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Latest News
Rugby World Cup Sevens San Francisco 2018 - Day Two
7 min read

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

Everything you need to know about Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

Your guide to RWC Sevens 2022, which will take place in Cape Town between 9-11 September this year.

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

Mon 25 July, 2022
7 min read
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3 min read

Rugby Sevens

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 match schedule revealed with 50 days to go

The first match-ups for the highly anticipated Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 have been revealed with 50 days to go until the three-day pinnacle event kicks off in Cape Town, South Africa on 9-11 September. The innovative ‘winner takes all’ knock-out competition format first introduced at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 means every match counts as teams will need to win every time they enter the pitch in order to become world champions.

Rugby Sevens

Thu 21 July, 2022
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Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 makes moves with HAVAL

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 is delighted to welcome HAVAL as an Official Partner.

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

Wed 20 July, 2022
1 min read
Ireland women celebrate qualifying for RWC Sevens 2022
3 min read

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 line-up confirmed in Bucharest

The eight remaining tickets to Cape Town were snapped up at the RWC Sevens 2022 Europe Qualifier.

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

Mon 18 July, 2022
3 min read
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Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

Castle Lite joins the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 party

South Africa’s biggest premium lite beer, Castle Lite has joined Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 as an Official Global Partner.

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

Fri 15 July, 2022
1 min read
2018 Highlights
Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018
08:29 mins

Highlights: New Zealand win big in San Francisco

New Zealand retained their Rugby World Cup Sevens title in San Francisco
Mon 23 July, 2018
08:29 mins
Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018
07:03 mins

Highlights: New Zealand women's win Rugby World Cup Sevens

Check out all the top action as New Zealand win The Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco
Sun 22 July, 2018
07:03 mins
Rugby World Cup Sevens San Francisco 2018 - Day Two
06:30 mins

HIGHLIGHTS: Men's semi-finals confirmed after thrilling day two

Men's semi-finals confirmed after thrilling day two of action at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 #RWC7s
Sun 22 July, 2018
06:30 mins
Rugby World Cup Sevens San Francisco 2018 - Day One
06:51 mins

Highlights: Men's quarter-finals decided

Men's quarter-finals of Rugby World Cup Sevens decided after incredible first day at AT&T Park
Sat 21 July, 2018
06:51 mins
Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018
06:26 mins

Highlights: Women's semi-finals confirmed at Rugby World Cup Sevens

Championship semi-finals confirmed after thrilling day one of action
Sat 21 July, 2018
06:26 mins
women's rugby
Tuesday 30 November, 2021
4 min read

Rugby World Cup legacy continues to benefit Hong Kong women’s rugby

Jo Hull, the Hong Kong Rugby Union head of women’s rugby performance, talks about the benefits brought about by participation at the highest level.
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When the Hong Kong women’s team became the first team from the country to qualify for a Rugby World Cup in 15s, Jo Hull spoke of how she hoped that participation in Ireland 2017 would ignite interest in the sport in her adopted home.

The 41-year-old from Yorkshire in northern England was early into her role of Hong Kong RU head of women’s performance at the time and now, five years further on, it’s clear her wishes have been met.

Increased player participation numbers, a vibrant Women’s Premiership competition and a new self-confidence about Hong Kong’s place in the global game are all part of the legacy created by that historic tournament.

The #RWC2021 Final Qualification Tournament will take place on 18 and 24 February, 2022 in Dubai

Scotland, Samoa, Colombia and the winner of the Hong Kong v Kazakhstan play-off will compete for the final place in Pool A

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) November 22, 2021

“Our mantra going into that was to create a legacy,” said Hull, a former English Women’s Premiership player with Darlington Mowden Park Sharks.

“Since the World Cup, we have had girls playing rugby that never played before because they were inspired by seeing Natasha Olson-Thorne scoring Hong Kong’s first-ever World Cup try against Wales on TV.

“The biggest thing is that kids genuinely talk about wanting to go to a World Cup, whereas before 2016 qualification and the 2017 World Cup itself, it was never on the radar, it was never spoken about.

“We wanted to win the hearts of people and I think we did.”

With someone as enthusiastic about rugby as Hull leading the charge, it is not hard to see how there has been a sea-change in attitude.

“The World Cup was a game-changer for women’s rugby in Hong Kong because it made people realise it is possible to play outside of Asia and there is a route for women to play 15s rugby at a high level,” she said.

“Now, you go to youth clubs and women’s Premiership clubs and they talk about a ‘World Cup cycle’ and they talk about the next 15-17-year-olds involved in rugby who might have the ambition to stay in Hong Kong and be part of the next World Cup squad.

“The World Cup has given us a purpose and a four-year marker to create a high performance platform. The trickle effect of that is there is now a higher profile of the women’s game in Hong Kong and people around the world now know that Hong Kong play at that level, and that is huge.

“It’s a critical part of our performance pathway; we don’t view it as a one-off.”

