SVNS

Template:Merge-from Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox sports league The SVNS,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> known as the HSBC SVNS for sponsorship reasons, is an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby featuring national sevens teams. Organised for the first time in the 1999–2000 season as the IRB World Sevens Series,<ref name=irb-sevens-1999/> the competition was formed to promote an elite-level of international rugby sevens and develop the game into a viable commercial product. The competition has been sponsored by banking group HSBC since 2014.

The season's circuit consists of eight tournaments held in five continents, generally beginning in November or December and ending in May or June. All tournaments feature the same 12 teams.

Teams compete for the World Rugby Series title by accumulating points based on their finishing position in each tournament. The bottom four teams play a repechange tournament against the top four teams of the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series.

New Zealand had originally dominated the Series, winning each of the first six seasons from 1999–2000 to 2004–05, but since then, Fiji, South Africa, Samoa and Australia have each won season titles. England, Argentina and the United States have placed in the top three for several seasons but have not won the series title.

The International Olympic Committee's decision in 2009 to add rugby sevens to the Summer Olympics beginning in 2016 has added a boost to rugby sevens and to the World Sevens Series; this boost has led to increased exposure and revenues, leading several of the core teams to field fully professional squads.

History

International sevens

The first international rugby sevens tournament was held in 1973 in Scotland, which was celebrating a century of the Scottish Rugby Union.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Seven international teams took part, with England defeating Ireland 22–18 in the final to take the trophy. The Hong Kong Sevens annual tournament began in 1976.<ref name="scmp.com">"How it all began: A jewel discovered", South China Morning Post, 6 March 2015.</ref> Over the next two decades the number of international sevens competitions increased. The most notable was the Rugby World Cup Sevens with Scotland hosting the inaugural event in 1993,<ref>"The first Melrose Sevens match 1883", BBC</ref> along with rugby joining the Commonwealth Games program in 1998.

World Series early years

Template:Multiple image The first season of the World Sevens Series was the 1999–2000 season. At the Series launch, the chairman of the International Rugby Board, Vernon Pugh, described the IRB's vision of the role of this new competition: "this competition has set in place another important element in the IRB’s drive to establish rugby as a truly global sport, one with widespread visibility and steadily improving standards of athletic excellence."<ref name="worldrugby.org">"New Zealand take maiden Series crown", World Rugby, 31 August 2000.</ref> New Zealand and Fiji dominated the first series, meeting in the final in eight of the ten season tournaments, and New Zealand narrowly won, overtaking Fiji by winning the last tournament of the series.<ref name="worldrugby.org"/>

New Zealand won the first six seasons in a row from 1999–2000 to 2004–05,<ref>"Sevens: NZ lose semi, but still claim world title", New Zealand Herald, 6 June 2005.</ref> led by players such as Karl Te Nana and Amasio Valence. The number of stops in the series varied over the seasons, but experienced a contraction from 11 tournaments in 2001–02 to 7 tournaments in 2002–03 due to the global recession. In the 2005–06 season Fiji clinched the season trophy on the last tournament of the season finishing ahead of England.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> New Zealand regained the trophy in 2006–07 season in the last tournament of the season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

South Africa was the next team to win the series after taking home the 2008–09 title.<ref>"The secret to South Africa Sevens' success", Telegraph, Kate Rowan, 9 December 2017.</ref> In the 2009–10 season, Samoa who finished seventh the previous year shocked the world – led by 2010 top try-scorer and World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year Mikaele Pesamino – by winning four of the last five tournaments to overtake New Zealand and win the series.<ref>"Caucau, Pesamino Team Up", Fiji Sun, 20 October 2013.</ref>

Olympic era and professionalism

The number of core teams expanded from 12 to 15 for the 2011–12 series. Qualification for these places was played out at the 2012 Hong Kong Sevens. Canada (returning to core status for the first time since 2008),<ref name="2008-09 core">Template:Cite press release</ref> Spain and Portugal joined the 12 core teams for the next season. The Japan event also made a return for the first time since 2001 (lasting until 2015). New Zealand continued their dominance by finishing on top.

