The Women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 kicks off on Friday 2 December when the world’s top 12 women’s and 16 men’s teams take to the pitch at The Sevens Stadium for what promises to be a bumper edition of the popular Emirates Dubai 7s .
- The Emirates Dubai 7s will take place from December 2-3 at the Sevens Stadium
- Dubai is the first round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens women’s series and the second round of the men’s series.
- Australia are the reigning men’s and women’s series champions and lead the current men’s rankings after victory in Hong Kong last month
- Paris 2024 Olympic qualification is up for grabs for the top four teams in the 2023 Series
- The action will begin at 09:00 local time (GMT+4) on Friday, with the final on Saturday at 18:56.
The Women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 gets underway on Friday when the world’s top 12 women’s and 16 men’s teams take to the pitch at The Sevens Stadium for what promises to be a bumper edition of the popular Emirates Dubai 7s.
Dubai has hosted the Series since its inception in 1999, and the event has built a strong reputation for spectacular entertainment, on and off the pitch, hosting the world’s best players and teams and creating a party atmosphere around the compound.
While the Men’s Series kicked off in Hong Kong last month, the Women’s Series begins in Dubai as the 28 team captains gathered at the View at the Palm on Tuesday and are eager to play in front of the famously loud and colorful crowds that fill the seven stadium
The matches will be played across two pitches and kick off at 9:00 local time (GMT+4) on Friday 2 December with Ireland v Spain in Women’s Group C. After two full days of action-packed rugby sevens, the women’s final will take place. at 18:56 on Saturday, December 3, followed by the men’s final at 19:26.
The Dubai women’s groups see all-conquering World, Commonwealth and Series champions Australia in Group A alongside the USA, Canada and China. In Group B, reigning Olympic champions New Zealand will face France, Great Britain and Brazil. Group C features Olympic bronze medalists Fiji along with Ireland, Spain and newly promoted Japan.
VIEW THE WOMEN’S MATCH PROGRAM >>
In the men’s tournament, Group A features current number one and 2022 Series champions Australia, along with current title holders Dubai, South Africa, Great Britain and Kenya. Group B features double Olympic gold medalists Fiji along with Argentina, New Zealand and Uruguay. Group C features third-seeded France facing Ireland, Spain and Uganda. Finally, Group D has Samoa, USA, Canada and Japan.
SEE SCHEDULES OF MEN’S MATCHES >>
The 2023 Series promises to be the biggest, most competitive and most exciting Series yet with more at stake than ever, as the top four men’s and women’s teams will earn Olympic qualification for Paris 2024.
At the other end of the table in the men’s competition, the number of teams for the 2024 Series will be reduced from 16 to 12 to match the number of women’s teams and align with the structure of the Olympic competition, meaning fans can expect an intense battle to avoid relegation. throughout the 2023 Series with every match and every point counting towards the final Series standings.
SEE SCHEDULE FOR THE 2023 SERIES >>
Australia women’s co-captain Demi Hayes said: “We’re really excited to get going. We had a fantastic season last season and I guess our expectations are no less than that. We’ve worked really hard this pre-season so we’re very excited to start here in Dubai.
“We love having the best of the best out there to play, so to come back to New Zealand and Fiji as they missed out here last year is really amazing. I think our team really vibrates when we have an amazing crowd and there’s a lot of noise in Dubai so I think that’s only going to help us perform and I think that’s going to make us play better. It’s great to have a great atmosphere.”
South Africa men’s captain Siviwe Soyizwapi said: “Preparations have gone well for us. We can take a lot of confidence from the home camp and the last two days in Dubai have been great as well, being on the pitch in the heat so that’s been good.
“We like to play in Dubai. It’s hot this time of year in Cape Town, so I think it’s always good preparation for entering Dubai. There’s a lot of confidence we can take from previous years, but I think we always have to start fresh with every tournament. So we’ll take it step by step and I’ll take it as a brand new tool.
“It’s really exciting to have our new coaches in the frame with new ideas that are emerging and I think you’ll see something new this coming weekend with two new debutants also bringing something different that they can add to the squad, so I I’m really excited to see it.”
Great Britain women’s co-captain Meg Jones said: “We’re back as a British team and we’ve had a good six-week training block. With a new coach, new strength and conditioning, new physio, a couple of new faces and also many familiar faces.
“Now it’s opening up the player pool and making it much more competitive, pushing performance and our limits as much as we can. I think we’re really looking forward to seeing where we’re at right now, and then seeing where we can go with it.
“Dubai is one of the biggest legs and we love coming here. The views are amazing. The fans are amazing, the whole event is amazing. So yeah, being here with the rest of the gang is good, you know, friends off the pitch but obviously enemies on the field.It will be a good test.
“This whole journey is an incredible journey to be a part of and hopefully we can get to the Paris 2024 Olympics which will be the icing on the cake, but also set in terms of longevity and the future of GB sevens. about overcoming boundaries and create and sustain world-class performance.”
Fans in Dubai can look forward to an exciting weekend of music alongside rugby action across two pitches. Three world-renowned DJs – Cuban Brothers, Gorgon City and Craig David presents TS5 – will headline Frequency on 8, a visual and audio experience and Beats on Two, a unique bar concept that overlooks all the action of Pitch 2 .
The 2022 edition of the rugby festival will offer an amplified experience for all attendees with additional entertainment stands and activations for children and young adults, including a new hops and food market, the team party marquee ‘invitation’, as well as a new stage called “La Casa”.
Remaining tickets are available at https://dubairugby7s.com. Ticket options include the ultimate Hangar Hospitality for an exclusive, all-access experience, weekend general admission and weekend reserved seating, as well as single-day tickets that are available in quantities limited Children under 12 have free entry during the weekend.
Sevens rugby fans around the world can watch the action live on World Rugby’s digital platforms including www.world.rugby, You Tube and Facebook in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event
WHERE TO SEE >>