Hong Kong teams face difficult journey to HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, with challenger event setting high bar
- World Rugby announces 12-team tournaments for men and women, with only winners going through
- While winners of women’s event will get automatic entry to top competition, men face additional hurdle of four-team play-off
Hong Kong’s sevens teams have been handed different but equally challenging paths to the top tier of the sport, with World Rugby releasing details of next year’s Challenger Series.
Both the men’s and women’s team will need to win their respective 12-team tournaments in South Africa in April, although the men will then face an additional four-team play-off in London to May.
The series will be held in Stellenbosch at Markotter Stadium, with combined three-day events taking place from April 20 to 22, and April 28 to 30.
Hong Kong’s women will face Belgium, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Madagascar, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Poland, South Africa, Thailand, and a team from South America.
The winner of the women’s tournament will get automatic entry to the Sevens World Series 2024.
For the men’s team that wins the series event in South Africa, an extra hurdle to the top tier exists in the form of a play-off at the HSBC London Sevens the following month.
That mini event will include the teams ranked 12th to 14th after 10 rounds of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, with the winner of the play-off achieving Sevens World Series 2024 status.
To reach London, Hong Kong will first have to get past Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Korea, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Uganda and Zimbabwe.