Great Britain national rugby sevens team

Great Britain
Union British Olympic Association
First international
 Australia 21 - 0 Great Britain 
(25 August 2001)
Largest win
 Great Britain 26 - 7 Japan 
(22 June 2005)
Largest defeat
 South Africa 52 - 0 Great Britain 
(23 June 2005)

The Great Britain national rugby sevens team is the men's Olympic representative team of Great Britain at the rugby sevens tournament at the Summer Olympic Games. They will make their Olympic debut in the 2016 Summer Olympics after having played at the World Games in 2001 and 2005.[1]

Olympic history

When rugby sevens was admitted to the Summer Olympics in 2009,[2] it was not initially known how Great Britain could qualify.[3] As England, Wales and Scotland; three of the nations that make up Great Britain all compete separately in international competition, it was suggested that if any of them gained a qualifying spot then Great Britain would qualify. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Rugby Board (IRB), stated that Great Britain must select a lead nation to be the only one able to gain the qualification spot.[4] The individual British rugby unions selected England to be the lead nation as the Rugby Football Union was the only British union to fund a full-time rugby sevens programme.[5] England secured Great Britain's qualification to the 2016 Summer Olympics by finishing fourth in the 2015 Sevens World Series.[6][7]

Eligibility

While England was the team that qualified Great Britain for the Olympics, the Great Britain national rugby sevens team is able to select players from Wales and Scotland as well as England similar to the British and Irish Lions in rugby union.[8] Northern Irish players according to the British Olympic Association's rules as British citizens would have been eligible to play for Great Britain; however the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) demanded that they only play for the Ireland national rugby sevens team as rugby in Ireland is organised on an All-Ireland basis.[9] However, it was stated that Northern Irish and Ulster contracted players could legally challenge that determination, particularly if Ireland failed to qualify.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Great Britain team named for World Games 7's". ESPN. 2005-07-19. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  2. ↑ "Rugby". Rio 2016. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  3. ↑ "International Board backs British Olympic sevens team". BBC Sport. 2011-04-06. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  4. ↑ Jack de Menezes (2014-02-06). "No chance of a Team GB in rugby sevens at Rio after IOC and IRB ruling states only one of England, Wales or Scotland can represent Britain". The Independent. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  5. ↑ "Team GB rugby sevens team embark on road to Rio 2016 Olympics". The Telegraph. 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
  6. ↑ "England seal spot for Team GB at Rio Olympics". BBC Sport. 2015-05-17. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  7. ↑ "USA are rugby sevens worldbeaters - but they may still miss the Olympics". The Guardian. 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  8. 1 2 Rugby Union. "Only one berth for England, Wales and Scotland to 'qualify' GB team". Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  9. ↑ Mackay, Duncan (2011-04-14). "Northern Ireland players banned from representing Team GB in rugby sevens at Rio 2016". Insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
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