Both players, who were influential in the Red Roses earning a third Guinness Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam in a row, have history in the 7s game.

Source: Guinness 6 Nations

The 50-plus capped England 7s player co-captained GB at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, scoring both tries in GB’s bronze medal match before returning to the XVs game as a Red Rose.

Harlequins’ Kildunne, who took inspiration from the 2016 Rio team, enjoyed her first season of 7s in 2018/19 after scoring nine tries in eight matches for the Red Roses.

She featured 39 times in an England 7s jersey and links up with the programme once again after a rich vein of scoring form in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

The duo will be available for GB selection for the Madrid 7s (31 May-2 June).

The transition from Red Roses and Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby duties into the 7s programme has been agreed and collaborated on with various stakeholders including the RFU, GB7s, Leicester Tigers, Harlequins and the RPA.

RFU Head of Women’s Performance Charlie Hayter said: “It is important to support our players’ dreams and aspirations. They very much remain a part of our long-term Red Roses future and hold great ambitions in an England shirt.

“The 7s provides a different stimulus from a mental and physical standpoint. We feel exposure on the 7s circuit will benefit their progression in a Red Roses shirt in the long run but also presents an opportunity for the players to put their hands up for selection at another major world event in a different environment.

“It’s a good challenge for Meg and Ellie to make an impact in the GB environment over the next couple of months and give themselves a chance to compete in the short format of the game on the biggest stage.”

Ellie Kildunne said: “Joining up with the GB 7s squad is an incredible honour and an exciting opportunity to test myself with a new group of players. Competing at Paris 2024 would be a dream come true, and I’m determined to work hard to make it a reality.

“I’m grateful to Quins for allowing me to take this opportunity. I’m already excited to be back with the group next season and can’t wait to support them for the rest of this campaign.”

Megan Jones said: “It’s so exciting to join up with the talented GB 7s squad ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games. This side has a genuine shot of becoming the first female Great Britain rugby sevens team to win an Olympic medal and I would love to be part of that.

“It has been a great year at Leicester Tigers and I’m grateful to them for allowing me to prepare for the Paris Olympics. I can’t wait to be back with the squad next season and look forward to supporting the girls from afar with their remaining games!”

Ciaran Beattie, Great Britain Sevens Head of Rugby & Women’s Head Coach, said: “We are delighted to welcome Meg and Ellie back into the 7s environment. Both have a background in 7s which has helped in their journey to date. Watching them play so well in England’s successful Six Nations campaign has been exciting to watch, knowing that they would be coming in to fight for a place in our Olympic squad.

“It is an exciting few months coming up for GB 7s and we are delighted to have two of the best players in the world adding their experience to this.”

With thanks to the RFU

I detail these positions to help point out Great Britain’s chances of gaining a long sought after Olympic medal. Twice they have finished fourth, but since Tokyo have struggled to get above sixth place in world standings.

Eighth place at least qualifies them for the Grand Final in Madrid (31 May – 2 June).

Can they make a late run for the Olympic podium?

One major reason for their recent struggles has been the lack of English input. That goes back to the RFU’s widely condemned decision to remove their 7s contracts. That decision was not matched by other leading nations. Indeed, you may argue that it is a central reason for the Red Roses’ advance to the top of the 15s tree.

They gained or regained a host of outstanding players: Alex Matthews, Jess Breach, Ellie Kildunne, Emily Scarratt, Holly Aitchison, Meg Jones and Mo Hunt, to name but seven. Of these only Jones made clear she would return to the 7s fold as soon as the recent Six Nations championship was over. But now Kildunne has indicated a wish to be reconsidered, and there may well be others of a like mind.

If that unknown number of England converts did apply for a GB shirt, would they: 1) all be given the chance to prove themselves? 2) be welcomed with open arms, no questions asked? 3) find their Sevens feet again quickly enough to convince the management? 4) make enough difference to give GB an outside chance of a medal?

It’s possible the GB 7s management would look kindly on such moves. Over the past two or three years the make-up of the squad has altered just as often and abruptly as it did in plain old England 7s days.
At the Rio Olympics the only non-English player to be selected was Jasmine Joyce of Wales. Her modest performances in the 6N this year left you wondering if her mind wasn’t set at least 50% on the Paris Olympics.

GB’s latest squad at the Singapore Sevens was:

Amy Wilson Hardy, Ellie Boatman, Emma Uren, Grace Crompton, Heather Cowell, Isla Norman- Bell, Jade Shekels, Jasmine Joyce, Kayleigh Powell, Lauren Torley, Lisa Thomson, Rhona Lloyd and Shona Campbell.