Argentina was originally planned to begin hosting a tenth event with Mar Del Plata the venue in the 2012–13 season, giving the tour an event on each continent, but when Argentina joined the Rugby Championship those plans were shelved.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="sched">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With the same schedule, New Zealand again were the winners over South Africa. They took it again in 2013–14 with Spain the first team to be relegated after finishing last during that season with Japan replacing them.Template:Citation needed

Heading into the 2014–15 season, the top four teams qualifying to the 2016 Summer Olympics, with Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand and Great Britain all qualifying through.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 2014–15 season and 2015–16 season were won by Fiji – the first time a team other than New Zealand won back-to-back season titles – led by 2015 and 2016 season Dream Team nominee Osea Kolinisau The two seasons also yielded teams winning their first tournaments – the United States won the 2015 London Sevens to finish the season in sixth overall;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Kenya won the 2016 Singapore Sevens, and Scotland won the 2016 London Sevens.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Prior to the 2015–16 season World Rugby did a comprehensive review of all nine tournament hosts and adjusted the schedule, dropping two sites (Japan and Scotland), and adding three sites (France, Singapore and Canada) to the calendar.Template:Citation needed

In the 2016–17 series, a dominant and consistent display by South Africa saw them reach the finals of the 2016–17 series rounds on eight occasions, winning five of these. As a result, South Africa were series champions with victory in the penultimate round in Paris. The season was a qualifier for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens with the top four teams that had not already qualified, coming from this season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The teams that made it through to the World Cup via this method were Canada, Argentina, Scotland and Samoa.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Tournament hosts

The World Series will consist of seven scheduled tournament stops from the 2024–25 season, which generally fall in the same order and timeframes. From 2020 to 2022, however, several of these events had to be cancelled due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name=espn-4-sep-2021>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=hk-std-nov-2021>Template:Cite news</ref>

Event	Venue	City	Joined series Template:Efn	Scheduled	Ref
Template:Flagicon Dubai	The Sevens	Dubai	1999–2000	December	<ref name="dubai-hist">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Flagicon South Africa	Cape Town Stadium	Cape Town	1999–2000	December	<ref name=nh-1999>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon Australia	Perth Rectangular Stadium	Perth	1999–2000	January	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Flagicon Canada	BC Place	Vancouver	2015–16	February	<ref>"Vancouver welcomes the world for the inaugural Canada Sevens", CTV Vancouver News, 8 March 2016.</ref>
Template:Flagicon Hong Kong	Kai Tak Stadium	Hong Kong	1999–2000	March	<ref name="scmp.com"/>
Template:Flagicon Singapore	National Stadium	Singapore	2015–16	April	<ref>"‘Sauna’ sevens as Singapore returns as host of latest leg in World Series", South China Morning Post, 15 April 2016.</ref>
Template:Flagicon USA	Dignity Health Sports Park	Los Angeles	2003–04	May	<ref>"Down memory lane – 2004: First USA Sevens tournament" Template:Webarchive, Rugby Today, 3 January 2018.</ref>

Teams, promotion and relegation

Core teams

A group of core teams, currently 8 in number, is announced for each season based on performances in the previous season. Each core team has a guaranteed place in all of that season's events. The core teams have been selected through a designated promotion/relegation process since the 2012–13 season. A new system from the 2023–24 season, will see 12 core teams, with up to 4 being relegated each year. However, as part of the structural reforms from the 2024-25 season, the number of core teams will be further reduced to 8.

Template:Tooltip	Team	Core since	Best Series finish (Last)
1	Template:Ru7	1999–00	1st (2023–24, League)
2	Template:Ru7	1999–00	1st (2018–19)
3	Template:Ru7	2024–25	3rd (2024–25)
4	Template:Ru7	1999–00	1st (2021)
5	Template:Ru7	1999–00	1st (2023–24, Cup)
6	Template:Ru7	1999–00	1st (2021–22)
7	Template:Nowrap	1999–00	1st (2022–23)
8	Template:Ru7	2022–23	2nd (2021)

Former core teams

Team	Last season as core	Best Series finish (Last)
Template:Ru7	2024–25	3rd (2021)
Template:Ru7	2024–25	12th (2022–23)
Template:Ru7	2024–25	2nd (2018–19)
Template:Ru7	2024–25	2nd (2023-24)
Template:Ru7	2023–24	1st (2009–10)
Template:Ru7	2023–24	4th (2021)
Template:Ru7	2022–23	Template:Nowrap
Template:Ru7Template:Efn	2021–22	2nd (2016–17)
Template:Ru7Template:Efn	2021–22	7th (2016–17)
Template:Ru7Template:Efn	2021–22	6th (2006–07)
Template:Ru7	2017–18	14th (2016–17)
Template:Ru7	2015–16	Template:Nowrap

