NZ and England to play in same 7s pool
ENGLAND have been drawn alongside defending champions New Zealand in Pool A of the men’s Commonwealth Games Sevens competition which will be held from July 29 to July 31 at Coventry Stadium.
England, who won bronze four years on the Gold Coast, will also face Samoa and Sri Lanka in the pool.
Pool B sees Scotland drawn against South Africa, Tonga and Malaysia and Pool C will see the Olympic Champions and silver medallists from Gold Coast, Fiji, taking on Canada, Wales and Zambia.
The final pool in the men’s competition includes Australia, Kenya, Uganda and Jamaica.
This will be only the second time that women’s Rugby Sevens has featured at the Commonwealth Games and Birmingham 2022 has also now confirmed the two pools for that competition.
Team England’s women’s team has also
been drawn against New Zealand who are the reigning champions and Olympic Champions and this pool also includes Canada, the side England had to beat to secure the bronze medal four years ago. Sri Lanka are the fourth team in Pool A.
Pool B includes Australia who were runners up in the inaugural event in 2018, Fiji who are the Olympic bronze medallists, Scotland and South Africa.
World Rugby chairman,
Sir Bill Beaumont, said: “Rugby Sevens has been represented at every Commonwealth Games since the sport was first introduced in 1998, with some of the biggest names in our sport having competed at this fantastic tournament. It has also served as a launchpad for young and aspiring talent across the global game where players have gone on to become stars.
“Both the men’s and women’s Olympic champions will be in action as part of a strong line-up over what promises to be a thrilling three days of fast paced, high octane rugby sevens action in Coventry.
“Birmingham 2022 will be the biggest multi-sport event to be held in the United Kingdom since the London 2012 Olympic Games where we saw a nation get behind athletes and teams across all sports. We expect Birmingham 2022 to be no different and look forward to playing our part in another very special occasion.”
Commonwealth Games Federation CEO, Katie Sadleir, said: “Rugby Sevens and the Commonwealth Games have a proud history together and we have a fantastic competition set to take place at Birmingham 2022.
“We are delighted to have the world’s best men and women competing in our event at Coventry Stadium, in what will be a fantastic showcase for the sport. With a small number of tickets still available, I would urge all sports fans to seize the chance to get along to the tournament and be a part of history.”