HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 schedule unveiled

HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 schedule unveiled

· The 2022 Series will include 10 men’s and seven women’s rounds over six months

· Series to kick-off with a pair of combined men’s and women’s events in Dubai

· Three new hosts as Malaga and Seville in Spain, and Toulouse in France welcome teams

· Unique system to be introduced to mitigate the risk of some teams not being able to participate in all events and to determine Series rankings and decide relegation in 2022

· Rugby sevens continues to grow following highly successful Olympics in Tokyo which generated more than 22 million video views and over 100 million social media impressions

· Exciting year ahead with the 2022 Series followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on 29-31 July and Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town on 9-11 September

World Rugby has confirmed the schedule for the much-anticipated HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 as the sport looks to capitalise on a highly successful and impactful Olympic Games in Tokyo.

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The 2022 Series will feature 10 men’s and seven women’s rounds over six months, kicking off with a pair of combined men’s and women’s events in Dubai. The Emirates Dubai Sevens will host a behind closed doors round on 26-27 November, 2021, followed by a second event on 3-4 December with fans in attendance at The Sevens Stadium.

The Series will then move on to Europe as Spain plays host for the first time with combined men’s and women’s events in Malaga and Seville on 21-23 and 28-30 January, 2022 respectively. The new venues in Spain temporarily replace traditional Series hosts Sydney, Australia, and Hamilton, New Zealand, who are unable to host in 2022 due to the logistical challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in their region.

The men’s Series continues with North American rounds in Vancouver on 26-27 February and Los Angeles on 5-6 March, before moving to Asia where Hong Kong returns to host a combined men’s and women’s event on 1-3 April, followed by a men’s event in Singapore on 9-10 April.

A women’s standalone event will take place in Langford, Canada, on 30 April-1 May before both men’s and women’s teams travel to a new Series venue in Toulouse, France, on 20-22 May where the women’s Series champions will be crowned. The men’s Series concludes with the final event in London on 28-29 May.

There are also changes with the competing teams as Japan join the men’s Series as a core team following their promotion as HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series champions in 2020.

Great Britain will compete in the opening two rounds of the Series in Dubai, as part of the standing agreement to play the calendar year 2021, before reverting to compete as national unions for the

remainder of the 2022 Series, with England, Scotland and Wales participating in the men’s Series and England in the women’s series.

The 16 men’s core teams after the Dubai events are Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, USA and Wales.

South Africa will enter the 2022 Series as defending champions after claiming the 2021 title in Edmonton, Canada, in September, while New Zealand, who were unable to compete in Canada, were the 2020 Series winners.

The 11 core women’s teams after the Dubai events are Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, Spain and USA. New Zealand’s Black Ferns Sevens will be aiming to defend their title after being crowned champions in 2020.

Noting that Great Britain will compete in the opening two rounds, a points system will be developed that promotes fairness for all competing teams, including those who comprise Great Britain. This will also recognise situations where teams may not be able to participate in any rounds owing to COVID-19.

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Rugby sevens players and fans can look forward to a very busy and exciting year in 2022 with the Series followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on 29-31 July and concluding with Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town on 9-11 September.

Today’s announcement follows the sport’s highly successful second Olympic appearance in Tokyo where Fiji’s men and New Zealand’s women topped the podium in front of a huge global audience.

Many new fans are expected to follow the 2022 Series after World Rugby’s Olympics-related social media content achieved huge impact with more than 22 million video views, creating 102 million impressions and 3.4 million public engagements from 2,400 posts across five World Rugby platforms.

The Olympics were followed by back-to-back HSBC Canada Sevens events in Vancouver and Edmonton in September, which saw South Africa win the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2021 title, while Great Britain were victorious in the women’s Fast Four events.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “Following an outstandingly competitive and highly impactful Olympic Games competition it is fantastic to announce a full schedule for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 today.

“Alongside popular and traditional rugby sevens venues it will be exciting to take the Series to new venues in Spain and France as the game continues to expand and captivate new audiences around the world with its fast, skilful and thrilling format. Rugby sevens is a key driver of global growth for our sport, particularly in emerging nations, and it firmly remains a top priority for our organisation.

“A lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to ensure we can announce a full Series schedule today and we thank HSBC, the host organisations, unions, commercial and broadcast partners for their unwavering support and spirit of collaboration as we navigate the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic together.

“We now look ahead to the return of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series at full throttle ahead of what promises to be a very busy and exciting year for sevens with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town following the Series.

“As ever, the health and welfare of players, fans and wider society continues to be our primary concern and we will work closely with all stakeholders to ensure the safe delivery of the Series.”

HSBC Group Head of Brand and Brand Partnerships Jonathan Castleman said: “Like everyone involved we are incredibly excited that the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is back and this is truly a testament to all of the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes.

“With new venues in both Spain and France, it opens up further opportunities to attract even more players, fans and communities to the spectacle of rugby sevens and as the long-term partner of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series we cannot wait to watch the teams competing at the highest levels again and where possible with full stadiums.”

Notes to editors:

The future of rugby sevens is bright as the short format game continues to grow, engaging and attracting ever greater global audiences.

The highly dynamic, skillful and athletic short form version of the game has been a huge hit around the globe since the Series was introduced in 1999, with its popularity growing year-on-year in a strong upwards curve, particularly in emerging rugby nations.

In 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series saw record-breaking fan engagement figures with a year-on-year increase of 64 per cent across video views to 198 million, and the Series attracted more than 749,800 attendees to its events globally.

The growth trend continued in broadcast viewing figures with Futures Sport & Entertainment reporting a 20 per cent increase in total cumulative average audience in 2020, with 13.9 million fans reached compared to 11.7 million by the same stage in 2019.

The inclusion of rugby sevens for the first time in the Olympic Games at Rio 2016 had a huge effect on the sport, attracting an estimated 30 million new fans globally according to Nielsen research and results following the Tokyo 2020 Games are expected to confirm another great impact in global awareness