Key: * indicates a tied placing

Notes

Invited teams

Non-core teams are also invited to compete in every season of the World Rugby Sevens Series under previous formats. With 15 core teams, there was generally only one invited team at each 16-team tournament.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Before 2012–13, when there were only 12 core teams,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> four places at each tournament were usually available to invited teams.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Invited teams with a Top-15 Series finish

Team	Last season played	Best Series finish (Last)
Template:Ru7	2021	Template:Ordinal (2021)
Template:Ru7	2010–11	Template:Ordinal (2005–06)
Template:Ru7	2011–12	Template:Ordinal (2001–02)
Template:Ru7	2008–09	Template:Nowrap
Template:Ru7	2021–22	Template:Ordinal (2021)
Template:Ru7	2022–23	Template:Ordinal (2021)
Template:Ru7	2009–10	Template:Ordinal (2002–03)
Template:Ru7	2021–22	Template:Ordinal (2021)
Template:Ru7	2019–20	Template:Ordinal (2000–01)
Template:Ru7	2011–12	Template:Ordinal (2001–02)
Template:Ru7	2021	Template:Ordinal (2021)
Template:Ru7	2010–11	Template:Ordinal (2001–02)
Template:Nowrap	2017–18	Template:Nowrap
Template:Ru7	2018–19	Template:Ordinal* (1999–00)
Template:Ru7	2009–10	Template:Ordinal (2004–05)
Template:Ru7	2018–19	Template:Ordinal (2000–01)

Key: * indicates a tied placing

Promotion and relegation

In 2019, World Rugby announced a plan to create a second-tier competition that would allow the best thirteen sevens teams, with the addition of three invited teams, from their region to compete in a similar style format to the Sevens Series for the potential of gaining promotion to the World Rugby Sevens Series and becoming a core team.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This breaks from the usual format of promotion and relegation in the sevens series.

From 2013–14 series to 2018–19 the promotion/relegation was as follows:

• One team is relegated and one team is promoted each year.
• The core team that finishes bottom of the table at the end of the season series is relegated.
• The team that wins the 12-team qualifying tournament at the Hong Kong Sevens is promoted.

From 2020 to 2023 the style of promotion/relegation was as such:

• One team is relegated and one team is promoted each year.
• The core team that finishes bottom of the table at the end of the season series is relegated to the Challenger Series.
• Eight teams will compete for promotion in the Hong Kong Sevens event after qualifying through the Challenger Series.

From 2024 to 2025 the style of promotion/relegation will be as such:

• Teams ranked 9–12 will play in the promotion/relegation part of the grand final where they will be joined by the top 4 teams from the Challenger Series
• Top 4 teams from this event are promoted to the SVNS Series
• The bottom 4 teams are relegated to the Challenger Series

Season	Core teams	Relegated (post-season)	Promoted (for the next season)
2011–12	12	None	Template:Ru7, Template:Nowrap, Template:Nowrap
2012–13	15	colspan=2 align=center Template:N/A
2013–14	15	Template:Ru7	Template:Ru7
2014–15	15	Template:Ru7	Template:Ru7
2015–16	15	Template:Ru7	Template:Ru7
2016–17	15	Template:Ru7	Template:Ru7
2017–18	15	Template:Ru7	Template:Ru7
2018–19	15	Template:Ru7	Template:Ru7
2019–20	15	NoneTemplate:Efn	Template:Ru7
2021	16Template:Efn	colspan=2 align=centerTemplate:N/ATemplate:Efn
2021–22	16Template:Efn	align=center Template:N/A	Template:Ru7
2022–23	15Template:Efn	Template:Ru7, Template:Ru7, Template:Ru7	align=center Template:N/A
2023–24	12	Template:Ru7, Template:Ru7	Template:Ru7, Template:Ru7
2024–25	12	Template:Ru7,Template:Ru7, Template:Ru7,Template:Ru7	align=center Template:N/A

Notes

Other qualifying

The World Series results are sometimes used as a qualifier for other tournaments. For example, the top four teams of the 2014–15 series automatically qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Similarly, certain teams from the 2016–17 series qualified for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Historical results

Top 6 placings by season - League

Summary of the top six placegetters for each series:

