World Rugby Women's Sevens Series
The World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby sevens tournaments for women's national teams run by World Rugby. The inaugural series was held in 2012–13 as the successor to the IRB Women's Sevens Challenge Cup held the previous season.[1] The competition has been sponsored by banking group HSBC since 2015.[2]
| Current season, competition or edition: 2022–23 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series | |
Logo since 2016 | |
| Formerly | IRB Women's Sevens Challenge Cup |
|---|---|
| Sport | Rugby union |
| Founded | 2012 |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Country | Worldwide |
| Most recent champion(s) | Australia (2021–22) |
| Most titles | New Zealand (6 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | List of broadcasters |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Challenger Series |
The series, the women's counterpart to the World Rugby Sevens Series, provides elite-level women's competition between rugby nations. As with the men's Sevens World Series, teams compete for the title by accumulating points based on their finishing position in each tournament.
History
The first 2012–13 series consisted of four tournaments on three continents. The first two events were hosted by the United Arab Emirates (specifically Dubai) and the United States, both of which host events in the men's version. The other two events were hosted by China and the Netherlands.
For the second series in 2013–14, five tournaments took place; a sixth had initially been announced, but never materialized. All nations that hosted events in 2012–13 hosted in the second season, with the added event hosted by Brazil.[3]
The series expanded to six events for 2014–15. The Dubai, Brazil, USA, and Netherlands events remained on the schedule. China was not on the 2014–15 schedule. New rounds of the series were launched in Canada (specifically in Greater Victoria) and London.[4]
Initially, the 2015–16 series was announced with only four events, with London and the Netherlands dropping from the schedule, but a fifth event was eventually added, hosted by France. Events in Australia and Japan were added in 2016–17. With the USA hosting the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, the USA was not on the 2017–18 schedule.[5]
The USA Women's Sevens returned to the schedule for the 2018–19 series, but the event was moved within the season to become the opening event. The same season saw three events move to new locations.[6] First, the USA event moved from Las Vegas to the Denver suburb of Glendale, Colorado. The Australian Women's Sevens, as well as the country's corresponding event in the men's Sevens Series, moved within Sydney from Sydney Football Stadium to Sydney Showground Stadium. This was necessary because the Football Stadium was demolished, with an entirely new stadium to be built on the same site.[7] Finally, the France Women's Sevens, originally set for Paris, was moved to Biarritz, with the date also being moved forward two weeks from its original schedule. This change was promoted by both World Rugby and the French Rugby Federation (FFR) as "enabl[ing] the FFR to maximise the visibility, attendance and impact of hosting the final round of the record-breaking series."[8]
Tournaments
Current events
The World Rugby Women's Sevens Series expanded to eight tournaments in 2019–20. From 2020 to 2022, however, several of these events had to be cancelled due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.[9][10]
| Event | Stadium (Capacity) | City | Joined[a] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | The Sevens (50,000) | Dubai | 2012–13 |
| South Africa | Cape Town Stadium (55,000) | Cape Town | 2019–20 |
| New Zealand | FMG Stadium Waikato (25,800) | Hamilton | 2019–20 |
| Australia | Allianz Stadium (42,500) | Sydney | 2016–17 |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong Stadium (40,000) | Hong Kong | 2019–20 |
| Canada | BC Place (54,040) | Vancouver | 2014–15 |
| France | Stade Ernest-Wallon (19,500) | Toulouse | 2015–16 |
- ^ Refers to the first event hosted by that country, not necessarily at the current site.
Former hosts of current events
| Event | Stadium (Capacity) | City | First held | Last held |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Sydney Football Stadium [a] | Sydney | 2016–17 | 2017–18 |
| Sydney Showground Stadium [b] | Sydney | 2018–19 | ||
| Western Sydney Stadium [c] | Sydney | 2018–20 | ||
| France | Stade Gabriel Montpied | Clermont-Ferrand | 2015–16 | 2016–17 |
| Parc des Sports Aguiléra | Biarritz | 2018–19 | ||
| Stade Jean-Bouin | Paris | 2017–18 | ||
| Canada | Westhills Stadium [d] | Langford (Victoria) | 2014–15 | 2021–22 |
- ^ Most recently known for sponsorship reasons as Allianz Stadium; demolished and in process of replacement by a new stadium on the same site.
- ^ Known for sponsorship reasons as Spotless Stadium when it hosted the series in 2018–19.
