Sevens blunder prompts Shanghai surprise

A surprise is in store for the International Rugby Board (IRB) if it goes ahead with present plans to stage mainland China's first major sevens tournament in Shanghai in April next year without the blessing of the national union.

A senior Chinese Rugby Union (CRU) official has revealed the mainland rugby governing body has not sanctioned the tournament which could now be cancelled.

Earlier this year, the IRB picked Shanghai as the sixth leg of the 10-stop World Sevens Series. Apparently with the assistance of the Shanghai Football Club, a private club, plans are now well under way to host China's inaugural sevens event on April 7-8.

But the IRB had not got the official go-ahead from the CRU whose chairman, Walter Li Gaochao, said the tournament was now in danger of being cancelled if permission was not given.

'We have no clue what is going on with regard to the hosting of the Shanghai Sevens. The IRB has not been in touch with us and the first I knew of the dates of the tournament was only a couple of days ago from another party. We have not been contacted for anything at all,' said Li who is in Colombo with the Chinese under-19 squad.

'The IRB is more than welcome to host one of the legs of the World Sevens Series in China but they should go about it in the right way. And that is through the official body of rugby in China and not a private party. Would they do the same thing in Hong Kong? Can they go ahead and make plans for the Hong Kong Sevens without the involvement of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union?' asked Li.

According to Li, IRB tournament manager Fraser Neill had met him last September in Shanghai where they had discussed the idea of China hosting one of the legs of the World Sevens Series in 2001.