Tokyo 2020 Olympics Rugby Sevens Match Schedule Confirmed

The match schedule for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic rugby sevens competition has been confirmed by Tokyo 2020 and World Rugby with 19 days to go until kick-off as excitement builds towards the sport’s second appearance at the Games.

Ireland who are in Pool C will kick off their challenge against South Africa at 11am (Tokyo) on July 26th; USA are next up later in the day while the final pool game against Kenya is on July 27th before teams move into the playoff stages.

Players, teams and fans around the world can now finalise their preparations and look forward to six days of intense, action-packed competition at Tokyo Stadium, with matches played during two competition sessions per day.

The tournament will get off to a flying start with the highly anticipated encounter between Rio 2016 Olympic champions Fiji and hosts Japan in the opening match of the men’s competition at 09:00 local time (GMT+9) on 26 July.

Another highlight in the men’s schedule sees antipodean rivals New Zealand and Australia take to the pitch in the final match in Pool A on 27 July.

The men’s competition will culminate with the gold medal match at 18:00 local time on 28 July.

The women’s competition gets underway on 29 July when France face Fiji. The 10,000 fans permitted inside Tokyo Stadium will be looking forward to the fourth match of the day when Japan start their campaign against reigning Olympic champions Australia.

The women’s gold medal match will take place at 18:00 local time on 31 July, as part of ‘Super Saturday’ – traditionally a highlight of the Games.

Billy Dardis during a Tokyo 2020 Official Team Ireland Announcement for Rugby 7s at Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Speaking at yesterday’s squad announcement, Ireland captain Billy Dardis said,

Going to Tokyo, we as a squad are representing so much more than ourselves and our families, but Irish Sport and Irish Rugby on the biggest sporting stage. To lead this group out at the Olympics will be an extremely proud moment.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said:

“With today’s confirmation of the match schedule we move an important step closer to the highly anticipated kick-off for Olympic rugby sevens in Tokyo. Players and teams can now fine-tune their preparations for every match, while fans around the globe can mark their calendars and set their alarm clocks to cheer on their teams.

“Rugby sevens has captured the imaginations of millions of people around the world, attracting an estimated 30 million new fans on Olympic debut at Rio 2016. With just 19 days to go, we cannot wait for rugby sevens to once again step on to the Olympic stage and thrill global audiences with its fast-paced, highly skilful and action-packed style of sporting entertainment.”

In June, the 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams were allocated to three pools of four, according to rankings based upon performances in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and other World Rugby sanctioned tournaments over the past two years.

As the countdown to Tokyo gathers pace, most teams have already announced their squads with a number of players that have starred in Rugby World Cups in the 15s game selected to try and attain Olympic glory for their countries in Tokyo.

Following a successful test event involving members of the Japan national teams in April, preparations are on track for a world-class tournament at Tokyo Stadium, which proved to be an excellent host venue during Rugby World Cup 2019.

To ensure teams are as best prepared as possible to perform on the greatest sporting stage of all, World Rugby has invested US$4 million into Olympic qualified unions’ sevens programmes and towards the costs of hosting a number of high-performance preparation events over the past three months.

July 07, 2021