A recap of the actions from today’s Dettol Hong Kong Women’s Premiership. Gai Wu RFC concluded the Game of the Week with a dominant 48-7 victory over @SCAACausewayBay at So Kong Po. Check out the highlights below!#hkrugby #ProtectTheBestMoments #AGameForAll pic.twitter.com/EtmWD7eop0

— HKRU (@HongKongRugby) November 13, 2021

Driving standards

Old rivals Kazakhstan stand between Hong Kong and participation in the Final Qualification Tournament in Dubai, on 18 and 24 February, which will determine whether they go to a second Rugby World Cup.

If successful, Hong Kong will compete with the other regional qualifiers Scotland, Samoa and Colombia for the final ticket to New Zealand.

Hong Kong have only played six tests since they exited RWC 2017 with a 44-5 defeat to Japan in Belfast, with a won three, lost three record, to sit 18th in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings powered by Capgemini.

To have such little rugby is clearly not ideal but this has been offset by the growth in quality of domestic rugby, headed by the Women’s Premiership, and a number of training camps and home-based strength and conditioning programmes.

“The Women’s Premiership is now our bread and butter,” stated Hull. “Three to four years ago it was a pretty average competition but now, albeit coming through COVID, we’ve got a six-team competition that is a lot more competitive and physical and we’ve got overseas players coming over to play. Ex-internationals want to be a part of it.

“The World Cup was a launchpad to see how far teams could go in Hong Kong and in their understanding of what high performance is.”

Arch-rivals

Kazakhstan have had even less rugby, with back-to-back tests against China in 2019 their only involvement at this level in the last six years.

However, the Kazaks have a proud Rugby World Cup history, competing at six tournaments, and are still above Hong Kong in the rankings.

“A lot of their players have been training in an almost full-time environment,” said Hull.

“They have been to six World Cups and know how to play rugby.

“While people may underestimate them, for us they have been our arch-rivals for a long time now and we know it will be a hugely physical challenge.”

While qualification for RWC 2021 is the primary goal in the here and the now, Hong Kong’s longer-term ambitions are for the women’s national team to be involved in big tests on a regular basis.

“Getting to the next World Cup would be great for the team given the challenges and everything that everyone has been through. But, for us, it is about (Rugby World Cup) 2025 and strategically placing Hong Kong in the top 20,” said Hull, whose previous coaching experience includes spells working at various levels in England, Scotland and Canada.

“We’ve gone from 23rd to 18th now and we’d like a top 16 spot.

“Part of our focus on the women’s game is to be at World Cups and to be a part of WXV (the new global women’s competition), and to have opportunities to play at the highest level possible outside of Asia. To do that, we need to be in the top two in the Asia Rugby Championship on a regular basis.”

Read more: Global expansion continues as Mongolia becomes full World Rugby member >>

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We look at seven players who will hope to take the men’s and women’s Challenger Series tournaments in Santiago by storm.

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Australia and South Africa win rugby sevens gold at Commonwealth Games

Australia's women claimed Commonwealth Games rugby sevens gold for the first time on Sunday after their extra-time heartache four years ago, while South Africa's men were crowned champions for the second time.

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Sun 31 July, 2022
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Australia and Fiji go for women’s rugby sevens gold at Commonwealth Games

An action-packed second day of Commonwealth Games rugby sevens saw Australia and Fiji reach Sunday’s women’s gold medal match after a pair of pulsating semi-finals played in front of a vibrant atmosphere in a packed Coventry Stadium in England.

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Sat 30 July, 2022
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Records fall on first day of rugby sevens at Commonwealth Games

Fans were treated to a spectacular opening day of rugby sevens action as the popular, fast-paced sport kicked off its Commonwealth Games competition in record-breaking fashion at Coventry Stadium on Friday.

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Fri 29 July, 2022
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Rugby sevens ready for Commonwealth Games kick-off

The highly anticipated Commonwealth Games 2022 rugby sevens competition will kick off on the opening morning of the Games with teams taking to the pitch at Coventry Stadium in England at 09:30 BST on Friday 29 July. A very strong line-up involving the top teams and best men’s and women’s players in the world are ready to showcase the speed, skill and end-to-end drama of rugby sevens to a huge global audience in what promises to be an exhilarating three days of competition, culminating in the medal matches on Sunday 31 July.

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Thu 28 July, 2022
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Coventry Stadium set to host “cracking” Commonwealth Games rugby sevens tournaments

We caught up with commentator Rikki Swannell to chat about all things rugby sevens and Commonwealth Games 2022.

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Thu 28 July, 2022
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Rugby sevens match schedule confirmed for Commonwealth Games 2022

Hot on the heels of the pools announcement, Birmingham 2022 has released the Commonwealth Games match schedule for the rugby sevens competition which will be held from 29-31 July at Coventry Stadium in England.

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Fri 22 July, 2022
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All the build-up to rugby sevens at the Commonwealth Games 2022

With just seven days to go until the men’s and women’s tournaments get underway at Coventry Stadium, we take a look at what fans can expect.

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Fri 22 July, 2022
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