- ^ Known for sponsorship reasons as Bankwest Stadium Stadium when it hosted the series in 2019–20.
- ^ Known for sponsorship reasons as Starlight Stadium when it last hosted the series in 2021–22.
Previous events
| Event | Stadium (Capacity) | City | Joined | Ended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | Guangzhou University City Stadium (50,000) | Guangzhou | 2012–13 | 2013–14 |
| São Paulo | Arena Barueri (35,000) | Barueri (São Paulo) | 2013–14 | 2015–16 |
| London | Twickenham Stoop (14,800) | London | 2014–15 | |
| Japan | Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu (15,066) | Kitakyushu | 2016–17 | 2018–19 |
| Netherlands | NRCA Stadium (10,000) | Amsterdam | 2012–13 | 2014–15 |
| Spain | Estadio Ciudad de Málaga (10,816) | Málaga | 2021–22 | |
| Estadio de La Cartuja (57,619) | Seville | 2021–22 | ||
| USA | Infinity Park (5,000) | Glendale (Denver) | 2012–13 | 2019–20 |
Sponsorship
Unlike the men's Sevens Series, which has enjoyed title sponsorship by banking giant HSBC in recent years, the Women's Sevens Series did not have a title sponsor until 2015–16. HSBC is now the title sponsor of both the men's and women's series.
Historical results
Results by season
Summary of the top six placegetters for each series:
| Series | Season | Rds | Champion | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 2012–13 | 4 | New Zealand (74 pts) | England | Canada | United States | Russia | Australia |
| II | 2013–14 | 5 | New Zealand (96 pts) | Australia | Canada | England | Russia | Spain |
| III | 2014–15 | 6 | New Zealand (108 pts) | Canada | Australia | England | United States | France |
| IV | 2015–16 | 5 | Australia (94 pts) | New Zealand | Canada | England | France | United States |
| V | 2016–17 | 6 | New Zealand (116 pts) | Australia | Canada | Fiji | Russia | United States |
| VI | 2017–18 | 5 | Australia (92 pts) | New Zealand | France | Canada | United States | Russia |
| VII | 2018–19 | 6 | New Zealand (110 pts) | United States | Canada | Australia | France | England |
| VIII | 2019–20 | 5 [a] | New Zealand (96 pts) | Australia | Canada | France | United States | Russia |
| The 2020–21 season was cancelled due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] | ||||||||
| IX | 2021–22 | 6 | Australia (80 pts) | France | Fiji[b] | Ireland | New Zealand[c] | United States |
Season placings by team
Tally of top six placings in the series for each team, updated after the most recent 2021–22 season:
| Team | Champion | Runner | Third | Fourth | Top-3 Apps | Top-6 Apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 6 | 2 | – | – | 8 | 9 |
| Australia | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 |
| Canada | – | 1 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| France | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| England | – | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| United States | – | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Fiji | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ireland | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Russia | – | – | – | – | – | 5 |
| Spain | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
Notes
- ^ The last three rounds of 2019–20, scheduled for Langford, Paris, and Hong Kong, were cancelled due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
- ^ Fiji withdrew from the first two tournaments of the 2021–22 series following positive COVID-19 tests in their squad.[13]
- ^ New Zealand did not attend the first four tournaments of the 2021–22 series due to travel-related restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]
Format
Rugby sevens is a version of rugby union, invented in Scotland in the 19th century, with seven players a side on a normal-sized field.
Games are much shorter, generally lasting only seven minutes per half, and tend to be very fast-paced, open affairs. The game is both quicker and higher-scoring than 15-a-side rugby and the rules are simpler, which explains part of its appeal, and also gives players the space for superb feats of individual skill. Sevens is traditionally played in a two-day tournament format.
The women's series features 12 teams in each tournament: the remaining participants are invited on the basis of regional tournament rankings.[15]
Each tournament uses a format similar to that of the men's series, adjusted for the lower number of teams, with pool play followed by three separate knockout tournaments.
Core teams
Prior to the inaugural season, a group of "core teams" that are guaranteed places in all series events was announced. This concept is taken directly from the men's series. Unlike the men's series, which features 15 core teams as of the 2012–13 season, the women's series began with only six.
