Blitzboks pooled with USA, Kenya and Ireland at Olympics

The Blitzboks have been pooled alongside the USA, Kenya and Ireland in Pool C for the upcoming sevens event at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

South Africa, bronze medallists in Rio 2016, and the USA Eagles both achieved direct Olympic qualification by finishing in the top four of the 2019 World Rugby Sevens Series.

Kenya qualified courtesy of their first Rugby Africa men's sevens title since 2015 and Olympic debutants Ireland secured the final spot thanks to a thrilling 28-19 victory over France in the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco earlier this month.

The event sees three of the top four placed teams from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games together in Pool B as reigning Olympic champions Fiji will face silver medallists Great Britain and hosts Japan, who finished a very creditable fourth in Rio, along with Olympic debutants Canada who claimed bronze at the last World Rugby Sevens Series event, which took place in Vancouver last year.

Pool A sees a renewal of the mouth-watering antipodean rivalry between current Rugby World Cup Sevens and World Series champions New Zealand and Australia, who met in the final of the last Series event in Vancouver, with the All Blacks Sevens winning a tightly contested match 17-14.

Joining them in Pool A are Argentina, who finished sixth in Rio, alongside Olympic debutants Korea who qualified for Tokyo by winning the Asian qualification tournament with an extra-time 'golden point' try to overcome Hong Kong.

The 12-team event is scheduled for 26-31 July at Tokyo Stadium.