Steadily rising Shujaa drawn against Fiji, Australia in Los Angeles 7s

The men’s national rugby 7s side Shujaa have another challenging tournament awaiting them in the sixth outing of the 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens campaign set to be held in Los Angeles, USA on 25-26 February as they were drawn against double Olympic Gold medalists Fiji, reigning Series title holders Australia and Japan in Pool C of the upcoming tournament.

Coming off an eleventh place finish in the just concluded Sydney 7s, the Damian McGrath coached side will be keen to continue their slow but steady improvement that has seen them rise from the bottom of the log to their current 12th position on 24 points.

Shujaa finish 11th in Sydney 7s

The team will also find confidence knowing they are just three points adrift eleventh place which is a non-relegation zone.

In the other pairings, New Zealand, Samoa, USA and the invited Chile are in Pool A. South Africa, Ireland, Uruguay and Canada are in Pool B while Pool D includes France, Great Britain, Argentina and Spain.

The 2023 Series is proving to be the most competitive in history with five different winners - Argentina, Australia, Samoa, South Africa and now New Zealand - in the five men’s tournaments played so far.

The prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top four women’s and men’s teams in the 2023 Series standings means every match counts, while hosts France have pre-qualified for next summer’s pinnacle event in the nation’s capital.

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The stakes couldn’t be higher at the bottom end of the men’s Series this season as well. Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th ranked team will be relegated to the 2024 Sevens Challenger Series while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series.

New Zealand romped to victory in both the women’s and men’s finals of the HSBC Sydney Sevens to increase their leads at the top of the HSBC World Rugby Seven Series 2023 standings.

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The Black Ferns Sevens beat France 35-0 while the men improved on that slightly with a 38-0 victory against South Africa for their first Cup title of the 2023 Series.

Fiji’s men returned to the podium for the first time since they finished runners-up in the opening tournament in Hong Kong after beating France 29-5 in the bronze medal decider.

The Simbas improved on their last performance, moving to 12th on the log with 21 points. They are however not out of the danger zone, despite defeating Spain 26-24.

Kenya 7s will have to better their performance to be out of the relegation zone. If they move up to position 11, they will be safe. The 15th-ranked team based on the collected points after the 10th round in Toulouse will be automatically relegated. The teams ranked 12th, 13th, and 14th at the end of the 10th round 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.

Los Angeles Pools

Pool A: New Zealand, Samoa, USA, Chile

Pool B: South Africa, Ireland, Uruguay, Canada

Pool C: Fiji, Australia, Kenya, Japan

Pool D: France, Great Britain, Argentina, Spain

Additional reporting by Tabby Nashipae