The Hong Kong Sevens is a rugby sevens tournament held annually in Hong Kong on a weekend in late March or early April. Considered the premier tournament on the World Rugby Sevens Series competition, the Hong Kong Sevens is currently the seventh tournament on the World Series calendar (following the Canada Sevens. The tournament spans three days, beginning on a Friday and concluding on Sunday. The tournament is organised each year by the Hong Kong Rugby Union. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The latest Hong Kong Rugby Sevens was held on Friday 31 March, Saturday 1, Sunday 2 April 2023.
Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. Rugby sevens is administered by World Rugby, the body responsible for rugby union worldwide. The game is popular at all levels, with amateur and club tournaments generally held in the summer months. Sevens is one of the most well distributed forms of rugby, and is popular in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and especially in the South Pacific.
Waisale Tikoisolomoni Serevi is a Fijian former rugby union football player and coach, and is a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame. Serevi is renowned for his achievements in rugby sevens, while also enjoying a long career in fifteen-a-side rugby at both club and national team levels. Nicknamed "The Wizard" by commentators, he is widely considered to be the greatest rugby sevens player in the history of the game. A biography of Serevi titled Waisale Serevi: King of Sevens by Nick Darvenzi was published in 2018.
David Ian Campese, AM, also known as Campo, is a former Australian rugby union player (1982-1996), who was capped by the Wallabies 101 times, and played 85 Tests at wing and 16 at fullback. He retired in 1996 and was awarded the Order of Australia in 2002 for his contribution to Australian rugby. David is a now well respected media commentator working in broadcasting and print media for over 30 years. He travels the world as an International guest speaker, delivering his life story which focuses on risk taking, team work and self belief, all of which were instrumental in his dramatic rise to stardom against all odds as an outsider from a small country town. He also works as an Ambassador to businesses, offering value through his internationally recognised brand and influential business network. He has worked with Coca-Cola Amatil, DHL, Adidas, Ladbrokes, and Investec.
The Hong Kong national rugby union team, nicknamed the Dragons, is one of the better rugby sides in Asia outside Japan, and has consistently made the repechages of the Rugby World Cup qualifying. Rugby union in Hong Kong is administered by the Hong Kong Rugby Union since 1952, and competes annually in the Asia Rugby Championship.
The Samoa national rugby sevens team, referred to as Samoa Sevens or Manu Samoa 7s, competes in the annual World Rugby Sevens Series. Representing the polynesian country of Samoa, with a population of about 202,000, the team competes against some of the wealthiest countries in the world. The Samoa sevens team is overseen by the Samoa Rugby Football Union, which oversees all of rugby union in Samoa.
The Tunisia national rugby sevens team competes in the World Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens. They have been competing on and off at the Hong Kong Sevens, since 1989, which was their first time there.
Rugby union in Hong Kong is long established, partly as a result of its being a British colony. Rugby union is one of the most popular sports in Hong Kong. In contrast to the People's Republic of China, it has had a continuous existence dating back over a hundred years, and is most notable for the Hong Kong Sevens tournament, the best known of the rugby sevens tournaments. The top domestic club competition is the HKRFU Premiership.
The Sri Lanka national rugby sevens team, known as the Tuskers, represents Sri Lanka in men's international rugby sevens. They have competed in the Hong Kong Sevens since the 1980s. In 1989, veteran rugby commentator Bill McLaren mentions them in an article on the Hong Kong Sevens, saying that their team had players such as Kothalawala, Ekanayake and Lakshantha.
Spain's national rugby sevens team is one of 15 core teams participating in all ten tournaments of the World Rugby Sevens Series, having qualified by winning the 2017 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier tournament. Spain participated as a core team in the 2012–13 IRB Sevens World Series, but was relegated the following season.
The Chinese Taipei national rugby sevens team is a minor national sevens side. They have competed in the Hong Kong Sevens since the 1980s. In 1989, veteran rugby commentator Bill McLaren mentions them in an article on the Hong Kong Sevens, saying that their team had two Chi-Mings, a Yen-Ching, and a Chijen-Shuen, and that he was grateful that he did not have to broadcast all the names, as he had trouble remembering them.
The South Korea national rugby sevens team is a minor national sevens side. They sometimes take part in the Rugby World Cup Sevens, and have competed in the Hong Kong Sevens since the 1980s.
The Thailand national rugby sevens team is a minor national sevens side. They have competed in the Hong Kong Sevens since the 1980s.
The Malaysia national rugby sevens team is a minor national sevens side. They have competed in the Hong Kong Sevens since the 1980s. Malaysia also qualified for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Rugby union in the Netherlands is a growing sport. The sport is governed by the Rugby Nederland, which organizes the Netherlands national rugby union team.
The Bahrain national rugby sevens team is a minor sevens side. They have competed in the Hong Kong Sevens. They are traditionally seen as "minnows". For example, in the 1989 Hong Kong Sevens, they lost 52-0 to New Zealand and 24-4 to the Netherlands.
Rugby union in Thailand is a significant sport. They are currently ranked 60th, with 16,121 registered players.
Rugby union in Tunisia is a significant sport. They are currently ranked 39th in the world, with 15830 registered players, and 72 clubs.
The Brunei national rugby union sevens team is the national men's rugby team for Brunei.
Hong Kong Scottish is a rugby football club in Hong Kong.
