Port Elizabeth will host round three of the HSBC Sevens World Series on 7 and 8 December after the International Rugby Board (IRB) confirmed the dates for the 2013/14 on Friday. The World Series season is set to kick off on Australia’s Gold Coast and climax in London, England.
The city of Port Elizabeth will host the Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay SA Sevens for a third time at the iconic Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, with 16 teams to compete for the sought-after tournament trophy and the valuable Series points on offer.
The 15th edition of the record-breaking Series will visit the same nine countries as in 2012/13, although there are two changes in the order of rounds.
The first three events at the end of 2013 remain unchanged with Australia’s standing alone in October before the Dubai-South Africa double-header. In 2014, the Series will visit the USA before New Zealand and then Japan before Hong Kong. The final two tournaments will again be in Scotland and England.
IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “With its Olympic credentials boosting rugby’s landscape around the world Rugby Sevens is growing all the time, as we saw last weekend in London with world record crowds of 71,898 on day one and 113,025 over the two days.
“Throughout the 2012/13 Series we have seen once again how rugby fans are supporting these magnificent events, either attending in their many thousands or contributing to more record broadcast figures around the world, with a 10% increase in live coverage.
“As we continue on our countdown to Rugby Sevens’ Olympic debut in Rio in 2016, we are delighted to have nine such strong tournaments showcasing these world class athletes and the strength of competition between them.
“Our congratulations go to New Zealand on winning their 11th Series title, and to Scotland, Spain and Portugal for winning core team status for the 2013/14 Series, which is set to be more competitive than ever.”
HSBC Sevens World Series 2013/14
- Round 1: Australia (Gold Coast) – 12 to 13 October 2013
- Round 2: Dubai – 29 to 30 November 2013
- Round 3: South Africa (Port Elizabeth) – 7 to 8 December 2013
- Round 4: USA (Las Vegas) – 24 to 26 January 2014
- Round 5: New Zealand (Wellington) – 7 to 8 February 2014
- Round 6: Japan (Tokyo) – 22 to 23 March 2014
- Round 7: Hong Kong – 28 to 30 March 2014
- Round 8: Scotland (Glasgow) – 3 to 4 May 2014
- Round 9: England (London) – 10 to 11 May 2014
