Australia’s men will be forced to confront bogey-team South Africa in the group stage of the Rugby Sevens at the Rio Olympics.

The Thunderbolts beat the second-ranked South Africans just two times from eight attempts in the 2016 World Sevens series, however should still get a saloon passage through the group stage against the 11th-ranked French and qualifiers Spain.

The top two sides from each of the three groups qualify for the quarter finals, while the next two highest nations also progress.

Meanwhile Australia’s world champion women will have to overcome the sixth-ranked US, eighth-placed Fiji and world No.14 Colombia to progress to the quarter-finals.

Australia won four of the five World Rugby Sevens meetings in 2015-16, with the USA’s highest finish a fourth place in Brazil.

The same format is followed in the women’s competition as the men’s.

MEN

Pool A: Fiji, USA, Argentina, Brazil.

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

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

WOMEN

Pool A: Australia, USA, Fiji, Colombia.

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

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