On the first full day of the World Rugby Olympic Sevens Repechage Hong Kong’s women and men were unbeaten.
Hong Kong will play unbeaten France in both competitions on Sunday to decide who will top the pools and their respective knock-out round opponents.
Salom Yui Kam Shing scored two tries as Hong Kong’s men opened their repechage campaign with a 31-5 defeat of Jamaica in Pool B.
In their second match, the men trailed Chile by eight points with little more than two minutes remaining. But late tries from Shing, Russell Webb and Alex McQueen secured a 26-15 victory.
Hong Kong’s women began their Pool C campaign with a comfortable 31-10 win over Colombia – which featured a Chong Ka Yan hat-trick – but they found things much tougher against Madagascar, recovering from 12-0 down to win 19-12.
The Olympic men’s rugby sevens competition will take place from 26-28 July, with the women’s tournament following on 29-31 July. All the action will take place at Tokyo Stadium, which hosted the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2019.
Hong Kong fans can watch all of the Repechage action from Monaco live and free as the tournament will be streamed on World Rugby’s website and Facebook and You Tube channels.
The World Rugby Sevens Repechage kicks off in Monaco on 18 June as the competing teams aim to secure the remaining two women’s and one men’s qualification spots for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The playing squads have been finalised and on Thursday the captains were welcomed by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II in a launch event at Monaco Palace.
The action gets underway at 18:00 local time on Friday as Zimbabwe face Mexico in Pool A of the men’s competition. Play continues throughout Saturday and Sunday when up to 5,000 spectators will be present at Stade Louis II, culminating in the two women’s finals and the one men’s final on Sunday evening.
The 12 team women’s competition will feature Argentina, Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Samoa and Tunisia.
The men’s tournament will consist of nine teams following the withdrawal of Uganda. Chile, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Samoa, Tonga, and Zimbabwe will take the field in Monaco.
In the women’s competition, the 12 teams will compete in three pools of four teams. The top two teams in each pool, plus the two third-placed teams with the highest point totals will qualify for the knockout stages of the competition. With two Olympic qualification places available, both winners in the final two games will claim their ticket to Tokyo.
Team Captains and Prince Albert II of Monaco attend the official photocall for the World Rugby Sevens Repechage at Le Palais des Princes de Monaco on June 17, 2021 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Giorgio Perottino – World Rugby/Getty Images)
The draw saw Colombia and France, the only women’s teams to have participated in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, paired together in a strong looking Pool C alongside Hong Kong and Madagascar.
All four teams in Pool A will be competing at their second Olympic repechage with Russia, Argentina, Mexico and Samoa all having participated at the qualifying tournament prior to Rio 2016, the Russians having lost 19-12 to Spain in the final in Dublin. In Pool B, highest ranked Papua New Guinea will face Kazakhstan, Jamaica and Tunisia.
For the men’s competition, the nine teams in contention for the final Olympic qualification place have been drawn into two pools. Teams will play against all opponents in their pools with the top two teams from each pool progressing through two knockout stages, with the winner of the final booking their ticket to Tokyo.
The men’s draw saw World Rugby Sevens Series core teams Samoa and Ireland paired in Pool A together with Tonga, Zimbabwe and Mexico. France are the top-seeded team based on their performances in the World Rugby Sevens Series where they finished sixth in 2020 and they are in Pool B along with Hong Kong, Chile, Jamaica. All teams in Pool B will record a bye against Uganda following their withdrawal from the tournament.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “With just over a month to go to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, we can look forward to a very exciting Repechage event in Monaco as the competing teams aim to fulfill their Olympic dreams by securing one of the three remaining qualification spots for Tokyo.
“Player welfare is our top priority and a lot of diligent work has gone on behind the scenes to ensure this event can take place in the safest and most secure manner possible during these unusual times,” Gilpin added.
The Olympic men’s rugby sevens competition will take place from 26-28 July, with the women’s tournament following on 29-31 July. All the action will take place at Tokyo Stadium, which hosted the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2019.
