USA names NFL player Nate Ebner in rugby team for Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Fiji, Argentina, Japan and Kenya among other nations to confirm their squads for rugby's Olympic return
Nate Ebner has been given leave by the New England Patriots to play at Rio 2016 (Photo: Getty Images/Suhaimi Abdullah)
The USA has included NFL Super Bowl champion Nate Ebner on its rugby sevens squad for Rio 2016 while the World Rugby Sevens Series champions Fiji, as well as fellow medal contenders Argentina, have named their line-ups for the Olympic Games.
Ebner, who has been granted a leave of absence by the New England Patriots to pursue his Olympic dream, was the youngest player to represent the USA sevens team, aged 17. He continued his rugby career at Ohio State University before joining their American football team and subsequently being drafted into the NFL.
The USA rugby sevens team, which was named on Monday (18 July), will be captained by Madison Hughes, who recently became his country's all-time leading scorer in the sevens series.
Back-to-back World Rugby Sevens Series champions Fiji are top seeds for the 12-team event in Rio and among the favourites to claim gold. The men's and women's squads were announced live on television by the Pacific island nation's prime minister and Fiji Rugby Union president Voreqe Bainimarama.
The core of the side which retained the sevens series title are selected, including captain Osea Kolinisau, try-scoring machine Savenaca Rawaca, Jerry Tuwai, Jasa Veremalua and Vatemo Ravouvou.
Feared Fijian rugby players show they are really gentle giants during mid-flight emergency
Osea Kolinisau will lead Fiji's bid for a first Olympic medal (Photo: Getty Images/Mark Kolbe)
Argentina coach Santiago Gómez Cora says the inclusion of Rugby World Cup 2015 stars Juan Imhoff and Matías Moroni gives his side “an added dimension” as they prepare to go for gold at Rio 2016.
Imhoff, a key figure for Los Pumas at both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, impressed Gómez Cora sufficiently in his recent outing in the final round of the 2015-16 sevens series in London in May. Moroni also played at the 2013 Sevens World Cup.
Japan named the 24 men and women who will be representing the Asian champions in Rio next month, with a couple of notable absentees from the men's squad. Kenki Fukuoka is the only member of Japan’s Rugby World Cup 2015 squad to make the final cut for Rio 2016, with Akihito Yamada and Yoshikazu Fujita missing out on the chance to medal at rugby sevens.
Yusaku Kuwazuru captains a squad that includes Japan’s top two try-scorers from last season’s series, Kameli Soejima and Lomano Lemeki, who managed 15 and 13 tries respectively. Chiharu Nakamura will captain Japan’s women's team.
Meanwhile, Andrew Amonde and Catherine Abilla will captain Kenya's men's and women's teams at Rio 2016. In Collins Injera, Kenya's men possess the all-time try scorer on the world series, the speedster passing Santiago Gomez Cora’s milestone of 230 tries during the 10th and final round in London in May.
Other nations to have announced their rugby sevens teams for Rio 2016 include New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, Australia, South Africa, Colombia, and Great Britain.
The traditional 15-player version of rugby was played at the 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but rugby will return in the exciting sevens format in Rio. Find out how to buy tickets.
See the full schedules for the men's and women's tournaments.
