contenders but it’s going to be tough to beat the teams I mentioned earlier. A sleeper team that I love (literally) on the men’s side is the US. Assuming they’re fully healthy, don’t be shocked if the Americans take home a medal by the end of this.
On the women’s side, I’m rooting for a Canada-US gold medal match. It would be one of the best storylines of the entire Olympics and it could certainly happen. Likewise, New Zealand battling Australia for a gold medal would be spectacular for the same reasons. Just thinking about Pool B again with Canada, France, Fiji, and Brazil is giving me goosebumps.
Conclusion
Rugby 7’s is going to be must-see TV in Tokyo. Both the men’s and women’s tournaments are going to be thrilling from start to finish and I highly suggest you watch. We’ll be covering the tournament from day one so look no further than Speak Your Peace. We’ll have a blog and social media content out these next few days on it so stay tuned!
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