Relegated Shujaa set to face New Zealand, South Africa, Australia in inaugural New York Sevens

The men’s national rugby 7s side Shujaa are set to come up against heavyweights New Zealand, Australia and continental rivals South Africa in the inaugural New York Sevens rugby tournament set to take place at the Red Bull Arena on, Saturday 15 July 2023.

This follows the official draw conducted on Tuesday evening that, placed Shujaa in the Red Pool alongside the three other teams.

In the tournament that has handed invites to only eight teams, Oceanic giants Fiji, France and Ireland will join hosts USA in the Blue Pool to complete the lineup.

Shujaa will begin the one-day event with a match against New Zealand before facing Australia and South Africa in their subsequent fixtures.

The winners of each pool will compete in the final for the overall title and a share of the incredible $1,000,000 prize pool on offer.

The second placed teams will compete in the bronze medal match while third placed teams will fight for the plate title with the bowl final comprising of the fourth placed teams in each pool.

NYC Sevens will bring together 25,000 rabid fans cheering on eight of World Rugby's top-ranked men's teams.

The one-day, 16-game international rugby festival promises to bring Red Bull Arena a Hong Kong Sevens-style party off the field with 11 hours of entertainment and the international sports culture rugby sevens is most famous for.

"NYC Sevens is not just fast-paced, hard-hitting rugby that features the best teams in the world. It is an all-day festival showcasing the energy and passion of international rugby sevens through music and sport," said Rob Cornelius, President of 44FiftyFive Sports & Entertainment and Head of Operations for NYC Sevens.

Shujaa will be savouring their appearance at a tournament of such calibre for a while following their relegation from the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

NYC Sevens Pools

RED: New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Kenya

BLUE: Fiji, France, Ireland, USA