What the sweeping changes to World Sevens Series mean for Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Rugby Union ‘welcomes plans for continued reimagination’ of Series, and is confident city remains part of the sport’s future
- Officials calm fears over new relegation play-off system, saying that it creates greater opportunity for movement
Hong Kong rugby bosses said they welcomed the changes to the World Sevens Series, and were confident the city would remain part of the sport’s future.
From December next year, the number of men’s teams in the series will be cut from 16 to 12, with seven tournaments rather than the 10 taking place this season.
World Rugby has said the move was designed to attract “a younger, more diverse and global fanbase”, while having 12 men’s and women’s teams would be in keeping with the Olympics.
In its announcement, the governing body said the remodelled series would “include seven festival style events, in seven iconic global destinations, across seven months”, culminating in a grand finale where the top eight teams would play off to be crowned champions.
“The Hong Kong Rugby Union welcomes World Rugby’s plans for continued reimagination of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series,” the HKRU said in a statement.
“The Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens has championed the concept of rugby sevens as more than sport throughout our 45-year history, and as an iconic global destination we remain confident of maintaining our position on the global series going forward.
