Rugby 7s: the last two Olympic places will be decided in Monaco

Recent history shows that the Stade Louis II in Monaco, without having been an Olympic venue, has occupied an influential space in rugby 7s since its return to the Games program. The stage that hosted the repechages for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 will take place again in the run-up to Paris 2024, as made official by World Rugby.

Twelve women’s teams and an equal number of men’s teams will fight for a ticket to the tournaments in the French capital, the last of each team in play (the remaining 11 are already defined), between 21 and 23 June 2024, almost a month before the start of the Olympic competitions. Rugby 7s will be launched at the Stade de France on Wednesday, July 24, inaugurating sporting activity at the Games.

World Rugby delegated the organization of the repechage event to the Monaco Rugby Union and the government of the Principality, and has not yet confirmed the competition system, although it is presumed that it will sustain the format, with an initial group phase followed by instances of elimination until the decisive match.

With two representatives from each continent coming from the regional classification and without an undisputed favorite, the women’s repechage championship will be attended by Argentina, Chile, China, Hong Kong China, Kenya, Jamaica, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Poland, Samoa, Uganda and the Czech Republic, an absolute rookie in a repechage.

On the men’s side and with an equal distribution of places, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Spain, Tonga and Uganda will pursue the title that qualifies them. The South African Blitzboks, winners in Dubai of the first stage of the current World Series, are emerging as the main contenders to lift the trophy. In a second batch of teams with greater chances, Canada, Great Britain and Spain prevailed.

The world circuit delivered its four rankings last season: New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and the United States sealed their way on the women’s side, while New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia made it among men. The South African team finished seventh overall.

On the women’s level, Australia is leading the current competition after an overwhelming start: it was crowned in Dubai on December 3 and in Cape Town a week later. The most powerful men’s team was Argentina. After falling in the final of the first stage to South Africa, they crushed Australia 45-12. The next phase will be played in Perth, Australia, between January 26 and 28 next year. Although he acknowledged that it will take him “time to adapt”, Antoine Dupont could make his debut in the specialty.