World Rugby announce exciting HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 schedule
Details of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 have been announced with three rounds taking place over three continents between January and May with the top four teams set to qualify for the high-stakes promotion and relegation competition at the Grand Final in Madrid with a chance to qualify for HSBC SVNS 2025.
The World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 will provide a clear promotion pathway to reach the pinnacle HSBC SVNS in 2025.
The top four placed men’s and women’s World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 teams, based on cumulative series points at the conclusion of the third round, will secure their opportunity to compete in the new high stakes relegation play-off competition at the SVNS Grand Final in Madrid on 31 May – 2 June, 2024 against the teams ranked ninth to 12th from HSBC SVNS 2024.
Four successful nations from this Grand Final play-off will secure their place in HSBC SVNS 2025, while the other four teams will compete in their regional qualification tournaments to earn the right to compete in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025.
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger 2024 dates:
Dubai, UAE – 12-14 January (men and women)
Montevideo, Uruguay – 8-10 March, 2024 (men and women)
Krakow, Poland – 18-19 May, 2024 (women)
Munich, Germany –18-19 May, 2024 (men)
For further information on HSBC SVNS 2024 and to purchase tickets click here.
HSBC has been confirmed as title partner of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger, continuing 12 years of incredible support for rugby sevens, during which time the sport has experienced huge global growth and become a core sport on the Olympic Games programme.
The Sevens Challenger was introduced in February 2020 to boost the development of rugby sevens across the globe and provide a clear promotion pathway to reach the top level of global rugby sevens.
The tournaments replicate the Olympic Games competition format, with the 12 teams drawn into three pools of four. The top two from each as well as the two best third-placed finishers will qualify for the knockout stages with quarter-finals and semi-finals leading to the third place and gold medal matches.
Japan were the inaugural men’s champions after topping the cumulative rankings from the two rounds hosted in Chile and Uruguay in 2020. The first women’s competition was scheduled to take place in Stellenbosch in March 2020 but had to be cancelled due to the onset of the global pandemic.
Following a one-year absence the Sevens Challenger returned in August 2022 with a standalone combined event hosted in Santiago, Chile, which saw Uruguay men and Japan women take the titles and secure promotion to the Series.
Stellenbosch, South Africa hosted two combined events in 2023 with South Africa women earning their spot at HSBC SVNS 2024 while Tonga men’s victory secured their spot at the World Rugby Sevens Play-off in London last year.
The 2024 edition of the competition kicks off with combined events at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai on 12-14 January, followed by Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo, Uruguay on 8-10 March before standalone women’s and men’s events at Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow, Poland and Dantestadion in Munich, Germany respectively on 18-19 May.
All World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 events will include 12 nations from around the world who have qualified through regional competitions and the pool draw is expected to take place in Dubai during the opening round of HSBC SVNS 2024 in December 2023.
The teams that have qualified for the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 through their regional competitions are: Portugal, Georgia and Germany men and Poland, Belgium and Czechia women from Rugby Europe, Uruguay and Chile men and Argentina and Paraguay women from Sudamerica Rugby, Kenya and Uganda men and women from Rugby Africa and Mexico men and women from Rugby Americas North.
From Asia the qualified teams are Japan and Hong Kong China men, and China, Hong Kong China and Thailand women. The final teams to qualify were from Oceania which was Papua New Guinea men and women and Tonga men book their places in the competition.
The team of Match Officials has also been confirmed with 20 individuals from 14 countries selected to oversee the action across the three rounds. The match official team includes 11 women and 9 men with a blend of experience and debutants who have progressed through regional High Performance Academies and Olympic qualification tournaments to be selected for the global stage.
Women’s match officials Holly Wood, Sunny Lee, Precious Pazani, Ella Goldsmith and Zoe Naude were involved in WXV 2023, while Peter Martin and Morgan White took charge of the gold medal final matches for the first and second round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 men’s events respectively.
Nigel Cass, World Rugby Chief Competitions and Performance Officer said: “The World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger is a vitally important tournament that provides meaningful competition and a clear promotion pathway to reach the pinnacle HSBC SVNS.
“In 2024 we see the expansion to three rounds plus the Grand Final which will further enhance the standard of competition and provides teams with more playing opportunity. World Rugby is looking forward to working with the tournament hosts in delivering a ground-breaking Sevens Challenger in an action-packed year of rugby sevens leading into the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
“We are delighted that HSBC is continuing their excellent partnership and support for rugby sevens as the sport continues to grow and attract new fans and participants around the globe. There has never been a more exciting time for the sport as we look ahead of the kick off of the revamped and rebranded HSBC SVNS and the road to the Olympic Games Paris 2024.”
Jonathan Castleman, HSBC Global Head of Brand and Brand Partnerships said: “For over a decade of partnership with the sport, we have been proud of our role in rugby sevens being a driving force in the global expansion of rugby, whether that be taking the game to new markets or supporting the growth of the women’s game.
“Today’s announcement is another crucial step on that journey. 2024 will truly be a landscape altering year for rugby sevens, and we’re delighted to once again be partnering with World Rugby – on both the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger and HSBC SVNS – to leverage our own global network to help the sport flourish in more communities all over the world, creating more opportunities for players, fans and teams.”
For further information on HSBC SVNS 2024 and to purchase tickets click here.
Comments on RugbyPass
Surprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
6 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to commentswel the crusaders were beaten by a queensland reds side that hadnt beaten them at home since 1999 and queensland reds partied like it was 1999
6 Go to commentsHard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
6 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
6 Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
6 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
6 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
6 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
6 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
5 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
5 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to comments