Hong Kong fans can watch all of the Repechage action from Monaco live and free as the tournament will be streamed on World Rugby’s website and Facebook and You Tube channels.
With the last remaining men’s spot in Tokyo up for grabs, Hong Kong head coach Paul John has named an experienced group that features most of the squad which was last in action at the World Rugby Sevens Series Challenger Series 15 months ago in South America.
Several veteran campaigners are included in the Olympics eligible squad, including captain Max Woodward, Alex and Tom McQueen, Michael Coverdale, Cado Lee Ka-to, Russell Webb and Raef Morrison.
The squad also features two of the city’s most capped sevens players in Salom Yiu Kam-shing, who has appeared in ten Hong Kong Sevens tournaments, and Jamie Hood, with nine under his belt; both represented Hong Kong at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in USA (2017) and Russia (2013).
A number of players pressing their claims before the disruptions of Covid-19 are also in the group, including Max Denmark and Liam Herbert, (both of whom featured at the Asian Olympic qualifier last November), while fellow former U20s stars James Christie and Alessandro Nardoni are also named to the 13-man travel squad, which will be culled to a final 12 in Monaco prior to kick-off.
After disappointedly missing out on Asian qualification for the Japan-hosted games, reigning Asian Games gold medallists Hong Kong are the second seeds in Pool B behind World Rugby Sevens Series regulars France, and ahead of Chile, Uganda and Jamaica in Monaco. Two-time Rugby World Cup Sevens bronze medallists Samoa are top seeds in Pool A, joined by Ireland, Tonga, Zimbabwe and Mexico.
The players are intent on keeping their dreams of representing Hong Kong, China at the Olympics alive. “We are very excited and hungry for this tournament,” said Salom Yiu. “For some of us, this is our last and best shot of going to the Olympics, so we have been treasuring every training opportunity and making sure we are ready both as a team and as individuals.”
Yiu believes the team has not been put off its stride by the lack of international competition due to the pandemic precautions enforced in the last year and a half.
“Our preparation has been smooth, despite the fact that we couldn’t go overseas for training tours or to play against international teams as a build-up. Recently, we ran an intra-team mini-tournament at the HKIS that mimicked the format and atmosphere in Monaco to boost our form and mood.”
“Typically, we would be involved in a lot of competitions throughout the year, both for Hong Kong and for our clubs, but now the repechage is our only goal. We have played against all of our pool opponents before, so they are not strangers to us. I believe Ireland, Tonga and France are the likely semi-finalists, but we have analysed all of our opponents and have a good game plan,” added the 33-year old winger.
Hong Kong Men’s Sevens Squad: Olympic Repechage
Max Woodward (Captain); Raef Morrison; Michael Coverdale; Alessandro Nardoni; Cado Lee Ka-To; Jamie Hood; Alex McQueen; Tom McQueen; Liam Herbert; Russell Webb; Max Denmark; Yiu Kam-Shing; James Christie.
Preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games rugby sevens competition took another step forward with the confirmation of the pools for the World Rugby Sevens Repechage.
Monaco will host the final Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification event on 19-20 June.
In the women’s competition, the 12 teams involved in the draw have been allocated into three pools of four teams. The top two teams in each pool, plus the two third-placed teams with the highest point totals will qualify for the knockout stages of the competition. With two qualification places yet to grab, both winners in the final two games will claim their ticket to Tokyo.
For the men’s competition, the ten teams in contention for the final Olympic qualification place have been drawn into two pools of five teams. Teams will play against all four opponents in their pools with the top two teams from each pool progressing through two knockout stages, culminating in a winner being decided in the final.
The men’s draw saw HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series core teams Samoa and Ireland paired in Pool A together with Tonga, Zimbabwe and Mexico. France were the top seeded team based on their performances in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series where they finished sixth in 2020 and they are drawn in Pool B along with Hong Kong, Chile, Uganda and Jamaica.
