Australia wins Oceania Olympic sevens qualifying tournament in Auckland

[beige]

AUSTRALIA have qualified to contest the inaugural men’s rugby sevens gold medal at next year’s Olympic Games.

The Thunderbolts showed they would be a genuine gold medal contender by sweeping through the Oceania regional qualifying tournament in Auckland on Sunday.

They emphatically grabbed their cherished Rio berth by thrashing Tonga 50-0 in the final — running in eight tries.

Australia, ranked fifth in the world, had been expected to meet Samoa in the final but Tonga pulled off the upset of the weekend with a 41-5 thumping in their semi-final.


The Islanders were no match for Tim Walsh’s team however as the Australians romped to a 31-0 halftime lead as both captain Ed Jenkins and Pama Fou each scored a double.

The Thunderbolts’ triumph means both Australia’s men’s and women’s sides will play in Rio after the Pearls gained automatic qualification with third place in this year’s world series.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/au...ce=twitterfeed

[shasta]

It's good to see they qualified. But you just can't get away from the feeling it's a bit like the last place prize in a Cup sweep.

[The InnFORCEr]

When my baby smiles at me I go to Rio, well done lads

[jargan83]

Saw some highlights this arvo, did they play this qualifying comp at a local park?

[beige]

Saw some highlights this arvo, did they play this qualifying comp at a local park?

Maybe they should have played it in a country that was actually competing in the tournament.

[jargan83]

That would have been helpful. Probably would have got a good crowd if held in Samoa or Tonga.

[eleypinkbit]

Apparently it was free entry too, somewhere in Auckland I think