RUGBY SEVENS Hamilton Sevens 2022 Cancelled
World Rugby and New Zealand Rugby have confirmed the Hamilton Sevens will not take place next year due to ongoing Covid-19 challenges.
The schedule for 2022 will be confirmed by World Rugby later in September but the Hamilton and Sydney legs of the tour will not be included. The decision was made in line with both the New Zealand and Australian governments and public health advice.
New Zealand Rugby general manager of professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum said it was disappointing for all involved, but unavoidable.
“This is particularly tough for our Black Ferns Sevens and All Blacks Sevens teams following their success at the Tokyo Olympics and for all of the stakeholders who have made the Hamilton tournament a highlight of the sporting calendar.
“The major obstacle to hosting the tournament in New Zealand next year was bringing 26 teams into the country through MIQ. We understand the Government’s MIQ priority to keep our borders safe and we accept the scale of our requirements weren’t possible.”
NZR will keep working with World Rugby in regards to hosting sevens events from 2023 and onwards. “The sevens has been a popular and exciting annual event on the sporting calendar for more than 20 years and everyone would love to see it return, but for now we will focus on planning some meaningful sevens for our teams.”
Several tournaments on the world sevens calendar will resume in 2021 but the New Zealand Black Ferns Sevens and All Blacks Sevens will not travel to them due to current travel restrictions in place, however
NZR and Rugby Australia will consult with World Rugby to try to establish Oceania Sevens tournaments to help the teams prepare for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.