HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens ready for kick-off
The team captains gathered on Wednesday at Lau Pa Sat, Singapore’s most iconic Hawker Market, ahead of the highly anticipated HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens at the Singapore Sports Hub on 8-9 April as the race for Paris 2024 Olympic qualification starts to take shape.
· The HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens returns to action on 8-9 April
· Series leaders New Zealand can officially qualify for Paris 2024 with a tournament victory this weekend
· The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 is the most competitive in history with Paris 2024 Olympic qualification the prize for the top four teams
· Play begins at 9:30 local time (GMT+8) on Saturday, with the finals on Sunday
Lau Pa Sat, Singapore’s most iconic Hawker Market, in the heart of the city was the backdrop where the team captains gathered on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the highly-anticipated HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens kicking off on Saturday at the National Stadium.
Fresh off a thrilling weekend in Hong Kong, the world’s 16 best men’s teams have arrived in Singapore for the ninth leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series as the race for Paris 2024 Olympic qualification starts to take shape with only three events to go.
New Zealand All Blacks Sevens, who have tasted victory three times this season in Sydney, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, lead the Series standings with 142 points and can become the first nation other than hosts France to officially qualify for Paris 2024 if they hoist this weekend’s trophy on Sunday evening.
Hamilton and Vancouver winners Argentina (121) sit second behind New Zealand and are closely trailed by Hong Kong runners-up Fiji with 113 points, Paris 2024 hosts France with 112 points and South Africa with 101 points.
The men’s Series has seen five different winners (Australia, Samoa, South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand) through the opening eight tournaments.
After a 10-year hiatus, in 2016 the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series made it’s triumphant return to Singapore, a location that hosted stops in 2002 and 2004 through 2006. Since then the tournament has seen four different nations lift the cup as champions, including first-ever victories for Kenya in 2016 against Fiji and 2017 for Canada against their North American rivals, USA. Fiji is the only nation to have been victorious on numerous occasions, winning in 2018 against Australia and 2022 with a defeat of their rivals, New Zealand. South Africa were champions in 2019 by blanking Fiji 19-0.
The 2023 Series continues to be the most competitive in history with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top four women’s and men’s teams in the 2023 Series standings. Hosts France men have pre-qualified for next summer’s pinnacle event in the nation’s capital.
The stakes couldn’t be higher at the bottom end of the men’s Series this season as well.
Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th ranked team will be relegated while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series.
As it stands, Japan (11 points) hold the lowest ranking amongst core teams, while Canada (22), Kenya (30), Uruguay (39) and Spain (40) will be fervently trying to accumulate points over the next two tournaments. Pool A sees Series leaders New Zealand alongside Dubai winners South Africa, Hong Kong winners Australia and the invitational side Hong Kong China.
Hong Kong runners-up Fiji have been drawn with Spain, Samoa and Canada in Pool B, while France will meet USA, Uruguay and Kenya in Pool C.
Great Britain, who narrowly lost in the Hong Kong bronze medal final, will meet Argentina, Ireland and Japan in Pool D.
The action gets under way on Saturday at 09:30 local time (GMT+8) when Argentina takes on Ireland and the final match of day one kicks off at 19:33 with Fiji facing off against Spain.
Play begins on finals day on Sunday at 10:50 with the 9th place quarter-finals and the gold medal final scheduled for 19:28.
Rugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream www.world.rugby in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.
Tickets for the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens are available from Official Website | HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens | Singapore Sevens (singapore7s.com.sg)
After Singapore, the teams will enjoy a short break before the action gets back underway with the men’s and women’s teams combined event at the HSBC France Sevens on 12-14 May at Stade Ernest-Wallon, before the final event takes place in London the following weekend at HSBC London Sevens.
Information and Photo source : World Rugby