That meant: three Scots, two Welsh and eight English.

As I write (5 May), there are 26 days to the start of the Madrid event. It would be fascinating to know the management’s thinking about the alternative policies available. Are they quite open to flexibility, radical changes in team selections; or do they prefer the idea of a highly experienced core group, familiar with each other’s playing style?

The modest results in this season’s World Series should make them think about a last-minute overhaul.

The quality of the opposition needs no underlining. The three squads now in medal-winning position, the Black Ferns, the Wallaroos and les Bleues, are match hardened and highly unlikely to grow more vulnerable, come the Paris Olympics. The French, the closest to vulnerability, would have the great advantage of home support.

The Management

One of the great oddities of the England 7s set-up has been the speed with which the coaching staff has changed. Charlie Hayter, now Director of England Women’s rugby, is a case in point. For eighteen months (2019-20) he was Head of England Women’s Sevens. For fifteen months (2020-22) he was Team Leader and Assistant Coach of England Women’s Sevens. For eighteen months (2022-23) he was Women’s and Sevens Performance Manager. Note in particular the strange combination of briefs in these last two posts.

At the same time GB Sevens was having to sort out who should be in charge for the 4-year Olympic cycle. In 2019 Scott Forrest was named head coach for Tokyo. He already had seven years experience of coaching with the Scottish women’s Sevens programme. Nick Wakley of Wales took over for the 2023 World Rugby Series.

But at the same time Ciaran Beattie of Scotland became programme lead for the men’s and women’s teams. Just to stir the pot a few more times, Beattie also became men’s assistant sevens coach, while another Scot, Robbie Fergusson, was to combine playing (he is still the GB men’s captain) with skills coaching with men’s and women’s teams.

A few tricky lines of authority to follow here!

Decisions now

As of 2024 Beattie is the man in charge. So it will presumably be his final call in deciding the fate of any newcomers to the group.

As we glance at the so-called ‘core’ GB squad for the 2023 World Series – Ellie Boatman, Abbie Brown, Heather Cowell, Megan Jones, Alicia Maude, Isla Norman-Bell, Celia Quansah, Jade Shekels and Emma Uren – we can spot a number of very familiar names, and they are all England-qualified.

I suspect that most people imagining a perfect Olympic squad would happily add some, if not all, of the names I listed in para. 6 above.

Emma Uren (captain), Abi Burton, Alicia Maude, Amy Wilson Hardy, Celia Quansah, Ellie Boatman, Grace Crompton, Isla Norman-Bell, Jade Shekells, Jasmine Joyce, Kayleigh Powell, Lauren Torley and Lisa Thomson.

It sees the return of Celia Quansah and Kayleigh Powell for the first time this season, but the regular captain, Abbie Brown, is missing.

At the end of January the squad achieved a memorable bronze medal at the Perth SVNS, and Ellie Boatman was voted into the dream team. Now they face the challenge of repeating that success at the western end of another continent. Results grow in importance as the Paris Olympics creep closer. Old rivals who used to beat British sides with some ease must now take their case seriously.

The Vancouver SVNS take place on 23-25 February. The tournament will be covered by rugbypass.tv.

The gold medal for the women secures them a quota place at Paris 2024, guaranteeing 13 athletes their ticket to the Games – and making them the first team sport to qualify for Team GB.

The women’s squad, co-captained by Olympians Abbie Brown and Meg Jones, came up against a determined Polish side in the gold medal match. Backed by the noise of the home crowd, the hosts came hard out of the blocks but ultimately fell short against the precision and pace of a determined British side, who claimed their place on the top of the podium with a scoreline of 33 – 0.

Jones, reflecting on the win, said: “I’m so happy that our journey worked out, it’s a huge sense of relief that everything went to plan. We’ve been pushing the boundaries all year and we definitely pushed them there. I’m so buzzing for the girls – to have this experience and go out there and achieve what we just did is just a stepping-stone in the right direction.

“Paris qualification is exactly what we came for and we’re leaving with it.”

Brown added, “I’m just so proud of the girls. We’ve spoken about this event for months on end, all season, about how we are going to come here and win, and we did it. To put in a performance like we did was just outstanding.

“We do this sport because we enjoy it, we don’t do this to have the pressure – the pressure is just a luxury because we put ourselves in that position. We kept taking it moment by moment, sticking to our processes and with about 30 seconds left, I allowed myself to enjoy the moment.”

On what’s next, Brown said, “I’m going to have a little holiday first, and I’m looking forward to that. And then we get back to it, we keep pushing ourselves and I’m really fortunate that I’m in a group where we keep wanting to be better and challenging ourselves, so when you’re around people that push you, but also hype you up, it’s an amazing feeling and we’re only growing. I’m so excited to see where we can get to by the time Paris comes.”

