Four African countries, South Africa, Kenya, Madagascar and Uganda will provide five teams that shall participate in this years World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series which kicks off with two tournaments at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on March 1-2 and the following weekend on March 7-8.

Uganda has a women’s and mens teams while South Africa and Kenya (women) and Madagascar (men) complete the African line up. Among these teams, South Africa who were relegated from the WRSWS last season hopes to qualify as one of the top four teams for the play-off in Los Angeles in on May 3-4 to climb back to the top tier. 

They have been drawn in Pool A with Czechia and Hong Kong China while Kenya, another top-ranked African team who missed teh play-off by a whisker last year are also in contention. The Kenya Lionesses are in a tough Pool D with Poland and Samoa. Neighbors, Uganda have to fight it out with Belgium and Colombia in Pool C.

Another  chance

Uganda’s men’s team who had a fluctuating Series last year have another chance to shine from Pool C where they face former WRSWS’s core team Samoa and Brazil. Madagascar, Africa’s other representatives in the men’s category debut in the Challenger Series by tackling Hong Kong China and Canada who dropped down from the core status last season.

Other top contenders for the play-off in LA in the men’s category are regular campaigners Germany, Chile as well as Japan and Portugal who have played in the expanded version of the Series that had 16 teams before being reduced to 12.

The 12 men’s and womens teams shall play the two tournaments in Cape Town under a new format that was introduced last year by World Rugby in back-to-back tournaments in the WRSWS Circuit and played for the first time in Cape Town. In this format, the 12 teams placed in four pools of three teams each.

Pool Winners

Only the winners of each pool proceed to the knock-out cup semi-finals bypassing the quarter finals. The second-placed teams play for the fifth to eighth positions and the third-placed teams drop to the lower tier where they contest the ninth to 12th positions. 

At the end of the first two legs, eight teams with the most cumulative points proceed to the third round to be played at the Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow, Poland on April 11-12 where the top four teams shall progress to the playoff in LA from May 3-4. 

Cape Town

Women’s Draw

Pool A: South Africa, Czechia, Hong Kong China

Pool B: Argentina, Thailand. Mexico

Pool C: Belgium, Uganda, Colombia

Pool D: Poland, Kenya, Samoa

Order of play: Kenya v Samoa, Uganda v Colombia, Thailand v Mexico, Czechia v Hong Kong China, Poland v Samoa, Belgium v Colombia, Argentina v Mexico, South Africa v Hong Kong China, Poland v Kenya, Belgium v Uganda, Argentina v Thailand, South Africa v Czechia.

Men

Pool A: Germany, Japan, Georgia.

Pool B: Chile, Tonga, Portugal

Pool C: Samoa, Uganda, Brazil.

Pool D: Hong Kong China, Madagascar, Canada.

Order of play

Hong Kong China v Madagascar, Uganda v Brazil, Tonga v Portugal, Japan v Georgia, Canada v Madagascar, Samoa v Brazil, Chile v Portugal, Germany v Georgia, Canada v Hong Kong China, Samoa v Uganda, Chile v Tonga, Germany v Japan.