New Zealand survive shock defeat to qualify for Olympic Games 2016
The perfect season it may not now be, but New Zealand achieved what they set out to do at the start of the season – qualify for the Olympic Games in 2016.The Kiwis, unbeaten for 37 consecutive matches, were shocked on the first day of the Women’s Sevens Series in London on Friday when they were defeated by Spain, 19-15.
Despite the upset, Sean Horan’s team retained their composure to cement their spot in Rio after defeating France in the last match of the day, 24-0. Speaking after they officially booked their spot at the Olympics, captain Sarah Goss said it was a dream come true: “We’ve been focusing on this for the last three and a half years and for it to be a reality now is amazing.
“I’m just really proud of the girls, as they’ve put in a lot of hard work, especially in the last six months. I’m speechless!”
Spain were rewarded for their plucky efforts with a quarter-final against heavyweights Australia. Hosts England will play New Zealand in the last eight on Saturday, Canada face Russia in the first quarter-final on day two, while USA v France will battle it out in the other quarter-final; a match that France will want to win to help their Olympic qualification hopes.
The action now moves to Saturday which should give a better indication of which teams can qualify for the the three remaining Olympic places, currently occupied by Canada, Australia and France.
All the action will be streamed live on worldrugby.org and kicks off at 10.30am (BST) at The Stoop, home of Harlequins RFC. With the final round of the men’s season kicking-off across the road at Twickenham, the women’s final and third-place final will take place at the home of England Rugby on Saturday evening.
Tickets for the tournament are still available for Saturday:
Saturday 16 May – Twickenham Stoop Day Pass £10, Juniors £5
Saturday 16 May 2015 – Dual venue pass, access to Twickenham Stoop and Twickenham Stadium for Marriott London Sevens – Adults £30, Juniors £10. Please note that the dual venue pass allows unlimited access between the two venues on Saturday. Stoop only passes would not gain entry to Twickenham Stadium. CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL THE LATEST VIDEOS FROM THE WOMEN’S SERIES >>
Following the action in London, the series moves to the Netherlands, where Amsterdam hosts the last round of the women’s series at the NRCA Stadium on 22 and 23 May.
