WIN OR BUST!

Wynona Louw

The format for the Rugby World Cup Sevens will be played on a knockout basis

THERE will be no time for slow starts during the much-anticipated Rugby World Cup Sevens showpiece in Cape Town.

The first Sevens World Cup to be hosted in Africa – from September 9-12 – will feature the same knockout format that was first introduced at the 2018 spectacle in the US. This means that teams will have to win every game to have a chance of lifting the Melrose Cup.

The 24-team men’s competition will start with a qualification round on Day One, with the teams seeded ninth to 16th battling it out.

The top eight teams from that round will then go up against the top eight seeds, while the losing teams will compete in the Bowl competition to determine positions 17 to 24.

In the women’s division, the 16- team tournament will start with the round of 16 knockout matches based on seedings on the first day of competition.

The Blitzboks will face Germany or Chile in their opening game, while the Springbok Women’s side will be up against France in their first encounter of the showpiece.

Hosts’ South Africa are top seeds in the men’s tournament after winning six rounds of the World Series in a row across the 2021- 2022 season.

Sevens giants and double Olympic champions Fiji, who are seeded third, reigning RWC Sevens men’s champions Australia and fifth-seeded New Zealand will all add to the competitiveness of the men’s competition.

The men’s teams qualified by finishing in the top eight at the last RWC Sevens in 2018 as well as through regional qualification tournaments. Women’s teams qualified either via finishing in the top four at the last RWC Sevens in 2018, or through regional qualification tournaments.

The seedings for both men’s and women’s competitions were based on points accrued during the World Sevens Series in 2020 and 2022, while teams who do not participate in the series were seeded using their rankings gained at World Rugby Sevens events and regional ranking positions ending in July 2022.

All the captains of the various teams will be looking forward to a good weekend in Cape Town. - ANA Pictures

Blitzbok captain Siviwe Soyizwapi - World Rugby Photos