HSBC France Series: double delight for New Zealand in Toulouse, while Irish women make Olympic history
- Triumph in France secures 2023 series titles for All Black Sevens and Black Ferns
- Third time New Zealand have won both men’s and women’s competitions this season
The HSBC France Sevens came to a dramatic close on Sunday evening in Toulouse with New Zealand women and men securing double gold, while the All Blacks Sevens joined the Black Ferns as 2023 Series champions.
It is the third time the teams in black have achieved such a tournament double this season, having claimed dual gold in Sydney in January and Hong Kong in March.
For the Black Ferns Sevens, it marked the sixth consecutive cup title to finish the 2023 Series in style, while for the All Blacks Sevens it was their first cup title in France dating back to 2004 in Bordeaux.
In the bronze medal matches, Australia women beat France 33-7 while the home fans were treated to a thrilling men’s final where the hosts downed Canada 28-12.
Earlier in the day, Fiji men joined series winners New Zealand, Argentina and hosts France as the third team to qualify for Paris 2024, leaving one place to be decided next weekend at the HSBC London Sevens in the final event of the 2023 season.
In the women’s competition, Ireland made history by securing the fourth and final spot for next summer’s Olympics by defeating Fiji 10-5 in a nail-biter in the opening match of the day.
The size of the achievement was evident in the celebrations that greeted the final whistle.
“It’s an absolute credit to the girls and the whole entire squad,” Katie Heffernan said. “This is massive for Irish rugby, it’s massive for the girls and it’s onwards and upwards from here.”
The battle for the 11th spot on the 2024 Series, and therefore avoiding next weekend’s World Rugby Sevens Series 2024 Play-off, came right down to the wire in the ninth place semi-finals mid-day. Spain beat Samoa while Uruguay lost Fiji, which saw Spain secure their spot for next season.
Next weekend’s play-off will consist of a round-robin between Uruguay, Canada, who finished fourth in Toulouse, Kenya and Tonga, the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 champions.
The winners will secure the 12th and final spot on the 2024 series.
