T. NashipaeHong Kong 7s shakes up World 7s Series standings
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 04.04.23. | 15:00
The Hong Kong 7s leg was the seventh round of the HSBC World 7s Series
New Zealand maintained the top-of-the-table position in the recently concluded Hong Kong 7s series.
Performance in Hong Kong
Australia amassed 22 solid points in Hong Kong 7s remain on top of the table. They are closely flowed by Fiji who bagged 19 points after a 24-17 loss to the All Blacks. The Frenchmen have been placed third after a successful performance that saw them collect 17 points.
Samoa, who won the ninth-place quarterfinals against Kenya are at position 4 with fifteen points and are separated by fifth-placed Argentina with two points. Mike Friday’s charges, the USA, come in sixth while Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and Canada wrap up the top ten teams respectively.
Hosts Hong Kong only managed a point, similar to Kenya 7s.
Standings on World Rankings
New Zealand top the table with 142 points and Argentina comes in second with 121 points. Fiji 7s occupied position three with 113 points while France and South Africa wrap up the best five. Kenya 7s, Canada, Tonga, and Japan are at the bottom of the log.
About the 2023 World 7s series
The World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 promises to be the most competitive and compelling to date with more at stake than ever before as the top four ranked men’s and women’s teams will earn Olympic qualification for Paris 2024, while in the men’s series, the number of teams for the 2024 series will reduce from 16 to 12 to equal the number of women’s teams and align with the Olympic competition structure, meaning fans can expect an intense battle to avoid relegation in the 2023 Series with every match and every point counting towards their final Series ranking.
How relegation will be decided
The 15th-ranked core team based on accumulated series points following the tenth round in Toulouse will be relegated. The teams ranked 12th, 13th, and 14th at the end of Toulouse will enter a four-team relegation play-off together with the Challenger Series 2023 winners at the eleventh and final round of the Series in London.
The relegation play-off will be a round-robin format with the top teams then playing a final. The winner will become the 12th core team in the 2024 series, while the other three teams will enter their respective Regional Sevens Championships in order to qualify for the 2024 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series. The Challenger Series will continue to provide a pathway for teams to qualify for the World Rugby Sevens Series.
What next for teams
Teams will now shift gears to the eighth round of the HSBC World 7s Series, Singapore 7s from April 8-9 at the Singapore National Stadium. Kenya 7s have already arrived in Singapore ahead of the tournament.
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