· Japan win in Uruguay and top the Challenger Series standings with 39 points
· HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series acts as new promotion route for teams onto sevens world series
· New Challenger Series set to boost sevens’ growth across the globe
Japan defeated Uruguay 5-0 in an unforgettable final at Montevideo’s Estadio Charrúa, bringing to an end the second tournament on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in South America.
After 22 minutes of rugby where both sides cancelled each other out, Japan captain Chihito Matsui finally managed to break the deadlock when he scored in the second half of sudden-death extra-time.
Following both rounds of the Challenger Series events hosted in Chile and Uruguay, Japan are top of the standings on 39 points, followed by Hong Kong in second and Germany in third place with Chile sitting in fourth position.
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series focuses on the development of the next generation of sevens stars from emerging sevens nations featuring 13 core teams who compete over two rounds alongside three invitational teams.
World Rugby is currently examining all options in relation to hosting a third and final round of the men’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series, which was due to be held in Hong Kong in April, taking into consideration the dynamic and ongoing situation regarding Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and an already full Olympic Sevens calendar year. Further updates will be issued at a later stage.
