Sri Lanka to participate at Hong Kong Sevens 2017

Saturday, 11 March 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Shamseer Jaleel

The Sri Lanka Rugby Sevens outfit will take wing to Hong Kong to participate at the 42nd Hong Kong Rugby Sevens in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens series qualifier tournament. Sri Lanka will play along hosts Hong Kong, Uganda, Namibia, Guyana, Jamaica, Chile, Uruguay, Germany, Spain, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. Uganda will be making their debut in the Sevens series which is played since 1976.

There will be 28 international teams taking part as Hong Kong retains its status as the largest tournament on the World Rugby HSBC Sevens World Series (HSBC SWS). Sixteen international teams will contest the HSBC SWS competition while 12 teams will vie for the single promotion spot on offer in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series qualifier tournament. The winner will be promoted to next year’s series, replacing the bottom-placed team after the final tournament in London in May.

The sixteenth team invited by world rugby to complete the HSBC SWS core competition in Hong Kong will be South Korea, third-placed finishers on last year’s Asia Rugby Sevens Series.

Fiji are the defending Hong Kong Sevens champions after their 21-7 win over New Zealand last April. It was a record 16th Hong Kong cup for Fiji, and their fourth in five years. New Zealand are second in the cup-winning stakes in Hong Kong with 11.

2017 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Teams:

World Rugby HSBC SWS Core Teams (ranking after the Las Vegas Sevens in March): South Africa, Fiji, England, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Scotland, Argentina, Wales, France, Kenya, Canada, Samoa, Russia, Japan, South Korea

*Invited by World Rugby to participate in the HSBC SWS core competition in Hong Kong.