CAPE TOWN KEEPS ITS SEVENS TOURNAMENT IN REVAMPED WORLD SERIES

The city of Cape Town has been selected as one of the host cities for the revamped World Rugby Sevens Series, while Hamilton in New Zealand has been removed from the lineup. The announcement was made by rugby’s international governing body, revealing the host cities for the newly named HSBC SVNS (Sevens) on Tuesday. Madrid in Spain has been chosen as the host city for the grand final.

One of the most exciting aspects of the new format is that any of the top eight teams throughout the season will still have a chance to win the series at the Grand Finale in Madrid in May 2024.

Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Singapore have retained their hosting rights, along with Madrid. However, Toulouse, Twickenham, and Hamilton have lost their opportunities to host. Additionally, Sydney has been replaced by Perth in Australia.

Cape Town will host the tournament in December (9-10), following Dubai, which will remain the opening tournament (2-3 December).

World Rugby has also reduced the number of men’s teams competing from 16 to 12 to align with the Olympic model.

“We are thrilled to launch HSBC SVNS, the revitalized format for our Olympic-style event, in iconic destinations with innovative concepts both on and off the field, thereby expanding the sport’s reach and appeal beyond its traditional audiences,” stated Alan Gilpin, Chief Executive Officer of World Rugby.

All eight tournaments will take place during the summer in their respective countries, and organizers are optimistic that this new format will inject new life into the series.

Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, expressed their honor at being chosen as one of the hosts for the revamped series.

“We have long considered ways to enhance the spectator experience, and the new SVNS does exactly that, providing an exciting departure from the past.”

The Cape Town Sevens experienced a lower turnout last year due to the World Cup Sevens tournament being hosted in the same city in September, which caused confusion among supporters regarding the two tournaments.

But SA Rugby will be hopeful that it can go back to sold-out days of rugby as the men’s and women’s sides will compete on a new pitch being installed currently.

The SVNS calendar:

Dubai, UAE (2-3 December 2023); Cape Town, South Africa (9-10 December); Perth, Australia (26-28 January 2024); Vancouver, Canada (23-25 February), Los Angeles, USA (2-3 March); Hong Kong SAR, China (5-7 April); Singapore, Singapore (3-5 May); Madrid, Spain (31 May-2 June).

Main Image: News24

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