The teams for this year’s Hong Kong Sevens (8-10 April) have been announced with 16 teams contesting the core competition and 12 teams competing in the qualifier tournament for a chance at promotion to the Sevens World Series next season.
The 15 teams participating in all ten tournaments of Sevens World Series: Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Kenya, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, United States of America and Wales are joined by South Korea for the HK Sevens.
Rugby Sevens’ debut at the Olympics looms ever larger on the horizon and all eleven of the qualified teams for the Rio Games will be present in Hong Kong. The 12th men’s team to compete in Rio will be determined in the final Olympic qualifier tournament in June.
Fiji, the defending Hong Kong Sevens champions after their 33-19 win over New Zealand in 2015, will be looking to add to their 15 tournament victories in Hong Kong, including both Rugby World Cup Sevens played here in 1997 and 2005. Fiji’s 15 wins are the most in Hong Kong history, ahead of New Zealand with 11.
Hong Kong is again host for the the battle for promotion to the Sevens World Series. The qualification tournament features 12 teams, two from each of World Rugby’s six regions. The winner will be promoted to the SWS in the 2016/17 season, replacing the bottom-placed core team on the Series after the completion of the final event at Twickenham in May. Russia were promoted from last year’s qualifier, replacing Japan who return to the qualifier in 2016.
The twelve confirmed teams for the qualifier are Morocco and Zimbabwe (Africa), Hong Kong and Japan (Asia), Germany and Spain (Europe), Cayman Islands and Mexico (North America), Brazil and Chile (South America) and Papua New Guinea and Tonga (Oceania).
The Cayman Islands appearance at the Hong Kong Sevens makes them the the 58th nation to have participated since the tournament’s inception in 1976. While Germany return to Hong Kong for the first time since 1992.
HK Sevens
Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, England, USA, Kenya, Francem Samoa, Scotland, Canada, Wales, Portugal, Russia, South Korea
Sevens World Series Qualification Tournament
Hong Kong, Japan, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Chile, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Papua New Guinea, Tonga
Hong Kong Sevens 2016
Date: 8-10 April 2016
Venue: HK Stadium
Tickets: $1,800 (sold-out)
Source and photo: HKRU