Series	Season	Template:Tooltip	Champion	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth	Template:Tooltip
Template:Roman	1999–00	10	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2000–01	9	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2001–02	11	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2002–03	Template:Pad7Template:HspTemplate:Efn	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2003–04	8	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2004–05	7	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2005–06	8	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2006–07	8	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2007–08	8	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2008–09	8	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2009–10	8	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2010–11	8	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2011–12	9	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2012–13	9	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2013–14	9	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2014–15	9	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2015–16	10	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2016–17	10	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2017–18	10	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2018–19	10	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2019–20	Template:Pad6Template:HspTemplate:Efn	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2021	Template:Pad2Template:HspTemplate:Efn	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Roman	2021–22	9	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
XXIV	2022–23	11	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
XXV	2023–24	7	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
XXVI	2024–25	6	Template:Su	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Notes

Top 6 placings by team - League

Tally of top six placings in the series for each team, updated after the most recently completed 2024–25 season (obtained by summing the placings of each team as recorded in the above table of results by season).

Team	ChampTemplate:Shyion	Template:Nowrap	Third	Fourth	Top-3 Template:Tooltip	Top-6 Template:Tooltip
Template:Nowrap	14	1	5	3	20	23
Template:Ru7	4	9	1	5	14	24
Template:Ru7	4	7	8	5	19	25
Template:Ru7	2	1	1	1	4	10
Template:Ru7	1	1	2	4	4	18
Template:Ru7	1	–	2	4	3	14
Template:Ru7	–	4	5	2	9	18
Template:Nowrap	–	1	–	–	1	7
Template:Ru7	–	1	–	–	1	3
Template:Ru7	–	1	–	–	1	1
Template:Ru7	–	–	1	–	1	3
Template:Ru7	–	–	1	–	1	1
Template:Ru7	–	–	–	1	–	4
Template:Ru7	–	–	–	1	–	3
Template:Ru7	–	–	–	–	–	1

Top 6 placings by season - Cup

Summary of the top six placegetters for each cup:

	Location	Champion	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth	Template:Tooltip
2023–24	Template:Flagdeco Madrid	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	<ref name="world.rugby" />
2024–25	Template:Flagicon Los Angeles	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	Template:Ru7-big	<ref name=":0" />

Top 6 placings by team - Cup

Tally of top six placings in the Cup for each team, updated after the most recently completed 2024–25 season (obtained by summing the placings of each team as recorded in the above table of results by season).

Team	ChampTemplate:Shyion	Template:Nowrap	Third	Fourth	Top-3 Template:Tooltip	Top-6 Template:Tooltip
Template:Ru7	1	–	–	–	1	2
Template:Ru7	1	–	–	–	1	2
Template:Ru7	–	1	–	1	1	2
Template:Ru7	–	1	–	–	1	1
Template:Ru7	–	–	1	1	1	2
Template:Ru7	–	–	1	–	1	1
Template:Ru7	–	–	–	–	–	1
Template:Ru7	–	–	–	–	–	1

Events won

Template:More citations needed section List of legs won by each team since 1999.

Updated on 6 April 2025.

Legs won since 1999

Titles	Country	Last time
69	Template:Ru7	2024
47	Template:Ru7	2025
41	Template:Ru7	2024
19	Template:Ru7	2017
12	Template:Ru7	2025
11	Template:Ru7	2022
9	Template:Ru7	2022
3	Template:Ru7	2019
3	Template:Ru7	2024
2	Template:Ru7	2017
1	Template:Ru7	2017
1	Template:Ru7	2016

Format

Rugby sevens is a fast-paced version of rugby union with seven players each side on a full-sized rugby field. Games are much shorter, lasting seven minutes each half. The game is quicker and faster-scoring than 15-a-side rugby, which explains part of its appeal. It also gives players the space for superb feats of individual skill. Sevens is traditionally played in a two-day tournament format. Currently, in a normal event, 16 teams are entered.

World Rugby operates satellite tournaments in each continent alongside the Sevens World Series which serve as qualifiers for Series events;<ref name="2008-09 core"/> in 2012–13 they also determined the entrants in the World Series Pre-Qualifier, and since 2013–14 determine the entrants in the Core Team Qualifier.Template:Citation needed

In each tournament, the teams are divided into pools of four teams, who play a round-robin within the pool. Points are awarded in each pool on a different schedule from most rugby tournaments—3 for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 for a loss, 0 for a no-show. In case teams are tied after pool play, the tiebreakers are:<ref name="IRB Sevens 2006-07">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1. Head-to-head result between the tied teams.
2. Difference in points scored and allowed during pool play.
3. Difference in tries scored and allowed during pool play.
4. Points scored during pool play.
5. Coin toss.