For the 2013–14 series, the number of core teams was increased to eight, all reached the quarter final from the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens:[3]
Brazil was invited to participate in all events for the 2013–14 series. This was part of an IRB initiative to help jump-start women's rugby development in the country, which is set to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.[3]
For the 2014–15 series, the number of core teams increased to 11, and qualification was extensively revamped, changing to a system more similar to that currently used in the men's World Series. The top seven teams in the 2013–14 series retained core team status. Four additional core teams were determined in a 12-team qualifying tournament held in Hong Kong on 12–13 September 2014.[16] World Rugby did not initially announce full details of the qualification system for future series, but eventually determined that the top nine teams from the 2014–15 series would retain their status for 2015–16, with a world qualifier following in September 2015.[17]
A combined Great Britain team replaced England as a core team for the 2022–23 series.[18]
Series Team | I 12–13 | II 13–14 | III 14–15 | IV 15–16 | V 16–17 | VI 17–18 | VII 18–19 | VIII 19–20 | IX 21–22 | X 22–23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| Brazil | • | • | • | • | ||||||
| Canada | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| China | • | • | ||||||||
| England | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |
| Fiji | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| France | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| Great Britain | • | |||||||||
| Ireland | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| Japan | • | • | • | |||||||
| Netherlands | • | |||||||||
| New Zealand | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| Russia | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| South Africa | • | |||||||||
| Spain | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |
| United States | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| Total | 6[15] | 8 | 11 | 11[19] | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Current Core Teams
| # | Team | Core since | Best Series Finish (Last) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 2012-13 | 1st (2021–22) |
| 2 | Canada | 2012-13 | 2nd (2014-15) |
| 3 | New Zealand | 2012-13 | 1st (2019-20) |
| 4 | United States | 2012-13 | 2nd (2018-19) |
| 5 | Spain | 2013–14 | 6th (2013–14) |
| 6 | Fiji | 2014-15 | 3rd (2021-22) |
| 7 | France | 2014-15 | 2nd (2021–22) |
| 8 | Ireland | 2015-16 | 4th (2021–22) |
| 9 | Brazil | 2019-20 | 11th (2021-22) |
| 10 | Japan | 2022-23 | 11th (2017-18) |
| 11 | Great Britain | 2022-23 | 12th* (2021-22) |
Key: *indicates that the team was invited
Former core teams
| Team | Last season as core | Best Series finish (Last) |
|---|---|---|
| England | 2021–22 | 4th (2015–16) |
| Russia | 2021–22 | 5th (2016–17) |
| China | 2018–19 | 11th (2018–19) |
| Netherlands | 2012–13 | 7th (2012–13) |
| South Africa | 2014–15 | 12th (2014–15) |
Promotion and relegation
In 2019, World Rugby announced a plan to create a second-tier competition that would allow the best twelve sevens teams, from their region to compete in a similar style format to the Sevens Series for the potential of gaining promotion to the World Rugby Sevens Series and becoming a core team.[20] This breaks from the usual format of promotion and relegation in the sevens series.
From 2017–18 series to 2018–19 series the promotion/relegation was as follows:
- One team is relegated and one team is promoted each year.
- The core team that finishes bottom of the table at the end of the season series is relegated.
- The team that wins the 12-team qualifying tournament at the Hong Kong Sevens is promoted.
From 2020 onwards the style of promotion/relegation will be as such:
- One team is relegated and one team is promoted each year.
- The core team that finishes bottom of the table at the end of the season series is relegated to the Challenger Series.
- Twelve teams will compete for promotion in the Challenger Series event.
| Season | Core teams | Relegated (post-season) | Promoted (for the next season) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | 6 | Netherlands | Spain, Ireland, Russia, Brazil (invited core) |
| 2013–14 | 8+1 | Ireland, Brazil | China, Fiji, France, South Africa |
| 2014–15 | 11 | China, South Africa | Ireland, Japan |
| 2015–16 | 11 | Japan | Brazil |
| 2016–17 | 11 | Brazil | Japan |
| 2017–18 | 11 | Japan | China |
| 2018–19 | 11 | China | Brazil |
| 2019–20 | 11 | None[a] | |
| 2021 | 11 | Series Cancelled | |
| 2021–22 | 11 | Russia | Japan |
| 2022–23 | 11 | To be determined | |
- Notes
- ^ There was no relegation from the 2019–20 core teams due to the curtailed season. Therefore, Brazil, who would have been relegated as the lowest placed core team, retained core team status. The Challenger Series, was cancelled so therefore no team was promoted.
