African Men’s Sevens teams do battle for Olympic Qualification
Twelve of the top African Men’s Sevens teams will go head-to-head at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, on Saturday and Sunday for a sought-after spot at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe will participate in the tournament, with the winning team qualifying for the Olympic Games alongside the Springbok Sevens squad.
The Blitzboks gained automatic qualification for the international spectacle by finishing second in the 2014/2015 HSBC Sevens World Series.
Kenya will enter the Olympic Qualifier among the top contenders to win given their status as one of the core teams on the HSBC Sevens World Series, and will look to use this experience to stamp their authority against their neighbouring countries.
Namibia, who have acquired the services of former Springbok Sevens assistant coach Vuyo Zangqa on a temporary basis in the lead-up to the tournament, will also look to make their presence felt. The team prepared for the continental showpiece at the Springbok Sevens’ training base in Stellenbosch this week before departing for Johannesburg on Thursday.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, trained in Pretoria this week, while Nigeria arrived in Johannesburg early in the week to acclimatise to the Gauteng conditions and hot temperatures.
Kenya and Mauritius will kick-off the tournament at 10h00 on Saturday, which will be followed by a clash between Zimbabwe and Nigeria. Each team will play three matches on the opening day, with the top eight sides advancing to the Cup Quarter-finals on Saturday, and the four lower-ranked teams facing off in the Bowl section.
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