As of the 2009–10 series, four trophies are awarded in each tournament. In descending order of prestige, they are the Cup, whose winner is the overall tournament champion, Plate, Bowl and Shield. Each trophy is awarded at the end of a knockout tournament.

In a normal event, the top two teams in each pool advance to the Cup competition. The four quarterfinal losers drop into the bracket for the Plate. The Bowl is contested by the third and fourth-place finishers in each pool, while the Shield is contested by the losing quarterfinalists of the Bowl.

A third-place match is now conducted between the losing Cup semifinalists in all tournaments; this was introduced for the 2011–12 series.<ref name="New Points System for HSBC Sevens World Series">Template:SA Rugby Article</ref>

In 2012–13, the season-ending London Sevens expanded to 20 teams, with 12 competing for series points and eight involved in the Core Team Qualifier. With the promotion place now determined at the Hong Kong Sevens, the London Sevens returned to the traditional 16-team format in 2013–14.

The 2024 Rugby Perth Sevens features nine men's and six women's rounds over six months. The calendar includes stopovers in many of the usual destinations, from London to Langford, plus three new cities (Malaga, Seville and Toulouse) to replace traditional hosts Australia and New Zealand.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Hong Kong 7s

The Hong Kong Sevens (an anomaly as a three-day event) is the most famous sevens tournament. The Hong Kong Sevens had 24 teams through the 2011–12 series, but has featured 28 teams since 2012–13, with 15 core teams and the winner of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series competing for series points. At the 2013 event, the remaining 12 teams were those in the World Series Pre-Qualifier;<ref name="2012–13 qualifying">Template:Cite press release</ref> from 2014 forward, the remaining 12 teams are those in the Core Team Qualifier.Template:Citation needed In Hong Kong, the Shield was awarded for the first time in 2010.<ref name="2009-10 points">Template:Cite press release</ref>

Originally, the six pool winners of the Hong Kong Sevens, plus the two highest-finishing second-place teams, advanced to the Cup.

In 2010 and 2011, a different system was used:<ref name="HK format">Template:Cite press release</ref>

• The losing quarterfinalists in the Cup competition contested the Plate competition.
• The four remaining second-place teams and the four best third-place teams, which contested the Plate in previous years, competed for the Bowl.
• The remaining eight teams in the competition, which contested the Bowl in previous years, competed for the Shield.

In the transitional year of 2012, the Hong Kong Sevens was split into two separate competitions. The 12 core teams competed for the Cup, Plate and Bowl under a format similar to that of a regular event. The 12 invited teams all competed for the Shield, with the top three sides in that competition also earning core status for 2012–13.

From 2013 on, the Hong Kong Sevens was played under the same 16-team format used in the rest of the series, with typically 15 core teams plus an invited team (for Hong Kong, usually the winner of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series) competing in the main draw of the tournament. In line with changes which began at the start of the 2016–17 World Rugby Sevens Series, the duration of the Cup final was reduced from 20 minutes to 14 minutes in 2017. In that season, the number of trophies was also reduced to two; the main Cup contested by the top eight teams from the pool stage, and a Challenge Trophy contested by the bottom eight teams from the pool stage.

Points schedule

The season championship is determined by points earned in each tournament. World Rugby introduced a new scoring system for the 2011–12 series, in which all teams participating in a tournament are guaranteed points. Initially, World Rugby announced the new points schedule only for the standard 16-team events; the allocations for the Hong Kong Sevens were announced later.<ref name="New Points System for HSBC Sevens World Series"/> A new scoring system was introduced in 2019–20 requiring teams to play for 7th, 11th and 15th places, previously teams had tied for 7th–8th 11th–12th and 15th–16th places.

The points schedule used at each standard event until 2023 is summarised below.