The Olympic men’s rugby sevens competition will take place from 26-28 July, with the women’s tournament following on the 29-31 July. All the action will take place at Tokyo Stadium, which was a venue for Rugby World Cup 2019.
Hong Kong’s men’s and women’s rugby 7s teams will soon discover their route to Tokyo. The Olympic Sevens Repechage Draw, the final rugby qualification event for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, will take place on Tuesday, 11 May at 10:00 BST (GMT+1) and will be streamed live on World Rugby’s digital platforms.
Monaco will host the final Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification event on 19-20 June.
Women’s Competition
The women’s competition will see the 12 teams drawn into three pools of four teams. The teams have been banded based on placements in their regional competitions alongside performances in World Rugby tournaments. One team from each band will be drawn into each pool.
Band 1: France, Papua New Guinea, Russia
Band 2: Argentina, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan
Band 3: Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico
Band 4: Madagascar, Samoa, Tunisia
The top two teams in each pool, plus the two third-placed teams with the highest point totals will qualify for the knockout stages of the competition. As there are two Olympic qualification places available for women, the Repechage will feature two rounds of knockout games with the final round featuring four teams competing in two matches where both winners gain Olympic qualification and claim their tickets to Tokyo.
Men’s Competition
For the men’s competition, the 10 teams are drawn into two pools of five teams, including one team from each of the five pre-determined bands.
Band 1: France, Samoa
Band 2: Hong Kong, Ireland
Band 3: Chile, Tonga
Band 4: Uganda, Zimbabwe
Band 5: Jamaica, Mexico
Teams will play against all four opponents in their pools with the top two teams from each pool progressing through to the knockout stages, culminating in the final with the winner booking their place on the plane to Tokyo.
World Rugby announced today a condensed World Rugby Sevens Series 2021 schedule which features five women’s and four men’s rounds, with the addition of a further two potential men’s events under discussion.
The 2021 Series kicks off with back-to-back women’s events in Marcoussis, Paris on 15-16 and 22-23 May. The Series will then take a break for the countdown to the Olympic Games and recommence with a men’s event in Singapore on 29-30 October, followed by joint men’s and women’s rounds in Hong Kong on 5-7 November, Dubai on 3-4 December, followed by an exciting climax in Cape Town on 10-12 December.
New Zealand are the reigning champions of both the women’s and men’s Series after being crowned winners of the 2020 edition, which was brought to an early conclusion with five of the eight women’s rounds and six of the 10 men’s rounds successfully completed prior to the onset of the pandemic.
In the men’s Series, Japan will join as a core team following their promotion from the inaugural World Rugby Challenger Series in 2020, while it has been agreed that in this Olympic year, the England, Scotland and Wales teams will combine to compete as ‘GB Sevens’ in both the men’s and women’s Series’ in 2021. This will create two additional invitational places for teams to participate in the men’s 2021 Series events, with invitational teams to be announced in due course.
Olympic Sevens
The Olympic Sevens competition will take place on 26-31 July, 2021 at Tokyo Stadium. To ensure teams are as best prepared as possible for the Tokyo Games a series of high-performance preparation events will take place.
Monaco will host the World Rugby Sevens Repechage, the final qualification event for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, on 19-20 June, 2021. With 21 of the 24 teams already qualified for the Olympic rugby sevens competition, the remaining two women’s and one men’s spots will be determined in Monaco.
World Rugby Interim Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “Today’s announcement of the World Rugby Sevens Series 2021 schedule marks a significant and exciting moment for rugby seven’s re-emergence from the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic and we thank all Series partners for their unwavering support, and host organisations and participating unions for their hard work, patience and spirit of collaboration.”
“As a key driver of game growth, particularly in emerging markets, the continued success of rugby sevens and the Sevens Series is a strategic priority for World Rugby and our US$4 million funding to support sevens programmes is a clear demonstration of our commitment. This unique Olympic year provides a huge opportunity to reach new audiences around the world and introduce them to the speed, skill and excitement of rugby sevens, encouraging them to become future fans of the Series.
