South Africa and China book starting place for sevens rugby in Paris

South Africa have qualified for the men’s rugby sevens competition at the Paris Olympic Games after beating Great Britain 14-5 in the final of the repechage qualifying tournament in Monaco on Sunday.

Quewin Nortje and Shilton van Wyk both scored first-half tries for South Africa, who led by nine points at half-time. Neither team was able to add to their score in the second half.

South Africa, which won bronze at the 2016 Olympics but finished fifth at Tokyo 2020, had to go through the repechage tournament after suffering a surprise loss to Kenya in the final of the African qualifiers last September.

Since former coach Neil Powell left the club at the start of the 2022–23 United Rugby Championship season to join the Durban Sharks, his form has flagged.

China qualified for the women’s competition in Paris on Sunday after a 24-7 final victory against Kenya.

Chen Keyi scored two tries as China dominated their opponents to qualify for the Olympics for the second consecutive year after finishing seventh at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

They will join eleven other countries in the women’s field in Paris, including defending champions New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and Great Britain.

The sevens rugby competition at the Olympic Games is scheduled to take place from July 24 to 30 at the Stade de France.