2020-2021 World Sevens Series
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A bit strange to start a new thread about the 2020-2021 World Sevens Series with a cancellation, but it happens to be the first news about the upcoming season.
Plans revised for HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2021Following the recently announced conclusion of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with New Zealand confirmed as both men’s and women’s champions, World Rugby and its partners are continuing to focus on planning for the 2021 Series and the build-up to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which are now less than one year away.
After a comprehensive consultation process and constructive dialogue with the host organisations, it has been decided that the combined men’s and women’s Dubai and Cape Town rounds of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2021, which were provisionally scheduled for 26-28 November and 4-6 December, 2020 respectively, will not take place due to the ongoing and dynamic global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decisions were taken in line with relevant government and international public health authority advice and with the health and wellbeing of the rugby community and the wider public taking precedence. Both hosts are due to return to a full Series schedule beyond this season.
World Rugby and its partners continue to focus on delivering the remainder of the 2021 men’s and women’s Series, while working in full collaboration with all stakeholders to closely monitor the ongoing and challenging COVID-19 environment.
With 21 of the 24 teams already qualified for the Olympic rugby sevens competition in Tokyo, planning for the Olympic Repechage final qualification event in the first half of 2021 is ongoing.
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@Stargazer yup England have already done it. Proves that, despite even the Olympics, 7s is just a side show. Ditch it, and tens, nines, all the other crap like thirteens. Concentrate in real core value rugby
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@Machpants said in 2020-2021 World Sevens Series:
@Stargazer yup England have already done it. Progress that, despite even the Olympics, 7s is just a side show. Ditch it, sand tens, nines, all the other crap like thirteens. Concentrate in real core value rugby
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@booboo said in 2020-2021 World Sevens Series:
@Machpants said in 2020-2021 World Sevens Series:
@Stargazer yup England have already done it. Progress that, despite even the Olympics, 7s is just a side show. Ditch it, sand tens, nines, all the other crap like thirteens. Concentrate in real core value rugby
Sniggered at that too.
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@Machpants said in 2020-2021 World Sevens Series:
@Stargazer yup England have already done it. Proves that, despite even the Olympics, 7s is just a side show. Ditch it, and tens, nines, all the other crap like thirteens. Concentrate in real core value rugby
I couldn't disagree more. Setting up a 7s programme at my old club was excellent - gave plenty of us something else to do in summer and gave us a good core of fit, tight players in the prems that was very successful following that "inaugural" setup.
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@Bones Oh I'm not talking about amatuer level, touch, 7s etc are great for that. But the pro money is in 15s, and men's at that ATM. Everything else is a drain, so with the world economy wrecked, we need to concentrate pro at 15s
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@Machpants I had no idea it is. So it costs WR to run the 7s?
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@Bones for sure, they make all their money on RWC and spend it on everything else. NZR makes loses on all rugby apart from ABs, franchises sometimes break even but they have disbursements from NZR (who get the money from ABs 15s).
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Sevens is seen by WR as a way to promote rugby in emerging rugby nations. It can't be all about tier 1 nations.
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HSBC might be a bit upset at their investment in sevens and I doubt that it is a drain on WR?
Can you back that up @Machpants ? They have some hugely successful tournaments - some not so much.
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@Snowy nah can't find the article that was analysing the books. Google fail
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I think Wales were the lowest core team and WR might've tried to keep them in by dropping relegation.
So, with England out, does the Twickenham Sevens fold as well?
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England might still field a 7s team but they'll be 'amateur'/ not paid full time. The full time 7s paid gig is pretty new anyway
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The 2021 Hamilton and Sydney Sevens have been called off.
World Rugby media release: https://www.world.rugby/sevens-series/news/583528/rugby-sevens-boosted-by-preparation-investment-ahead-of-olympic-games
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@Stargazer disappointing but fully understandable given the circumstances I’m assuming we won’t get any 7s at all
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Opotiki?
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Opotiki?
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Don't get me wrong. I quite like the idea of the teams going out to the small towns. Just seems really random, but suppose no more or less random than anywhere else.
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Has there been any squad or contracted announcement? Saw a face in video clip of a newbie from the event at Blake Park but can't remember his name.
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@ARHS I haven't seen an announcement, but maybe the new faces are the guys they picked from Ignite 7s?
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@booboo said in 2020-2021 World Sevens Series:
Don't get me wrong. I quite like the idea of the teams going out to the small towns. Just seems really random, but suppose no more or less random than anywhere else.
Not that far to travel from their Mount base. No distractions either.
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@Stargazer Yes- might have been Ollie Sapsford or Dan Sinkinson
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@ARHS Sapsford was already added to the squad pre-Covid (last season).
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So the contracted AB7s and BF7s for 2021 are:
Media release:
Three uncapped players join sevens squads
Northland’s Brady Rush, son of All Blacks Sevens legend Eric Rush, is set to follow in his father’s footsteps, joining the All Blacks Sevens squad as a contracted player in 2021.
So the newbies are:
Northland’s Brady Rush, North Harbour’s Moses Leo and in the women's squad, Waikato’s Manaia Nuku.
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Montessa Tairakena has missed out too.
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Yep, some changes are expected, like Caleb Clarke, Scott Gregory, Niko Jones, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, Joe Ravouvou (in France), Salesi Rayasi not being in the men's squad because they've decided to focus on XVs only. And they have significantly reduced the size of the squad from 25 to 20. So they only replaced two of the seven players who have left the squad.
In the women's squad, Kayla Ahki (McAlister) and Montessa Tairakena aren't in the squad anymore, and - according to the media release - Ahki has been replaced by Manaia Nuku, because she decided to return to France. It doesn't say anything about Tairakena, so we can only assume she's injured, no longer available or just not picked.
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Tairakena was involved in the Ignite7 tournament.
Nuku must be rated ahead of Miller for the school girls.
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@Bovidae Or they can't/won't sign a schoolgirl. Not sure how old Nuku is and whether she's still at school, but Miller is (I think). Or the position they're playing?
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@Stargazer Nuku was the captain of the Condor Girls team that Miller was also in last year.
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@Bovidae Yeah, last year. But will she still be at school in 2021, that's the question.
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Miller is only 16 (or just turned 17)
Has some school still to go.
I think Nuku has just finished school -
Players can get a development contract while still at school. Jazmin Hotham did according to an article I was reading.
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'The injuries I had, people think of them as career-ending': All Blacks Sevens' new recruit spent 18 months on the sidelines
In 2018, having undergone his fourth major surgery in a little over a year, Moses Leo could have been forgiven for turning his back on playing professional rugby player. Now, just three years' later, Leo is gearing up to play international sevens.
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@Stargazer It would be great to see the team lists.
