Guyana to compete in elite Int’l Hong Kong Sevens Series

Feb 09, 2012 Sports

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-First C/bean team to do so

Guyana and the Philippines will be the 50th and 51st teams to make their Hong Kong International Sevens debuts since its inception 37 years ago.
This information was released by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union recently which announced the 24 international teams set to take part in the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2012, round seven of the HSBC Sevens World Series from March 23-25.
Invited by the International Rugby Board to compete in Hong Kong, Guyana were the winners of the North American Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Sevens championships last November.
The Philippines became the 13th Asian team to take part in Hong Kong, qualifying as the fourth place finisher in the inaugural HSBC Asian Sevens Series in 2011. The Hong Kong round also marks the Philippines Rugby Football Union’s first ever participation in an HSBC Sevens World Series event.
The 12 core teams on the HSBC World Sevens Series will again feature at the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens: Argentina, Australia, England, Fiji, France, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, USA and Wales.
This year’s HSBC Sevens World Series is proving to be among the most competitive ever with three teams winning the three tournaments played to date.
Defending Hong Kong champions New Zealand won the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens in South Africa and is currently tied with Fiji, winners in Australia.
South Africa is in third place on 48 points followed by Dubai champions England who lie in fourth on 47 points. France lies in fifth place on 39 points.
Reinforcing Hong Kong’s unique position as the largest event on the World Series events, the remaining 12 competing teams hail from all over the world. Portugal, Russia and Spain bolster the tournament’s European contingent, while Zimbabwe adds to the African presence and Tonga rounds off the tournament’s traditionally strong Pacific Island representation. Canada and Uruguay will also return from the Americas.
Closer to home, the Hong Kong Sevens continues its role as the showcase event for Asian rugby with the region’s top four Sevens teams completing the field in 2012.
Those teams are Japan, champions of the 2011 HSBC Asian Sevens Series, runners-up Hong Kong, third-ranked China and the Philippines.
The International Rugby Board has announced details of a new qualification pathway for the HSBC Sevens World Series as the sport continues to build towards its Olympic Games re-inclusion in 2016.
With participation interest and competitiveness at an all-time high as Rugby Sevens goes from strength to strength, the number of core teams that participate in each of the events on the World Series will increase from 12 to 15 for the 2012/13 Series.
This year’s Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens which is the only event on the calendar to feature 24 teams, will double as the qualification tournament.
Three teams will advance from a dedicated 12-team regional qualifier finale, securing coveted core team status and joining the current core teams – Argentina, Australia, England, Fiji, France, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, USA, Wales – in competing across all events in the 2012/13 Series.
The competition will run alongside another 12-team competition in the Hong Kong Stadium contested by the current core teams.
The Hong Kong tournament will retain its status as the only 24-team event, and will continue to be played across three days on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, ensuring that fans continue to be treated to the high-quality, high octane entertainment that they are used to.
From the 2012/13 season onwards, promotion and relegation from core team status will come into effect with a 16th invitational team selected by the IRB for each event outside of Hong Kong. Full details of this will be announced in due course.
IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Rugby Sevens is going from strength to strength and we are seeing unprecedented interest in hosting, participation and sponsorship for the record-breaking HSBC Sevens World Series.”
“As we build towards Rio 2016 and our Olympic Games debut it is important that opportunities exist for all nations to progress to Series core team status if they are good enough. The new system provides every nation competing in their regional qualifying tournaments with a direct opportunity to gain core team status and compete on every round of the World Series.
“Hong Kong is an iconic event and unique in its 24-team status. We are delighted that it will also host the direct qualifying event to compete on the entire HSBC Sevens World Series. I would like to thank the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union for their full support, as well as our Regional Associations and all of our Member Unions.”
HKRFU Chairman Trevor Gregory said: “The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union is pleased to be playing such an instrumental role in the continued development of the HSBC Sevens World Series.
“The opportunity for Hong Kong to host the qualification tournament for core team status is a direct and positive reflection on the history, internationalism and scale of the Hong Kong Sevens and continues to reinforce the prestige of our world-famous event.”
In addition, and following the announcement that all participating teams will take points from every round of the 2011/12 Series, the IRB has confirmed that every round of the Series will now carry the same number of points.
Formerly the Hong Kong tournament carried more points than the other rounds of the Series. This will no longer be the case, bringing the Series in line with other Grand Prix-style events such as Formula One.
Details of the Hong Kong match schedule, which will also feature an IRB-sanctioned women’s event, will be announced in due course.

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