Robbie Fergusson, who made his Team GB debut at Tokyo 2020, led his side out to meet favourites Ireland in the final. A tightly contested first half saw Ireland take the first score, before a swift equaliser from Team GB’s Tom Williams. The Irish pulled into the lead in the second half, with the final scoreboard reading 26-12 in Ireland’s favour.

In diving, Robbie Lee added another silver medal to Team GB’s haul for the day in a men’s platform final full of twists and turns across six rounds of diving. Having qualified in second from the morning prelims, Lee faced an uphill challenge at the start of the final after his first dive strayed from the competition standard. But the 18-year-old came flying up the rankings with the dive of the competition in the fourth round – earning 96.20 with his Forward 4 ½ Somersaults Tuck (109C), which placed him second overall behind teammate Ben Cutmore at that stage.

Sunday’s synchro bronze medallist Cutmore had appeared to be the man to beat up until the last round, but a misplaced effort opened the door for his competitors to steal ahead in the race for the podium, with Lee holding in for silver at his first major senior international competition.

“It’s very special and I’m so happy.” said Lee.

“A first major senior event and to come away with a silver medal is great, and knowing I could do a lot more and a lot better is so good as well. I’m very exited for the future.”

Over at the breaking venue B-Boy Kid Karam contested the quarterfinals on day two of competition. A tough draw saw him up against B-Boy Menno of the Netherlands, who went on to win the battle and take silver overall.

Fresh from his final battle, Karam commented, “This whole experience has been incredible. I’ve enjoyed it so much and I’ve been blessed to be part of the team. I’ve felt so in place, which is a first for me. Obviously, being on the stage at such an amazing event, the crowd was great, the actual event itself was amazing and it was a great representation of breaking, for what’s to come at the Olympics.

“I’m learning a lot about my breaking by battling the best. I’m learning more about myself and I had a lot of fun on the stage. I just really enjoyed the battle today, actually – I didn’t get the result that I wanted, but I had a lot of fun and that’s the important thing for me, so I’m going to keep working and just aim for the top because the bottom’s overcrowded. That’s what it is.”

And in the women’s modern pentathlon semi finals, Kerenza Bryson and Olivia Green finished in sixth and seventh place respectively to progress through to the finals on Saturday 1 July, while in the women’s triathlon both Sian Rainsley and Sophie Alden both placed inside the top twenty. Rainsley crossed the line in 11th, a little over a minute behind Norway’s Solveig Lovseth who claimed the gold.

With thanks to Team GB

• Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens women’s semi-finals, men’s quarter-finals confirmed after superb day of rugby sevens in front of packed house at Hong Kong Stadium
• Women’s semi-final line-up: New Zealand v Fiji, Australia v Great Britain
• Men’s quarter-finals: New Zealand v Argentina, France v Spain, Fiji v South Africa, USA v Great Britain
• Finals day on Sunday sees the men’s quarter-finals at 10:02 local time (GMT+8) and the women’s semi-finals at 14:43, with the women’s and men’s cup finals at 19:40 and 20:15 respectively
• Paris 2024 Olympic qualification and Series status at stake in most competitive Series in history

The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens will come to a climax on Sunday after another thrilling day of action at the historic Hong Kong Stadium on Saturday which saw the women’s semi-final and men’s quarter-final line-ups confirmed.

In the women’s event, Series leaders New Zealand will face Fiji in the final four, while Dubai winners Australia will take on Great Britain on Sunday with a spot in the cup finals up for grabs.

The opening men’s quarter-final on Sunday will see a rematch of the Los Angeles cup final with Series leaders New Zealand taking on HSBC Canada Sevens champions Argentina. Vancouver runners-up France face Spain in the next quarter-final, while Fiji will take on South Africa and USA battle Great Britain to decide who will advance to the semi-finals later in the day.

READ MEN’S FULL DAY TWO REPORT >>

READ WOMEN’S FULL DAY TWO REPORT >>

Ireland women’s impressive knockout streak, in which they have won six of their last eight quarter-finals, including three of four this season, hit a green-and-gold wall in Hong Kong. Charlotte Caslick scored twice as Australia, who have now won 25 matches in a row against Ireland, cruised into Sunday’s semi-finals with a 24-5 victory, an improvement on their win over the same team on day one.

Great Britain’s Rhona Lloyd was the hero off the bench to help send her team into the semi-finals – their first this season – with a sensational try in the 14^th minute to defeat France.

