SERIES RESUME

No time to rest for Shujaa as World 7s Series resume in September

Simiyu said with a squad of 24 players, there is enough depth to navigate the six tournaments.

In Summary

•The rugby competition at the Olympics is scheduled for July 26-31 after which Innocent Simiyu's charges will shift focus on the World Series.

•They will first head to Canada for the Vancouver and Edmonton Sevens tournaments slated for September 18-19 and September 25-26 respectively.

 

Kenya sevens Vincent Onyala en-route scoring a try against Samoa in Los Angeles Sevens.
Kenya sevens Vincent Onyala en-route scoring a try against Samoa in Los Angeles Sevens.
Image: Courtesy

Shujaa will not have time to rest upon the completion of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games with the World Sevens Series set to resume in September.

The rugby competition at the Olympics is scheduled for July 26-31 after which Innocent Simiyu's charges will shift focus on the World Series.

They will first head to Canada for the Vancouver and Edmonton Sevens tournaments slated for September 18-19 and September 25-26 respectively.

They will take a three-week break before heading to Singapore (October 29-30) and Hong Kong (November 5-7).

The team will tour Dubai on December 3-4 with the Cape Town leg the final stop on December 10-12.

Simiyu said the squad will have to be energised for the six gruelling tournaments in four months after the schedule was disrupted last year by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It's a tall order but once we are done with the Olympics, we will take a rest and then focus on the series. The boys have been crying out to play in these tournaments and we are happy that we going to get some matches under our belts,” said Simiyu.

Simiyu said with a squad of 24 players, there is enough depth to navigate the six tournaments.

"We have depth and we look at giving everyone a chance to play," added Simiyu.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “The next six months are an exciting time for rugby sevens’ re-emergence as the Olympic Games are followed by today’s updated HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series schedule of events."

We sincerely thank HSBC and all partners, hosts and participating teams for their continued commitment, support and spirit of teamwork as we navigate the incredibly complex circumstances relating to the global Covid-19 pandemic."

On-going work continues with all respective governments, health agencies, stakeholders and partners to ensure the events meet relevant Covid-19 requirements as the health and wellbeing of players, fans and all involved remains paramount."

Following detailed discussions between the RFU and World Rugby, the HSBC London Sevens tournament will not take place in 2021. However, planning is already underway for the 2022 HSBC London Sevens, which will be the 20th edition of the tournament.

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 schedule will be announced after the Olympic Games in what is set to be a very busy and exciting year for rugby sevens with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England on July 29-31 and Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa on September 9-11.