{"id":36966,"date":"2019-04-05T12:30:24","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T23:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/?p=36966"},"modified":"2019-04-05T14:20:22","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T01:20:22","slug":"preview-hong-kong-sevens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/hsbc-sevens-world-series\/2019\/04\/preview-hong-kong-sevens\/","title":{"rendered":"Preview: Hong Kong Sevens"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Rugby\u2019s 2018\/19 Sevens Series continues in Hong Kong on 5, 6 and 7 April and there\u2019s plenty of excitement ahead of this year\u2019s tournament.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A total of 28 captains gathered in front of Hong Kong\u2019s iconic harbour skyscrapers ahead of the main tournament and the World Rugby Sevens Series Qualifier events.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hong Kong is the seventh round of the 2018\/2019 World Rugby Sevens Series and the captains representing the 16 teams competing in the series event can look forward to performing in front of another sell-out crowd filling the Hong Kong Stadium throughout three days of thrilling rugby sevens action.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heading into Hong Kong, USA sit top of the standings, closely followed by Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 winners New Zealand and Olympic Champions Fiji who are seeking their fifth successive title in Hong Kong.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2019 series carries special significance as the top four teams will qualify directly for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and with just 33 points separating the top five teams it is all to play for in the remaining four rounds of the series.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pool draw for Hong Kong sees South Africa, crowned Canada Sevens champions in Vancouver last month, face Las Vegas runners-up Samoa, Scotland and Japan in Pool A.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pool B features Vancouver silver medallists France, Argentina, Canada and invitational side Portugal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pool C is a mouth-watering prospect with New Zealand and Fiji, who sit second and third in the standings respectively, drawn alongside Australia and last year\u2019s Hong Kong finalists Kenya.<\/span><\/p>\n

The final pool will see series leaders USA tackle England, Wales and Spain, the latter having created history in Vancouver with their first ever victory over the All Blacks Sevens.<\/span><\/p>\n

The series action gets under way when Samoa and Scotland take the field at 17:42 local time (GMT+8) on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the captains of the 12 teams competing in the Men\u2019s World Rugby Sevens Series Qualifier will be aiming to earn a core place on the 2020 World Rugby Sevens Series.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Pool E of the men\u2019s qualifier includes hosts Hong Kong, the Philippines, Zimbabwe and Tonga, the latter two having featured on the 2019 series as invitational sides in Dubai and Cape Town and Hamilton and Sydney respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

London Sevens 2018 bronze medallists Ireland, who reached the semi-finals in last year\u2019s qualifier, are set to face 2018 series core team Russia, Uruguay and Jamaica in Pool F.<\/span><\/p>\n

Germany, who have suffered heartbreak in the final of the last two qualifiers, will be hoping it is third time lucky in 2019 and are named in Pool G alongside Uganda, the Cook Islands and Chile, the invitational team in Las Vegas and Vancouver last month.<\/span><\/p>\n

The men\u2019s qualifier will commence at 10:00 local time (GMT+8) on Friday 5 April when Germany take on Uganda at the Hong Kong Stadium. The final of the qualifier will take place at 16:30 local time (GMT+8) on Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking at the captains\u2019 launch USA captain Madison Hughes said: \u201cIt\u2019s been a good run with four cup finals to kick off the year, getting the win in Vegas and making the semi-final in Vancouver and that\u2019s the key for us in targeting the top four.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHere we are sitting in first place. There is a little bit of dreaming but we\u2019re taking it one tournament at a time. We have got a tough pool and we are not taking anything for granted but we are excited and ready to get going here in Hong Kong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Head coach of Olympic champions Fiji, Gareth Baber, reflected on the added excitement of the series this year with Olympic qualification at stake: \u201cThe Olympic qualification year is huge for everybody.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou certainly notice an increased intensity with the teams really going for it at the top. We\u2019ve also seen a lot of upsets this year and that shows the quality is growing with increased funding across the teams.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ireland captain Billy Dardis reflected on the disappointment of missing out on series qualification last year: \u201cI think last year we overestimated ourselves and so this year we are fully focused on the task and are not going to underestimate anyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLast year was tough but we\u2019ve learnt from that and hopefully we can take that experience forward into this weekend.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Men\u2019s Hong Kong Sevens Pools<\/span><\/p>\n

Pool A: South Africa, Samoa, Scotland, Japan<\/span>
\nPool B: France, Argentina, Canada, Portugal<\/span>
\nPool C: New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, Kenya<\/span>
\nPool D: USA, England, Wales, Spain<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

