Hong Kong could host final leg of 2016 World Series, says IRB official
HKRFU to push hard for its incomparable tournament to become the real ‘jewel in the crown’
Hong Kong will be considered to become the climactic final leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series in 2016, top sevens official Avan Lee said as all stakeholders and the International Rugby Board were to meet in the city on Monday to discuss the game’s well-being and future.
"There is an option to finish the World Series in Hong Kong and that is exactly the conversation we are going to have when all the host unions meet tomorrow," said Lee, IRB Sevens general manager.
"If we do go down this track, we will be looking at starting the Sevens World Series earlier in the summer in the UK," Lee acknowledged.
All the stakeholders, every tournament in the World Series, will be meeting in Hong Kong to talk about the future. And this will be one aspect
Currently, the season ends in London in May.
The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union will be pressing hard for the incomparable Hong Kong Sevens to be the real "jewel in the crown" by becoming the final leg in the World Series when the new cycle starts during the 2015-16 season.
Last month, soon after the IRB announced that 25 countries had put their names in the hat to host a leg of the World Series, HKRFU chairman Trevor Gregory said, "it would make a lot of sense if Hong Kong is the last leg".
The HKRFU wants both the promotion and relegation to be decided at the Hong Kong Sevens, which being a 28-team tournament, is the only one catered to fulfil both needs.