LONDON, ENG. - The U.S. Men’s National Team in rugby sevens have qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. At the ninth round of the World Rugby Sevens Series in London, the Eagles Sevens defeated Wales 28-26 to qualify for the Cup Quarterfinals and guarantee a Top Four finish at the conclusion of the season.
Currently ranked No. 1 in the world, having medaled at six of the eight completed tournaments, the United States men have reached unprecedented success. Never before has the team reached or maintained such a high placing or finished the season higher than fifth place.
Ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the United States were unable to qualify in the regular season and forced to clinch a berth through regional qualifiers.
The 2016 Games marked the first ever appearance for Rugby Sevens in the Olympics. Rugby Fifteens was previously in the Olympic program in the early 1900s where the United States won back-to-back Gold medals in 1920 and 1924.
As the Series leaders, the USA currently hold an overall lead of 3 points over second-place and reigning Olympic Champions Fiji, 15 points over reigning World Cup Champions New Zealand, 24 points over 2018 World Series Champions South Africa and 38 points over fifth-place England.
Despite injuries to key players in 2016 Olympian and two-time World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year Perry Baker, as well as fellow Olympian Danny Barrett, the United States has rallied to capture one Gold, four Silver and one Bronze medal this season. Both Baker and Barrett returned for this weekend’s London tournament, bringing the squad to full strength for qualification.
Alongside their success in the overall standings, the United States are also featured in the Top 5 of nine statistical categories with 2016 Olympians Carlin Isles and Captain Madison Hughes leading as Top Try Scorer and Top Overall Points Scorer, respectively. As a team, the group also ranks third in most points scored and most tries scored.
VIEW WORLD SERIES STATS CENTER »
With a ticket booked for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the USA Men’s Sevens will now focus their intentions on finishing on the podium tomorrow in London, as well as making history with the World Series title next week in Paris. Never before have the United States won a Series title.
As Paris will mark the conclusion of the most successful season in program history, Head Coach Mike Friday and the Eagles Sevens have placed an unwavering focus on making a permanent mark in the hearts and minds of American sports fans across the nation.
