It’s almost time for a new season of rugby sevens.
Following Australia’s first ever series title win in August and Fiji’s World Cup triumph in September, the next tournament on the slate is the 2022 Hong Kong Sevens, taking place from Nov. 4-6.
Hong Kong will kick off the new season for the men’s side while the women’s season will commence in the Dubai Sevens in December.
Here’s a look at the four pools for Hong Kong that were announced on Wednesday:
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In Pool A, defending champions Australia will compete with New Zealand, Samoa and the hosts, Hong Kong. The former two are the historical powerhouses, but Samoa has been a rising nation again – it won the series title in 2009-10 – since the start of the 2021-22 season.
South Africa headlines Pool B with Great Britain, France and Uruguay joining. The Blitzboks have been tumbling since the 2022 Los Angeles Sevens while France is another intriguing up-and-coming nation to watch out for.
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USA will compete in a favorable Pool C that is headlined by Fiji with Spain and Japan rounding it out. The Flying Fijians tend to get the better of the Eagles in their head-to-head contests, but a second-place finish would get the U.S. to the knockout stage as Spain and Japan aren’t at an elite level yet.
Lastly, Argentina, Ireland, Kenya and Canada complete Pool D. Los Pumas has been solidifying themselves among the competition’s elite while Ireland is on a similar trajectory if it continues to develop. Kenya has a history of playing the underdog, though, and is always a threat to upset.
Ireland and Kenya will kick off the tournament on Friday, Nov. 4 at 3:40 a.m. ET. One game after is when the U.S. will play Spain in its first game, which is slated for 4:28 a.m. ET.
For the full list of fixtures and times, click here.