Like Great Britain, Fiji also left it late to stake their claim for a semi-final berth, twice coming from behind against USA before winning the match on the final play courtesy of a touchdown from Reapi Ulunisau to make it 19-14 at the final whistle.

After those two tight games, the Black Ferns cruised into the last four with a straightforward 45-12 win over a brave Canada – their second of the day – to round off the second day’s action, and set-up a semi-final against Fiji on Sunday. Jorja Miller and Risi Pouri-Lane both scored twice as New Zealand ran in seven tries.

VIEW WOMEN’S RESULTS AND POOLS >>

Fiji ran in eight tries to beat Canada 40-7 in the opening pool A match of day two en route to finishing top of Pool B and qualifying for the quarter-finals. The remarkable Marcos Moneta scored his 80th and 81st tries in just 17 tournaments as Argentina beat Samoa 26-19.

Argentinian happiness later tempered a little, however, as they were beaten to top spot in pool A in an end-to-end 26-19 loss to fellow quarter-finalists Fiji.

Hong Kong China hero Max Denmark scored in the first minute of their Pool B match against Great Britain. But, then, the match ran to script, as Tony Roques’ multi-nation side took control against the invitational team, comfortably winning 33-12 in the end.

Drama followed, as a pair of late Jefferson Joseph tries gave France a comeback 17-14 win over Uruguay to deny the South American side a quarter-final berth.

Australia’s defence of their Hong Kong Sevens title is over, after they finished third in Pool C, behind USA and surprise quarter-finalists Spain. Perry Baker scored four tries in two matches, as USA beat Japan and Australia to put Friday’s 7-0 loss to Spain behind them and book their place in the last eight and knock Australia down to the 9^th place quarter-final based on points differential.

In pool D, New Zealand made it three from three in Hong Kong, with wins over South Africa and Ireland to set up a quarter-final against Argentina on Sunday. Earlier, Ireland’s Harry McNulty had needed just 15 seconds to open the scoring in their opening match of the day against Kenya. They went on to win 26-14 to set up a decider against the All Blacks. But that loss against New Zealand meant South Africa qualified for the last eight in Ireland’s stead.

VIEW MEN’S RESULTS AND POOLS >>

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 continues to be the most competitive season yet with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top four women’s and men’s teams in the 2023 Series standings. Hosts France have pre-qualified for next year’s pinnacle event in the nation’s capital.

The women’s Series has seen five tournaments, with New Zealand sitting firmly on top of the standings with 98 points having won the last four tournaments in Cape Town, Hamilton, Sydney and Vancouver.

In Vancouver the Black Ferns became the first team to book their spot at Paris 2024, while Australia, the only other nation to have won a tournament in Dubai, and USA also qualified for next year’s Olympics to be held at Stade de France at this weekend’s tournament by advancing to the quarter-finals.

The men’s Series has seen five different winners (Australia, Samoa, South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand) through the opening seven tournaments. New Zealand, who won in Sydney and Los Angeles, currently sit atop the Series standings with 120 points, followed by Argentina (108), who won the last stop at the HSBC Canada Sevens along with Hamilton, closely trailed by Vancouver runners-up France with 95 points and Fiji and Australia are both tied with 94 points with just four events to go.

At the other end of the table in the men’s competition the number of teams for the next edition of the Series will reduce from 16 to 12 to equal the number of women’s teams and align with the Olympic competition structure, meaning fans can continue to expect an intense battle to avoid relegation throughout the 2023 Series with every match and every point counting towards the final Series rankings.

VIEW SERIES CALENDAR >> 

Play begins at 08:30 local time on Sunday with the men’s 9^th place quarter-finals, while the men’s cup quarter-finals start at 10:02 local time (GMT+8). The women’s cup semi-finals start at 14:43, and the women’s and men’s cup finals take place at 19:40 and 20:15 respectively as the race of Series glory and Olympic qualification continues.

Remaining tickets for the Cathay/HSBC Sevens Hong Kong Sevens are available from: Tickets – Hong Kong Sevens (hksevens.com)

Rugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on www.world.rugby in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.

WHERE TO WATCH >>

• Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Ireland and France end day one with perfect win records in women’s tournament
• USA and Australia women qualify for Paris 2024, joining New Zealand and hosts France
• Returning champions Australia off to winning start looking to defend their title as men’s teams play one pool match each
• Play continues on Saturday from 08:46 local time (GMT+8) with the completion of the pool phase and women’s quarter-finals, ahead of the men’s quarter-finals, and both semi-finals and finals on Sunday
• With Paris 2024 Olympic qualification and Series status at stake the current edition continues to be the most competitive in history

The world-renowned Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens never fails to deliver in terms of drama, excitement and entertainment as the world’s best men’s and women’s teams kicked off the first of three days of competition at the iconic Hong Kong Stadium on Friday.

