HSBC Sevens Challenger Series
Current seasons:
2024 Men's Series
2024 Women's Series
SportRugby sevens
Inaugural season2020 (2020)
No. of teams12 (men's)
12 (women's)
Most recent
champion(s)
 Tonga (2023 Men)
 South Africa (2023 Women)
Most titlesMen
 Japan (1 title)
 Uruguay (1 title)
 Tonga (1 title)
Women
 Japan (1 title)
 South Africa (1 title)
Level on pyramid2
Promotion toWorld Series (men's)
World Series (women's)

The World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series is an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby that includes men's and women's events. Sponsored by banking group HSBC, it is the second tier of competition below the World Rugby Sevens Series. Teams on the respective men's and women's tours of the Challenger Series compete for promotion to the first tier as a core team.[1][2]

The inaugural men's tour for the Challenger Series in 2020 featured events in Chile and Uruguay.[1][3] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, World Rugby postponed the final event in Hong Kong until October 2020.[4][5]

The women's tournament for the Challenger Series in the 2020 season was announced as a stand-alone event hosted in South Africa.[6] On 13 March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, World Rugby postponed the Challenger Series women's event without rescheduling a future date.[7] Subsequently, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan was awarded promotion to the Men's World Rugby Sevens Series as the overall points leader in the Challenger Series. However, no women's team was promoted.[8]

Teams

The 12 men's teams and 12 women's teams expected to compete at the 2024 Challenger Series.

Men's teams

Women's teams

Seasons

2020 logo

2020

The first season of the challenger series was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with the 2020 women's tour to South Africa being cancelled altogether and the men's final knock-out event planned for Hong Kong also cancelled.[9][4]

The 2020 men's tour was played over two rounds hosted in Chile and Uruguay.[3] Japan, as the top-placed team on the standings after the two completed events, was awarded the Challenger Series title and promoted to the World Rugby Sevens Series as a core team for the 2020–21 season.[9]

2022

The second season of the Challenger Series was played as a single tournament on 12–14 August 2022 in Santiago, Chile at the Estadio Santa Laura,[10] with the men's and women's winners gaining promotion as core teams on the World Rugby Sevens Series for the 2022–23 season.[11]

2023

The third season of the Challenger Series was played over two rounds on 20–22 and 28–30 April in Stellenbosch, South Africa,[12] with the men's winners gaining qualification to the 2023 core team qualifier event in London and the women's winners gaining qualification as a core team on the World Rugby Sevens Series for the 2023–24 season.[13]

2024

The fourth season of the Challenger Series will be played over three rounds on 12–14 January in Dubai, UAE, 8-10 March in Montevideo, Uruguay, 18–19 May in Kraków, Poland (women), and 18–19 May in Munich, Germany (men). The top four placed men's and women's teams, based on cumulative series points at the conclusion of the third round, will secure their opportunity to compete in the promotion and relegation play-off competition at the SVNS Grand Final in Madrid on 31 May – 2 June against the teams ranked ninth to 12th from 2023–24 SVNS.[14]

Historical results

Results by season – Men

Summary of the top six placegetters for each series:

Series Season Rds Champion Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Ref
I 2020 2
Japan

Hong Kong

Germany

Chile

Uruguay

Tonga
[15]
II 2022 1
Uruguay

Georgia

Chile

Germany

Hong Kong

Uganda
[16]
III 2023 2
Tonga

Belgium

Germany

Hong Kong

Chile

Uganda
[17]
IV 2024 3 - - - - - - -

Participation history – Men

Team
2020

2022

2023

2024

 Belgium NQ 2nd NQ
 Brazil 15th NQ 8th NQ
 Chile 4th 3rd 5th Q
 Colombia 13th NQ
 Georgia NQ 2nd NQ Q
 Germany 3rd 4th 3rd Q
 Hong Kong 2nd 5th 4th Q
 Italy 9th NQ 7th NQ
 Jamaica 10th 12th NQ
 Japan 1st SVNS Q
 Kenya SVNS Q
 Lithuania NQ 9th NQ
 Mexico 14th NQ Q
 Papua New Guinea 11th 9th Q
 Paraguay 16th NQ
 Portugal 12th NQ Q
 South Korea NQ 12th 11th NQ
 Tonga 6th 7th 1st Q
 Uganda 7th 6th Q
 Uruguay 5th 1st SVNS Q
 Zimbabwe 8th 10th NQ

Results by season – Women

Summary of the top six placegetters for each series:

Series Season Rds Champion Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Ref
2020 Cancelled [15]
I 2022 1
Japan

Poland

China

Kenya

Kazakhstan

Belgium
[16]
II 2023 2
South Africa

Belgium

China

Poland

Czech Republic

Thailand
[17]
III 2024 3 - - - - - - -

Participation history – Women

Team
2020

2022

2023

2024

 Argentina Cancelled 7th NQ Q
 Belgium 6th 2nd Q
 Chile NQ 10th NQ
 China Cancelled 3rd Q
 Colombia 8th 7th NQ
 Czech Republic NQ 5th Q
 Hong Kong NQ 8th Q
 Japan Cancelled 1st SVNS
 Kazakhstan 5th NQ
 Kenya 4th NQ Q
 Madagascar NQ 9th NQ
 Mexico Cancelled 12th 11th Q
 Papua New Guinea 11th 12th Q
 Paraguay NQ 10th Q
 Poland Cancelled 2nd 4th Q
 Scotland NQ SVNS as Great Britain
 South Africa 9th 1st SVNS
 Thailand NQ 6th Q
 Uganda NQ Q

References

  1. 1 2 "World Rugby launches Sevens Challenger Series". SportBusiness. 17 December 2019. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
  2. Nelson, Adam (12 February 2020). "World Rugby unveils inaugural women's HSBC Sevens Challenger Series event". Sport Business. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
  3. 1 2 "New Challenger Series to boost rugby sevens' expansion". World Rugby. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  4. 1 2 "World Rugby update on COVID-19 response measures and statement from Sir Bill Beaumont". World Rugby. 20 March 2020.
  5. "World Rugby Statement: Singapore and Hong Kong Sevens rescheduled". World.Rugby. 13 February 2020.
  6. "Sport: PNG to feature in women's Sevens Challenger Series". Radio New Zealand. 12 February 2020. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  7. "World Rugby Statement: HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series postponed". World Rugby. 13 March 2020.
  8. "Plans revised for HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2021". World Rugby. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  9. 1 2 "New Zealand awarded titles as HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 concluded". Asia Rugby. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020.
  10. "Sevens Challenger Series 2022 | World Rugby".
  11. "Teams aim for promotion at World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Chile - HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series".
  12. worldrugby.org. "World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 schedule announced | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  13. worldrugby.org. "Sevens Challenger Series 2022 | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  14. "World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 schedule announced". world.rugby. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  15. 1 2 "New Zealand awarded titles as HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 concluded". Asia Rugby. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020.
  16. 1 2 "Teams aim for promotion at World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Chile". world.rugby. World Rugby. 13 July 2022.
  17. 1 2 worldrugby.org. "Captains ready to chase promotion at World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
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