Place	Status	Points
Template:Gold1	Cup winner, gold medalist	22
Template:Silver2	Cup runner-up, silver medalist	19
Template:Bronze3	3rd-place winner, bronze medalist	17
4	3rd-place loser	15
5	5th-place winner	13
6	5th-place loser	12
7	7th-place winner	11
8	7th-place loser	10
9	9th-place winner	8
10	9th-place loser	7
11	11th-place winner	6
12	11th-place loser	5
13	13th-place winner	4
14	13th-place loser	3
15	15th-place winner	2
16	15th-place loser	1

From 2023–24 the following points schedule is used for each event:

Place	Status	Points
Template:Gold1	Cup winner, gold medalist	20
Template:Silver2	Cup runner-up, silver medalist	18
Template:Bronze3	3rd-place winner, bronze medalist	16
4	3rd-place loser	14
5	5th-place winner	12
6	5th-place loser	10
7	7th-place winner	8
8	7th-place loser	6
9	9th-place winner	4
10	9th-place loser	3
11	11th-place winner	2
12	11th-place loser	1

Template:Anchor Tie-breaking: If two or more teams are level on overall series points, the following tie-breakers are used:<ref name="IRB Sevens 2006-07" />

1. Overall difference in points scored and allowed during the season.
2. Total try count during the season.
3. If neither of the above produces a winner, the teams are considered tied.

Business

TV and media

The tour received 1,147 hours of air time in 2005–06; 530 of which was live, and was broadcast to 136 countries.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By 2008–09, the hours of air time had increased to over 3,300, with 35 broadcasters airing the series in 139 countries and 15 languages.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Broadcast time increased further in 2009–10, with 3,561 hours of air time (1,143 hours live) carried by 34 broadcasters in 141 countries and 16 languages.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> In 2010–11, 3,657 hours of coverage were aired (1,161 hours live), with the same number of broadcasters as the previous season but six new countries added. For that season, Sevens World Series programming was available in 332 million homes worldwide, with a potential audience of 760 million.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Sponsorship

The International Rugby Board reached a 5-year deal with HSBC in October 2010 that granted them status as the first-ever title sponsor of the Sevens World Series. Through the agreement, HSBC acquired title naming rights to all tournaments in the World Series, beginning with the Dubai Sevens on 3 December 2010.<ref name="HSBC release">Template:Cite press release</ref> HSBC has since sub-licensed the naming rights to individual tournaments, while retaining its name sponsorship of the overall series. A renewed, 4-year deal was announced before the 2015–16 Series, this deal was also expanded to include the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:Crowd cheering, Hong Kong Sevens 2009.jpg

Crowd cheering at the 2009 Hong Kong Sevens.

Tournament Naming Rights

Tournament	Sponsor
Sydney	HSBC
Dubai	Emirates Airline
South Africa	Cell C/Nelson Mandela Bay
New Zealand	Hertz
USA	No named sponsor
Hong Kong	Cathay Pacific/HSBC
Japan	No named sponsor
Scotland	Emirates Airline
London	Marriott

Player contracts and salaries

In the year after the International Olympic Committee announced in 2009 that rugby sevens would return to the Olympics in 2016, most of the "core teams" on the Series began offering full-time contracts to their players. These annual salaries can range from €18,000 to €100,000. England offers among the more generous salaries, ranging from an estimated €25,000 to over €100,000. New Zealand has a graded system with salaries ranging from €23,000-plus to about €52,500 for its four top earners. The basic salary for Scottish sevens players ranges from €22,500 to €40,000. The Australian sevens players are estimated to be on a basic salary of about €27,000-plus. Toward the bottom end of the scale is Ireland, offering its players a €18,000 to €23,750 development contract, less than minimum wage.<ref>"Salaries of Men’s Sevens players to remain below minimum wage", Irish Times, Gerry Thornley, 24 May 2019.</ref>

