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An exciting set of quarter-finals awaits following a thrilling day one at the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens in which Argentina, New Zealand and Samoa finished with perfect win records in front of a passionate crowd at the National Stadium.
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For two of the past five Singapore champions, this tournament has been their maiden Series Cup title, with Canada winning in 2016 and Kenya in 2017.
And that trend could continue on Sunday with Great Britain and Uruguay still in contention for the main prize as neither has won gold at this level before.
Both face tough quarter-finals though, with Uruguay up against Samoa in the first of the four matches and Great Britain taking on New Zealand in the last.
Argentina play Australia and France face Fiji in the other Cup quarter-finals.
Series leaders New Zealand were the form team in Pool A, knocking off Australia, South Africa and Hong Kong China scoring 83 points and allowing only 19, while Australia – who failed to make it out of the pool stages at last weekend’s Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens – advanced to the final eight to continue their push towards qualification for Paris 2024.
Cape Town winners Samoa snapped a 15-game losing streak against reigning HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens champions Fiji and cruised through the pool stages undefeated against Canada and Spain to top Pool B. They will be joined by fellow islanders Fiji on Sunday in the top bracket.
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In Pool C, Uruguayan veteran playmaker Guillermo Lijtenstein slotted three conversions and one last-second penalty to give the South Americans their first victory over USA dating back to 2006. Los Teros followed up that win with a 26-12 loss to HSBC Canada Sevens runners-up France before securing a place in Sunday’s quarter-finals with a 33-17 win over Kenya. Les Bleus continued their recent impressive form, finishing undefeated with two wins over Kenya and Uruguay and one draw against USA thank to book their place in Sunday’s final eight.
Uruguay star Baltazer Amaya, who scored in the victory over Kenya, said: “We talked before the game about what we wanted to do and we did it, so we are very happy with our performance today. We know that this tournament is really important for us because of the results from Hong Kong and that this weekend we have to put forward our best performance so that we can get to Toulouse and work towards the 11th position. We are very happy.”
Pool D saw Hamilton and Vancouver winners Argentina opened their campaign with a 10-0 blanking of Ireland, before a 42-7 hammering of Japan and finished the day with a thrilling two-point come-from-behind win over Great Britain thanks to a sensational 50metre intercept try by World Rugby player of the year 2021 Marcos Moneta and a conversion from Gaston Revol.
Meanwhile, Japan, the overwhelming favourites to be relegated from the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series at the end of the season based on points, put the disappointment of an agonizing last-second two-point defeat to Great Britain behind them to chalk up a first-ever win (12-7) against Ireland with a try in stoppage time.
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The 2023 Series continues to be the most competitive in history with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top four women’s and men’s teams in the standings. Hosts France men have pre-qualified for next year’s pinnacle event in the nation’s capital, while New Zealand, USA and Australia women have also secured their spot.
New Zealand, who have tasted victory three times this season in Sydney, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, lead the Series standings with 142 points and can become the first nation other than hosts France to officially qualify for Paris 2024 if they hoist the trophy aloft on Sunday.
Hamilton and Vancouver winners Argentina (121) sit second behind New Zealand and are closely trailed by Hong Kong runners-up Fiji with 113 points, Paris 2024 hosts France with 112 points and South Africa with 101 points.
The men’s Series has seen five different winners (Australia, Samoa, South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand) through the opening eight tournaments.
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 while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face-off in London against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series.
As it stands, Japan (11 points) hold the lowest ranking among core teams, while Canada (22), Kenya (30), Uruguay (39) and Spain (40) will be fervently trying to accumulate points over the next two tournaments.
– Press release/World Rugby
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
57 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
57 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
57 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
57 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
57 Go to comments