Rio Olympics 2016: Aussie women to meet US, Fiji and Colombia in rugby sevens at Games

GOLD medal contenders Australia have had their opposition for the Rio Olympics confirmed — and it’s pretty good news for our rugby sevens women.

Australia's Ellia Green (C) is tackled during the HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series.

GOLD medal contenders Australia have had their opposition for the Rio Olympics confirmed — and it’s pretty good news for our rugby sevens women.

The Aussie women have been drawn in the same pool as the sixth-ranked US, eighth-placed Fiji and world No 14 Colombia.

The Australian womens seven side are major medal hopefuls in Rio.

While in basketball and water polo US teams loom as major obstacles to Australian women’s success in Rio, in rugby sevens this may not be the case for the world champion Aussies.

Our Australian men will take on second-ranked South Africa in its pool along with 11th-ranked France and qualifiers Spain.

In both the women’s and men’s competitions the top two sides at the end of group play will advance into the quarter-finals along with the next two highest nations.

Australia (yellow) vs. Russia (blue) at the recent World Rugby Sevens Series.

POOLS FOR THE RIO OLYMPICS

WOMEN

Pool A: Australia, USA, Fiji, Colombia.

Pool B: New Zealand, France, Spain, Kenya.

Pool C: Canada, Great Britain, Brazil, Japan.

MEN

Pool A: Fiji, USA, Argentina, Brazil.

Pool B: South Africa, Australia, France, Spain.

Pool C: New Zealand, Great Britain, Kenya, Japan.