Paris (AFP)

The Olympics in sight: the French men's rugby sevens team is attacking the World Tour season from Thursday in Dubai, preparing for the Tokyo Olympics draft tournament in the summer of 2020, where it aims to less than the gold medal.

"We want to be Olympic champion, otherwise there is no point in getting up to train, if we do not have this ambition, it is useless to attack the season. thus to AFP Jerome Daret.

But for that, it is still necessary to get his ticket by winning the repêchage tournament, next June in a place still undetermined (Biarritz is a candidate), where the Blues will have for main opponents Ireland and Samoa.

The whole season of the world circuit is therefore turned towards this double objective: "The first half (of this match that constitute the Olympics) will be in June and the second in Tokyo, but during the regular season it will be important to mark the spirits, "image Daret.

"We made good progress last season but we have to consolidate our project and look to go even further," he adds.

- "Arrive cooler" -

The last exercise especially left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Blues, ramped up throughout the season to sign two finals in March (Vancouver) and April (Hong Kong, "Mecca" of the discipline) ... but miss the most important step: the final of the European Olympic qualifying tournament, in July in Colomiers in the suburbs of Toulouse, where they were outclassed by England (31-7).

"We have to learn the lessons from the Colomiers final, and especially that we get cooler mentally and in the game (at the repechage tournament)," says Daret.

Regarding the world circuit, the technician, at the head of a group of 18 players under federal contract, hopes that the "flashes" of the past season will give way to more "consistency", a transformation that includes a reduction significant number of lost balloons.

In terms of results, "consolidate our place in the top 8 (the Blues finished 8th in the final ranking) but especially flirt with the top 6", and try to afford the scalp of Fijians and South Africans, two of the best world nations, having twice beaten New Zealand the past season.

Their women's counterparts, who will also have to win their Olympic ticket during the repechage tournament, will compete in Dubai this weekend the second stage of the world circuit after finishing fourth in the first, early October in Glendale (USA).

GENTLEMEN

The world circuit calendar:

December 5-7, in Dubai

2. December 13-15, Cape Town

3. January 25-26, in Hamilton, New Zealand

4. February 01-02, in Sydney

5. January 29-February 1, in Los Angeles

March 7-8, in Vancouver

7. April 03-05, in Hong Kong

8. April 11-12, in Singapore

9. May 23-24, in London

10. May 30-31, in Paris

The program in Dubai (in French hours)

Thursday

(15h40) France - Argentina

Friday

(09h42) France - Japan

(16h02) Fiji - France

Saturday

(08:14 to 09:20) Quarter-finals

(12:00 and 12:22) Semi-finals

(3 pm) Match for 3rd place

(16h02) Final

LADIES

The program in Dubai (in French hours), 2nd stage of the world circuit

Thursday

(12h28) France - England

Friday

(07h28) France - Japan

(13h02) New Zealand - France

Saturday

(6:44 to 07:50) Quarter-finals

(11:14 and 11:36) Semi-finals

(14h38) Match for 3rd place

(3:33 pm) Final

© 2019 AFP