Olympic Games
Australia's men secure 2016 Rio spot
AAP
November 15, 2015
© Simon Watts/Getty Images

Australia have qualified to contest the inaugural men's rugby Sevens tournament at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, showing they will be genuine gold medal contenders in sweeping through the Oceania regional qualifying tournament in Auckland on Sunday.

The Thunderbolts emphatically grabbed their cherished Rio berth by thrashing Tonga 50-0 in the final - running in 10 tries.

Australia, ranked No.5 in the world, had been expected to meet Samoa in the final but Tonga pulled off the upset of the weekend with a 41-5 thumping in their semifinal. The Islanders were no match for Tim Walsh's team, however, as the Australians romped to a 31-0 half-time lead as captain Ed Jenkins and Pama Fou each scored a double.

Young gun Henry Hutchison was the standout for the Australians scoring a hat-trick in their quarterfinal win and tries in both the semifinal and final in his first tournament for the side, while Jenkins and Cameron Clarke also stood out.

The Thunderbolts' triumph means Australia's men's and women's sides will both play in Rio; the Pearls gained automatic qualification with third place in this year's HSBC Sevens World Series.

© AAP

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