World Rugby\u2019s 2018\/19 Sevens Series continues in Hong Kong on 5, 6 and 7 April and there\u2019s plenty of excitement ahead of this year\u2019s tournament. A total of 28 captains gathered in front of Hong Kong\u2019s iconic harbour skyscrapers ahead of the main tournament and the World Rugby Sevens Series Qualifier events. Hong Kong is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Preview: Hong Kong Sevens\r\nhttps:\/\/wp.me\/p9yf19-9Ce\r\nWorld Rugby\u2019s 2018\/19 Sevens Series continues in Hong Kong 5, 6 ,7 April\r\n#HSBC7s\r\n\r\nVisit \u27a1\ufe0f https:\/\/allthingsrugby.store\r\n\"Your Store to Support Your Team\"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4761,4932],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hsbc-sevens-world-series","category-latest-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Fiji-Hong-Kong-Sevens-winners-2018-PA.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9yf19-9Ce","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33946,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/hong-kong\/2018\/04\/hsbc-world-rugby-sevens-series-2018-hong-kong-day-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":36966,"position":0},"title":"HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018- Hong Kong, Day One","author":"rr_admin","date":"April 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 - HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018 - - World Rugby Women\u2019s Sevens Series Qualifier - - World Rugby Sevens World Series Qualifier - HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018- Hong Kong, Pool D, Match 1 ARGENTINA 31 - 10\u00a0WALES Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong HSBC World\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hong Kong"","block_context":{"text":"Hong Kong","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/hong-kong\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Xu05z9CL0tX_7lFLFWUfC8I_thumb.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Xu05z9CL0tX_7lFLFWUfC8I_thumb.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Xu05z9CL0tX_7lFLFWUfC8I_thumb.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Xu05z9CL0tX_7lFLFWUfC8I_thumb.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Xu05z9CL0tX_7lFLFWUfC8I_thumb.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34088,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/hsbc-sevens-world-series\/2018\/04\/hsbc-world-rugby-sevens-series-2018-hong-kong-day-two\/","url_meta":{"origin":36966,"position":1},"title":"RESULTS – HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018- Hong Kong, Day Two","author":"rr_admin","date":"April 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 DAY ONE RESULTS - CLICK HERE - SAT APR 7 2018 2018 World Rugby Sevens World Series Qualifiers World Series Qualifier,\u00a0, Pool G, Match 13 JAMAICA\u00a021\u00a0-\u00a019\u00a0COOK ISLANDS Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong World Series Qualifier, Pool G, Match 14 IRELAND 36\u00a0-\u00a000\u00a0URUGUAY Hong Kong Stadium, Hong\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HSBC Sevens World Series"","block_context":{"text":"HSBC Sevens World Series","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/hsbc-sevens-world-series\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/37.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/37.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/37.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/37.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/37.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34226,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/hsbc-sevens-world-series\/2018\/04\/hsbc-world-rugby-sevens-series-2018-hong-kong-day-three\/","url_meta":{"origin":36966,"position":2},"title":"“Results” – HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018- Hong Kong, Day Three","author":"rr_admin","date":"April 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby 2018 World Rugby Sevens World Series Qualifiers HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018- Hong Kong HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018- Hong Kong, Cup Final, Match 45 FIJI 24 v 12\u00a0KENYA FIJI 2018 CHAMPION - HONG KONG 4 in a ROW Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong RESULTS: SUN\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HSBC Sevens World Series"","block_context":{"text":"HSBC Sevens World Series","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/hsbc-sevens-world-series\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/37.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/37.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/37.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/37.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/37.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":156,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/uncategorized\/2012\/02\/pool-draw-announced-for-hong-kong-sevens\/","url_meta":{"origin":36966,"position":3},"title":"Pool draw announced for Hong Kong Sevens","author":"RugbyRedefined","date":"February 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Friday, 17 February, 2012 - 08:59 The official draw has been held for the Cathay Pacific\/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, round six of the HSBC Sevens World Series to be played on 23-25 March 2012 at the Hong Kong Stadium. With the event doubling up in 2012 as the HSBC Sevens\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"cathay pacific\"","block_context":{"text":"cathay pacific","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/tag\/cathay-pacific\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33941,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/hong-kong\/2018\/04\/final-squads-announced-for-cathay-pacific-hsbc-hong-kong-sevens\/","url_meta":{"origin":36966,"position":4},"title":"Final squads announced for Cathay Pacific\/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens","author":"rr_admin","date":"April 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby The final squads have been announced for both the world series event and men's qualifier in Hong Kong The seventh round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will kick off on Friday in Hong Kong, with Fiji returning to the competition in search of their fourth consecutive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hong Kong"","block_context":{"text":"Hong Kong","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/hong-kong\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/ML20180404009.jpg?fit=964%2C643&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/ML20180404009.jpg?fit=964%2C643&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/ML20180404009.jpg?fit=964%2C643&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/ML20180404009.jpg?fit=964%2C643&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":152,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/uncategorized\/2012\/02\/australia-to-face-fiji-in-hong-kong-sevens\/","url_meta":{"origin":36966,"position":5},"title":"Australia to face Fiji in Hong Kong sevens","author":"RugbyRedefined","date":"February 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Friday, 17 February, 2012 - 14:24 The Australian Men's Sevens side will look to improve on its sixth-place HSBC Sevens World Series ranking when it heads to Hong Kong in March for the sixth leg of the series. 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