The Cape Town Sevens tournament has at last kicked Covid-19 into touch and will resume at the DHL Stadium this December for the first time since 2019.
Cape Town – The Cape Town Sevens tournament has at last kicked Covid-19 into touch and will resume at the DHL Stadium this December for the first time since 2019.
That was the good news for South African rugby fans when the 2023 World Rugby Sevens Series schedule was announced on Tuesday, with 11 men’s tournaments – four of which will be standalone events – confirmed while all seven women’s events will be played alongside the men.
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The schedule begins in November this year in Hong Kong, followed by the Dubai Sevens before proceeding to the Fairest Cape for the Cape Town Sevens on December 9-12.
With both the Blitzboks and the Springbok Women’s Sevens teams in action, a sell-out crowd is anticipated, while there is also a return to Hamilton in New Zealand and Sydney in Australia early next year.
“After missing out in the last three years, we are thrilled to see the Cape Town Sevens back on the schedule, and combined with the Rugby World Cup Sevens in September, it means local rugby fans will have another opportunity to experience some of the best entertainment available on the global rugby calendar,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby.
“Ever since we first hosted the South African leg of the World Series in Cape Town, it has become one of the most popular events, not only for supporters, but for the participating teams again, and we can’t wait to welcome them back to the Mother City in the summer.
“It’s great for the game to be returning to some form of normality after a few seasons of disruption, and after playing 14 consecutive World Series tournaments abroad since Cape Town in 2019, we know our players are looking forward to playing in front of their families, friends and fans yet again.”
Ticket information for the Cape Town Sevens will be released in due course.
Olympic qualification will be on top of anyone’s agenda during the season with the top four women’s and men’s teams in 2023 World Series securing their tickets to Paris 2024.
The World Rugby Sevens Series schedule for the 2023 season:
4-6 November 2022: Hong Kong (men only)
2-3 December 2022: Dubai (combined)
9-11 December 2022: Cape Town (combined)
21-22 January 2023: Hamilton (combined)
27-29 January 2023: Sydney (combined)
25-26 February 2023: Los Angeles (men only)
3-5 March 2023: Vancouver (combined)
31 March-2 April 2023: Hong Kong (combined)
8-9 April 2023: Singapore (men only)
12-14 May 2023: Toulouse (combined)
22-21 May 2023: London (men only)
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