World Rugby has confirmed the schedule for the 2022 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series as the sport looks to capitalise on a successful Olympics in Tokyo.
The 2022 series will feature ten men’s and seven women’s rounds over six months, kicking off with a pair of combined men’s and women’s events in Dubai. The Emirates Dubai Sevens will host a behind closed doors round on 26-27 November 2021, followed by a second event on 3-4 December with fans in attendance at The Sevens Stadium.
The series will then return to Europe as Spain plays host for the first time with combined men’s and women’s events in Malaga and Seville on 21-23 January and 28-30 January 2022 respectively. The new venues in Spain temporarily replace traditional series hosts Sydney, Australia, and Hamilton, New Zealand, who were unable to host in 2022 due to the logistical challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic in their region.
The men’s series continues with North American rounds in Vancouver on 26-27 February and Los Angeles on 5-6 March before moving to Asia where Hong Kong returns to host a combined men’s and women’s event on 1-3 April, followed by a men’s event in Singapore on 9-10 April. A women’s standalone event will take place in Langford, Canada, on 30 April-1 May before both men’s and women’s teams travel to a new series venue in Toulouse, France, on 20-22 May where the women’s series champions will be crowned. The men’s series concludes with the final event in London on 28-29 May.
Rugby sevens players and fans can look forward to a very busy and exciting year in 2022 with the series followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on 29-31 July and concluding with Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town on 9-11 September.
The teams
There are also changes with the competing teams. Japan joins the men’s series as a core team following their promotion as HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger series champions in 2020. Great Britain will compete in the opening two rounds of the series in Dubai, as part of the standing agreement to play the calendar year 2021, before reverting to compete as national unions for the remainder of the 2022 series, with England, Scotland and Wales participating in the men’s series and England in the women’s series.
The 16 men’s core teams after the Dubai events are Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, USA and Wales. South Africa will enter the 2022 series as defending champions after claiming the 2021 title in Edmonton, Canada, in September, while New Zealand, who were unable to compete in Canada, were the 2020 series winners.
The 11 core women’s teams after the Dubai events are Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, Spain and USA. New Zealand’s Black Ferns Sevens will be aiming to defend their title after being crowned champions in 2020.
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What the organisers said
Alan Gilpin, chief executive, World Rugby: “Alongside popular and traditional rugby sevens venues it will be exciting to take the series to new venues in Spain and France as the game continues to expand and captivate new audiences around the world with its fast, skilful and thrilling format. Rugby sevens is a key driver of global growth for our sport, particularly in emerging nations, and it firmly remains a top priority for our organisation.”
Jonathan Castleman, HSBC Group head of brand and brand partnerships: “Like everyone involved we are incredibly excited that the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is back and this is truly a testament to all of the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes. With new venues in both Spain and France, it opens up further opportunities to attract even more players, fans and communities to the spectacle of rugby sevens and as the long-term partner of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series we cannot wait to watch the teams competing at the highest levels again and where possible with full stadiums.”
2022 rugby sevens calendar
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series
– 26-27 November 2021: Dubai, UAE (men and women – no fans)
– 3-4 December: Dubai, UAE (men and women – fans allowed)
– 21-23 January: Malaga, Spain (men and women)
– 28-30 January: Seville, Spain (men and women)
– 26-27 February: Vancouver, Canada (men)
– 5-6 March: Los Angeles, US (men)
– 1-3 April: Hong Kong (men and women)
– 9-10 April: Singapore (men)
– 30 April-May: Langford, Canada (women)
– 20-22 May: Toulouse, France (men and women)
– 28-29 May: London, UK (men)
Other major sevens events in 2022
– 29-31 July: Commonwealth Games, Birmingham, UK
– 9-11 September: Rugby World Cup Sevens, Cape Town, South Africa
Main image: Canada’s Charity Williams and Kaili Lukan celebrate a try against Australia at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in 2019 (Credit: Mike Lee – KLC fotos for World Rugby)