Shujaa to face Fiji, GB and Uruguay in Vancouver

The men’s national rugby 7s side Shujaa have been drawn against double Olympic champions Fiji, Great Britain, and Uruguay in the seventh outing of the 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series set to take place in Vancouver, Canada from 3-5 March.

The Damian McGrath currently coached side head into the tournament off the back of an inconsistent showing in the just concluded Los Angeles 7s where they finished last in the competition despite having a promising start with victory against overall defending champions Australia.

Defeats against Fiji and lowly ranked Japan in the group stages would however come at a cost for the national team as they were denied a chance of making the main cup quarterfinal for the first time this season which would have brought healthy point returns for the team fighting to avoid relegation this season.

Following the main cup exit, losses to Canada and USA in the 9th place quarterfinal and 13th place semifinal ensured Shujaa only got one point for their travels to America.

As a result, the team slipped from 12th place to 13th place on 22 points with Spain (25points) jumping over them.

In the other pools, Los Angeles winners New Zealand are in Pool A alongside Cape Town champions Samoa, Spain, and the United States.

Pool B includes silver medal winners Argentina with South Africa France and Japan while Australia lead Pool D alongside Ireland, Canada and Chile.

New Zealand became the first men’s team to win two tournaments in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023, beating Argentina 22-12 in the Cup final in Los Angeles.

Leroy Carter was the hero for the All Blacks Sevens on a much more dry day two, scoring five tries – including two in the showpiece match – to help his side to their second successive title.

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With six of 11 2023 Series tournaments played at the end of the HSBC Los Angeles Sevens, New Zealand have amassed 107 points, 21 more than Los Pumas Sevens, who are now second. South Africa, Fiji and Samoa complete the top five.

Pools

Group A – New Zealand, Samoa, Spain, USA

Group B – Argentina, South Africa, France, Japan

Group C – Fiji, Great Britain, Kenya, Uruguay

Group D – Australia, Ireland, Canada, Chile