Text, Picture and Video: World Rugby
Nicole Heavirland ran in two tries as USA defeated Australia 26-7 in the Cup final in Glendale to triumph on home soil for the first time on the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series.
Text, Picture and Video: World Rugby
Reigning HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series champions, New Zealand were the standout side on day one of the HSBC USA Women’s Sevens in Glendale, Colorado.
Pictures & Videos via World Rugby
This weekend marks the start of a brand-new HSBC Women’s World Series with the curtain-raiser to be held in the US. For the second time, hosted at the Infinity Park in Glendale (Colorado), the opening stage of the series takes place in Colorado Sevens ahead of a huge year for the game.
Pic: World Rugby
Last year The Athlete Factory, founded by former England Sevens and XVs hooker Phil Greening, was proud to host the USA 7s pre-season at the Athlete Factory Training Facility. The international 7s teams of England, France, Ireland, Spain and Germany joined the USA team for a pre-season round of training matches!
Pic: Oktoberfest 7s / Official Facebook Page
South Africa has won the second edition of the Oktoberfest 7s on Sunday in Munich with a 12-10 win over Fiji. A last-minute try in the final by captain Siviwe Soyizwapi secured the title against strong Fijians. New Zealand claimed the third place after beating hosts Germany.
Pic: Oktoberfest 7s Facebook Page
This weekend eight of the world’s best 7s teams are competing on German soil at the second edition of the Oktoberfest 7s. Hosted at the iconic Olympic Stadium in Munich, this tournament promises to be the perfect occasion to test the form for the upcoming World Sevens Series at the end of the year in Dubai. Although Germany is not necessarily known as a hotspot for international rugby, the idea of running a 7s tournament next to the the world's largest Volksfest, in a stunning stadium with top-class teams, has proved to be a game-changer.
The Oktoberfest 7s takes place at the Olympic Stadium (Capacity 69,250) in Munich (map). The stadium hosted the Olympics in 1972 and was the home of Bayern Munich until they moved to the Allianz Arena in 2005. The matches will be played on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd of September. Fiji and USA will kick-off the weekend at 14:00 local time (GMT +1) on Saturday, while New Zealand and England complete the pool stage on Saturday evening. On Sunday the knock-out matches get underway at 11:00 AM (GMT +1) with the fifth-place play-off. The cup final is penciled in for around 15:00 (GMT +1).
Unfortunately, the tournament won’t be broadcasted in the UK, however, in Germany it will be shown by Sport 1, which also provides an online stream. For a full list of broadcasters click here.
In recent years the German 7s team has made huge progress, reaching some remarkable milestones. One of the outstanding victories was the win of the European Championships in Poland this summer, a well-deserved reward following heavy disappointment on missing out to qualify for the World Sevens Series and the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year.
Pic: Fabian Heimpel Facebook Page
Flyhalf Fabian Heimpel has been one of the pillars, transforming the Germans into a well-respected side on the world circuit. The 29-year old brings heaps of experience to the table, playing the game of 7s and 15s for his country and home team RG Heidelberg for more than a decade.
This weekend offers a huge opportunity to showcase his vast skillset against the worlds best sides in front of a massive home crowd.
With the top three teams of the previous World Sevens Series, Fiji, New Zealand and the USA all participating, it will be tough to pick a clear favourite. Although all three of this magnificinet trio underlined their class during last seasons series, Fiji was the side with the most tournament wins (5) while the Eagles only managed to win their home tournament. New Zealand won the opener in Dubai and Sydney earlier this year, but failed to secure another 22-pointer thereafter.
Pool A | England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
Pool B | Fiji, USA, Germany, France
Fiji vs USA
Germany vs France
England vs Australia
New Zealand vs South Africa
Fiji vs France
Germany vs USA
England vs South Africa
New Zealand vs Australia
