The men’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 will reach its halfway point during the HSBC Los Angeles Sevens this weekend. The HSBC Los Angeles Sevens has been a welcome addition to the Series since the circuit returned to Carson in 2020.
Following five of 11 tournaments, New Zealand leads the standings with 85 points, nine points ahead of South Africa in second and 17 in front of Samoa and France in joint third.
The All Blacks Sevens were victorious at Dignity Health Sports Park back in August, but they will not have it all their way this time around.
A run of two silver medals and one gold in their previous three tournaments has helped the All Blacks Sevens build a nine-point lead at the top of the standings.
Such has been the competitive nature of this season, though, that no men’s team has won more than one tournament in 2023.
Heading into the sixth tournament of 11 in the 2023 Series, the race to secure qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games remains intense.
Fourth-placed France is assured of their place at the Games as hosts, but eight teams are battling it out for the four automatic tickets, with 10th-placed Great Britain doing all they can to remain in the conversation.
New Zealand and South Africa have given themselves a bit of a buffer at the top of the standings, but only 10 points separate Samoa in third and ninth-placed Ireland with six tournaments to play.
That means that every point counts at Dignity Health Sports Park this weekend as teams jostle for a place in the top four.
At the other end of the standings, Japan needs positive results in LA as they bid to avoid relegation from the Series.
The core team with the fewest points at the end of 2023 will be relegated to the World Rugby Challenger Sevens Series 2024 and Japan has amassed only six from five tournaments so far.
Canada is the core team above them on 14 points, meaning Japan must find some form, starting this weekend.
The USA is targeting a first tournament win on home soil since Las Vegas in 2019, and two of their players have an extra incentive to do well in LA.
Having come close to securing core team status at the World Rugby Challenger Sevens Series 2022, losing to Georgia in the semi-finals before winning the bronze final, Chile gets to test themselves on the biggest stage.
They have been given a tough assignment at Dignity Health Sports Park, drawn alongside New Zealand, Samoa and hosts USA in Pool A.
Chile will kick off their LA campaign against the Series-leading All Blacks Sevens but can take heart from their last Series trip to the USA in 2019 when they drew with South Africa and beat France in Las Vegas.
Blitzboks fixtures
25/03/2023
21:49 Blitzboks vs Canada
26/03/2023
01:03 Blitzboks vs Uruguay
05:03 Blitzboks vs Ireland
