After a couple of years to forget for Australian rugby, can the men’s Rugby Sevens team give Aussie fans something to cheer about in Paris?
Find out as we run through everything you need to know about Australia’s men’s Rugby Sevens team at the 2024 Olympics.
What are Australia’s men’s Rugby Sevens fixtures at the Paris Olympics?
All times below are AEST.
The men’s side of the Rugby Sevens tournament at the Paris Olympics actually starts before the Games are officially opened.
The opening ceremony is in the early hours of Saturday July 27 but Australia will play their first game two days earlier, with the preliminary phase starting on Wednesday July 24-Thursday July 25, moving into the quarter-finals on Thursday July 25-Friday July 26 before the medallists, and all other final placings, are decided on Saturday July 27-Sunday July 28.
Late in June, the pools were confirmed with Australia drawn alongside Argentina, Samoa and Kenya. The draw has not been completed yet but this page will be updated as soon as the fixture list becomes available.
In the meantime, check out our comprehensive list of the scheduled events at the Paris Olympics.
Who is in Australia’s men’s Rugby Sevens squad for the Paris Olympics?
Australia’s men’s squad for the 2024 Games is yet to be officially announced, but we already know one significant name that won’t be included in the squad – Michael Hooper.
The former Wallabies captain announced on Sunday that he would not be on the plane to Paris, in turn bringing down the curtain on his international career – or, as he put it, on his time with “Australian Rugby”.
Hooper had turned his attention to Rugby Sevens after being left out of Eddie Jones’ squad for last year’s Rugby World Cup. It was never smooth sailing for the 125-Test veteran as he attempted to sneak into the Olympic squad, with an Achilles injury delaying his Sevens debut until the Hong Kong tournament in April.
Hooper was part of an 18-player group that took part in a training camp in Darwin in late June, as was NRL-bound flyer Mark Nawaqanitawase and Brumbies winger Corey Toole, putting all three firmly in the frame for Olympic selection, but it seems Hooper couldn’t convince coach John Manenti that he’d be worthy of a spot on the plane to Paris.
We’ll find out the makeup of the final squad this week, with Manenti expected to make the announcement on Wednesday.
A handful of names are certainties to be included, barring last minute injuries, including captain Nick Malouf, veteran playmaker Maurice Longbottom, try-scoring machine Henry Hutchison and the versatile Dietrich Roache.
Squad for the 2023-24 season (final squad for Paris Olympics TBC): Dally Bird, Tim Clements, Ben Dowling, Matt Gonzalez, Michael Hooper, Henry Hutchison, Michael Icely, Nathan Lawson, Maurice Longbottom, Nick Malouf (c), Henry Paterson, Dietrich Roache, Hayden Sargeant, Hadley Tonga, James Turner, Josh Turner
Has Australia ever won a gold medal in men’s Rugby Sevens?
No. In fact Australia’s men’s Rugby Sevens side is yet to claim a medal of any colour in their two Olympic campaigns so far.
The furthest they have reached is the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by South Africa in 2016 and Fiji in 2021.
Australia lost to Argentina at the Tokyo Olympics, en route to a quarter-final exit. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Will Australia win a medal in men’s Rugby Sevens at the Paris Olympics?
The Aussies are absolutely a chance of winning a medal in Paris, but realistically you’d have to label it an outside chance.
They finished a very creditable fourth in the 2023-24 World Sevens regular season standings, before a disappointing final tournament in Madrid saw them claim seventh spot.
They showed glimpses of their best throughout the season, reaching the final in Cape Town in late 2023 and Perth earlier this year.
If they can put in similar performances in Paris then they’re definitely in with a shot, but any slip-ups could be fatal to their medal chances.
Who is the favourite to win gold in men’s Rugby Sevens at the 2024 Olympics?
While the women’s draw has a very clear top two, the field is wide open on the men’s side of things.
Two-time defending champions Fiji looked way off their game this season, finishing a scarcely-believable sixth in the regular season standings, before recovering some form with a third-placed finish in Madrid.
Argentina were the surprise table-toppers in the 2023-24 regular season so you’d have to say they’re a strong chance of winning gold in Paris, but then again they were just ahead of Ireland, who didn’t even make it out of their group at the Tokyo Olympics.
France are also in with a shot at gold, not just because of home advantage but because they swept all before them to claim the World Sevens title with victory in Madrid less than two months out from the Olympic tournament.
Then there’s the old enemy, New Zealand, who finished third in the regular season standings and will be desperate to avenge their defeat in the Olympic final against Fiji three years ago.
Which countries have qualified for men’s Rugby Sevens at the Olympics?
Pool A
Ireland
Japan
New Zealand
South Africa
Pool B
Australia
Argentina
Kenya
Samoa
Pool C
Fiji
France
Uruguay
USA