Player awards by season
| Season | Rounds | Most points | Most tries | Player of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | 4 | Portia Woodman (105) | Portia Woodman (21) | Kayla McAlister |
| 2013–14 | 5 | Emilee Cherry (195) | Emilee Cherry (33) | Emilee Cherry |
| 2014–15 | 6 | Portia Woodman (?) | Portia Woodman (52) | Portia Woodman |
| 2015–16 | 5 | Ghislaine Landry (158) | Portia Woodman (24) | Charlotte Caslick[21] |
| 2016–17 | 6 | Ghislaine Landry (269) | Michaela Blyde (40) | Michaela Blyde |
| 2017–18 | 5 | Portia Woodman (215) | Portia Woodman (43) | Michaela Blyde |
| 2018–19 | 5 | Tyla Nathan-Wong (207) | Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (35) | Ruby Tui |
| 2019–20 | 5 | Alev Kelter (171) | Stacey Fluhler (31) | No award [22] |
| The 2020–21 season was cancelled due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] | ||||
| 2021–22 | 6 | Jade Ulutule (226) | Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (36) | Charlotte Caslick |
Points schedule
The overall winner of the series is determined by points gained from the standings across all events in the season.[23] Twelve teams compete at each event.[24][25]
Gold, silver and bronze medals were introduced for the top three placegetters at each event in 2016–17, alongside a Challenge Trophy for lower ranked teams [26] the former Plate and Bowl trophies.
| Place | Status | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Cup winner and gold medalist | 20 | |
| Cup runner-up and silver medalist | 18 | |
| 3rd-place play-off winner and bronze medalist | 16 | |
| 4 | 3rd-place play-off loser | 14 |
| 5 | 5th-place play-off winner | 12 |
| 6 | 5th-place play-off loser | 10 |
| 7 | 7th-place play-off winner | 8 |
| 8 | 7th-place play-off loser | 6 |
| 9 | 9th-place play-off winner | 4 |
| 10 | 9th-place play-off loser | 3 |
| 11 | 11th-place play-off winner | 2 |
| 12 | 11th-place play-off loser | 1 |
Tie-breaking: Should teams finish equal on series points at the end of the season, the tiebreakers are the same as those in the men's series:[24]
- Overall scoring differential in the season.
- Total try count in the season.
- If neither produces a winner, the teams are tied.
See also
Notes and references
- ^ "The History of Rugby Sevens". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ "HSBC partners with World Rugby for record-breaking sevens properties" (Press release). World Rugby. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ^ a b c "Schedule announced for 2013/14 Women's Series" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
- ^ "Host cities announced for women's series" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ "Sevens Series 2018 to finish in Paris as women's dates confirmed". World Rugby. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ "Schedule confirmed for HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019" (Press release). World Rugby. 7 July 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Sydney 7s has a new home in 2019" (Press release). Rugby Australia. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Biarritz to host HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series finale" (Press release). World Rugby. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^ . ESPN. 4 September 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021.
- ^ . The Standard. 16 November 2021. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021.
- ^ "2020 Sevens series standings". Sevens.Rugby. 2020.
- ^ a b . World Rugby. 3 September 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021.
- ^ Naivalurua, Navitalai (21 January 2022). "Fiji Men's and Women's 7s teams pull out of Spain tournaments". Fiji Village.
- ^ "World Sevens Series: New Zealand withdraw from Spain tournaments". planetrugby.com. Planet Rugby. 14 January 2022.
- ^ a b (Press release). International Rugby Board. 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ "Women's Sevens Series places up for grabs" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ^ "Team GB secure Olympic qualification as Canada claim Amsterdam Sevens" (Press release). World Rugby. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ^ . British Broadcasting Corporation. 20 July 2022. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Japan and Ireland qualify for Women's Sevens Series" (Press release). World Rugby. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ^ "New Challenger Series to boost rugby sevens' expansion". World Rugby. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ "Caslick crowned Women's Sevens Player of the Year by World Rugby". The Daily Telegraph. 4 November 2016.
- ^ . World Rugby. 15 October 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Women's Sevens Series tournament rules". World Rugby. 2016. from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Women's Sevens Series Tournament Rules". World Rugby. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ . International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Men's and women's sevens winners to strike gold". World Rugby.org. 3 October 2016.
External links
- Official website