Twelve months on and 12 Men’s and 12 Women’s teams are competing in the World Rugby 7s Challenger Series 2023 in Stellenbosch, South Africa over the next two weekends 20-22 and 28-30 April 2023.
The Challenger Series was introduced in 2020 to boost Rugby 7s development globally and provide a pathway for promotion to the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
In the Men’s Challenger Series, Germany headline Pool A with Tonga, Zimbabwe and Belgium.
Chile take on Hong Kong China, Papua New Guinea and Italy in Pool B, while in Pool C, Uganda are joined by Korea, Jamaica and Brazil.
The winner of the Men’s competition, which will be decided on aggregate points over the two events, will enter the HSBC London 7s in May 2023 with a chance to achieve the coveted HSBC World Rugby 7s Series status in 2024.
“South Africa is really beautiful and we’re very grateful to be here. Our preparation has been good and the boys are well prepared. Tonga has never played in the World Series. So for us it’s a huge opportunity for us to win this tournament so that we can also open doors to the younger generation back at home.” Tongan Captain, Sione Tupou