Player awards by season

Season	Rounds	Most points	Most tries<ref name="Back on top">Template:Cite press release</ref>	Player of the Year	Ref
1999–00	10	Template:Flagicon Waisale Serevi (684)	Template:Flagicon Vilimoni Delasau (83)	Template:NoflagNo award	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2000–01	9	Template:Flagicon Damian Karauna (262)	Template:Flagicon Karl Te Nana (42)	Template:NoflagNo award	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2001–02	11	Template:Flagicon Brent Russell (450)	Template:Flagicon Brent Russell (46)	Template:NoflagNo award	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2002–03	7	Template:Flagicon Nasoni Roko (321)	Template:Flagicon Nasoni Roko (39)	Template:NoflagNo award	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2003–04	8	Template:Flagicon Ben Gollings (394)	Template:Flagicon Fabian Juries & Template:Flagicon Rob Thirlby (39)	Template:Flagicon Simon Amor	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2004–05	7	Template:Flagicon Orene Ai'i (308)	Template:Flagicon David Lemi (46)	Template:Flagicon Orene Ai'i	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2005–06	8	Template:Flagicon Ben Gollings (343)	Template:Flagicon Timoteo Iosua (40)	Template:Flagicon Uale Mai	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2006–07	8	Template:Flagicon William Ryder (416)	Template:Flagicon Mikaele Pesamino (43)	Template:Flagicon Afeleke Pelenise	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2007–08	8	Template:Flagicon Tomasi Cama Jr. (319)	Template:Flagicon Fabian Juries (41)	Template:Flagicon DJ Forbes	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2008–09	8	Template:Flagicon Ben Gollings (260)	Template:Flagicon Collins Injera (42)	Template:Flagicon Ollie Phillips	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2009–10	8	Template:Flagicon Ben Gollings (332)	Template:Flagicon Mikaele Pesamino (56)	Template:Flagicon Mikaele Pesamino	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2010–11	8	Template:Flagicon Cecil Afrika (381)	Template:Flagicon Cecil Afrika (40)	Template:Flagicon Cecil Afrika	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2011–12	9	Template:Flagicon Tomasi Cama Jr. (390)	Template:Flagicon Matt Turner (38)	Template:Flagicon Tomasi Cama Jr.	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2012–13	9	Template:Flagicon Dan Norton (264)	Template:Flagicon Dan Norton (52)	Template:Flagicon Tim Mikkelson	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2013–14	9	Template:Flagicon Tom Mitchell (358)	Template:Flagicon Samisoni Viriviri (52)	Template:Flagicon Samisoni Viriviri	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2014–15	9	Template:Flagicon Osea Kolinisau (312)	Template:Flagicon Seabelo Senatla (47)	Template:Flagicon Werner Kok	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2015–16	10	Template:Flagicon Madison Hughes (331)	Template:Flagicon Seabelo Senatla (66)	Template:Flagicon Seabelo Senatla	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2016–17	10	Template:Flagicon Perry Baker (285)	Template:Flagicon Perry Baker (57)	Template:Flagicon Perry Baker	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2017–18	10	Template:Flagicon Nathan Hirayama (334)	Template:Flagicon Carlin Isles (49)	Template:Flagicon Perry Baker	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2018–19	10	Template:Flagicon Andrew Knewstubb (307)	Template:Flagicon Carlin Isles (52)	Template:Flagicon Jerry Tuwai	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2019–20	6	Template:Flagicon Napolioni Bolaca (159)	Template:Flagdeco Jordan Conroy (30)	Template:NoflagNo awardTemplate:Hsp<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2021	2	Template:Flagicon Ronald Brown (91)	Template:Flagicon Muller du Plessis (13)	Template:Flagicon Marcos Moneta	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref name="2022 POA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2021–22	9	Template:Flagicon Dietrich Roache (343)	Template:Flagicon Terry Kennedy (50)	Template:Flagicon Terry Kennedy	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2022–23	9	Template:Flagicon Akuila Rokolisoa (415)	Template:Flagicon Vaa Apelu Maliko (50)	Template:Flagicon Rodrigo Isgro	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2023–24	9	Template:Flagdeco Terry Kennedy (160)	Template:Flagdeco Terry Kennedy (32)	Template:FlagdecoAntoine Dupont
2024–25	9	Template:Flagdeco Joji Nasova (158)	Template:Flagdeco Joji Nasova & Template:Flagdeco Marcos Moneta (26)	Template:Flagdeco Luciano González	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Player records

Players in bold are still active.

Tries

Most career tries

Rank	Player	Nationality	Tries
1	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	358
2	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	293
3	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	279
4	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	240
5	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	230
	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	230
7	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	220
8	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	217
9	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	179
	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	179

Updated: 1 July 2024

Points

Most career points

Rank	Player	Nationality	Points
1	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	2,652
2	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	2,028
3	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	1,859
4	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	1,804
5	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	1,596
6	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	1,595
7	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	1,467
8	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	1,462
9	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	1,447
10	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	1,443

Template:Col-end Updated: 1 July 2024

Matches

Most career matches

Rank	Player	Nationality	Matches
1	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	492
2	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	488
3	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	470
4	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	450
5	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	431
6	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	427
7	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	424
	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	424
9	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	387
10	Template:Sortname	Template:Ru7	373

Template:Col-end Updated: 1 July 2024.

See also

• Rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics
• Rugby World Cup Sevens
• World Rugby Women's Sevens Series
• Rugby7.com

External links

• Official site