The Springbok Women’s Sevens team celebrating their win. Image via Instagram @worldrugby7s
Bok Women nab World Rugby Sevens Series 2024 spot
South Africa top Rugby Seven’s Challenger Series table as they secure a spot on the international circuit for 2024.
The Springbok Women’s Sevens team celebrating their win. Image via Instagram @worldrugby7s
Having won both World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series legs, the South African Women secured a permanent spot on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2024 by beating Belgium in a nail-biting final 17-14 on Sunday, 30 April, in Stellenbosch.
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WORLD RUGBY SEVENS CHALLENGER SERIES
The World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series provides an opportunity for teams that are not core members of the World Series to secure a permanent spot on the circuit for the next season. Winning a tournament is always the goal, but this one carries the weight of opportunity. Points are awarded for each team’s rank in both of the tournaments, and the team that has the highest aggregate points score will move on to the next stage.
For the women, the winning team after the two legs of the tournament will gain promotion to the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2024 as the 12th and final team. For the men, the winner, on aggregate, will enter a four-team playoff at the HSBC London Sevens in May, together with the teams placed 12th to 14th after 10 rounds of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023. Then the winner of the play-off will achieve Sevens World Series 2024 status.
24 teams will be taking part. 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams. Despite their troublesome form of late, the South African Men’s side is not facing relegation, so they were not in action at this event.
The Tongan Men’s side won the first leg of the tournament and, despite narrowly losing the final to Belgium 26 -28 in the second leg, will proceed to the play-off on aggregate points.
ALSO READ: 2023 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series: second leg
WHATS NEXT FOR SOUTH AFRICA
They join their male counterparts on the series as a core member and will partake in every tournament of the season. A place in the 2024 Paris Olympics is the next prize both teams will be after.
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