OLYMPIC HISTORY

Rugby Sevens was new to the Olympics in 2016, but it was not the first time the oval ball code had been an Olympic sport. The traditional 15-a-side game was contested at the 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924 games. Sevens is an Olympic sport for both men and women, who compete in two separate competitions, each containing 12 teams. The format is two-part: firstly pool play with the 12 teams divided into three pools of four, all teams in each pool playing each other once. From there the top two from each pool plus the two best thirdplace finishers qualify for the knockout round. The bottom four teams play a consolation round. The knockout round is quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final. The losing semi-finalists play off for the bronze medal. At Rio de Janeiro, in the women’s event, Australia won gold, New Zealand silver and Canada bronze.