It was a historic occasion for rugby in Hong Kong since it was the first time in the tournament’s 46-year history that the women’s Series featured alongside the men’s in front of a raucous and passionate crowd despite rainy conditions throughout most of the day.

Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Ireland and France women all ended day one with perfect win records to qualify for the quarter-finals on Saturday with still one pool match to play.

Following the Black Ferns Sevens in Vancouver and hosts France, Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallists Australia and USA became the latest two women’s teams to solidify their positions at next year’s pinnacle event to be held at Stade de France based on today’s performances.

In the remaining Pool A matches on Saturday, Hong Kong China will continue their learning curve against Great Britain, while Canada will be looking to avoid a 19th straight defeat against New Zealand.

In Pool B, Ireland will be looking for a 14th successive win against Brazil and Australia will face Fiji for the first time in the pool stages this season.

Finally, in Pool C, Spain will be looking to win their first pool match since the Cape Town tournament in December when they take on Japan, while the USA’s meeting with France will determine who finishes top of the pool.

VIEW WOMEN’S RESULTS AND POOLS >>

Each men’s team played one pool match on day one and the results mostly followed the formbook with the leading teams winning their opening game.

In Pool A, Hong Kong kings Fiji had a real fight on their hands to battle past Samoa but came through 12-7, to make it 15 wins in a row against their Pacific rivals while Vancouver-champions Argentina knocked off a spirited Canadian team to pick up right where they left off.

Great Britain turned the tables on Uruguay who had beaten them earlier in the Series with an equally tense victory, 14-10 in Pool B. Much to the delight of the home crowd, Seb Brien scored two brilliant late tries for Hong Kong China but France edged out the win 21-14 in the final match of the day.

The biggest men’s result of the day came in Pool C when Pol Pla scored for Spain and Los Leones’ defense hold on for the win over the United States in an exciting Pool C clash. Australia, led by the return from injury of Nick Malouf, a key figure in Australia’s 2022 World Series triumph, also knocked off Japan 26-5.

Pool D saw New Zealand open their tournament with a 29-5 win over Kenya, and South Africa secured an impressive victory over Ireland thanks to the winning try by Zain Davids.

VIEW MEN’S RESULTS AND POOLS >>

The number of men’s teams for the next edition of the Series will reduce from 16 to 12 to equal the number of women’s teams and align with the Olympic competition structure, meaning fans can continue to expect an intense battle to avoid relegation throughout the 2023 Series with every match and every point counting towards the final Series rankings.

Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th ranked team will be relegated, while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face-off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series.

VIEW SERIES CALENDAR >>

Play begins at 08:46 local time on Saturday with the completion of the pool matches before the women’s quarter-finals commence at 19:37. Both men’s and women’s semi-finals and finals take place on Sunday as the race of Series glory and Olympic qualification continues.

Remaining tickets for the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens are available from Tickets – Hong Kong Sevens (hksevens.com)

Rugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on www.world.rugby in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.

WHERE TO WATCH >>

It leaves several issues in the air.

Even the statement in the title must be taken with a pinch of salt. The men’s core squad is there in force, all sixteen of them.

But strange to relate, the women’s squad amounts to a mere nine*. Even stranger, we are informed that more ‘confirmation’ will be forthcoming once the RWC in New Zealand is completed. Well, we can easily imagine Jaz Joyce jumping at the chance of rejoining her 7s pals; they would be much the poorer without her. But who else?

Maybe the Scots, who would like to forget the tribulations they suffered in Auckland as soon as possible.

But the English? Simon Middleton stated long ago that players had to commit to one format to the exclusion of the other. Meg Jones was the most notable example of a player opting for 7s, where she has been co-captain with Abbie Brown of the English and the combined GB sides.

But a host of others opted to 15s. Of the current Red Roses squad in New Zealand Alex Matthews, Helena Rowland, Ellie Kildunne, Emily Scarratt, Holly Aitchison, Jess Breach, Leanne Infante, Lydia Thompson, Sarah McKenna and (briefly) Tatyana Heard have all played in the England 7s squad, either recently or in the more distant past.

Will the same barrier continue in place post-RWC?

For the Malaga tournament last January this GB squad was chosen:

Maisy Allen, Ellie Boatman, Abbie Brown, Abi Burton, Alicia Maude, Isla Norman Bell, Jodie Ounsley, Jade Shekels, Georgina Tasker, Lauren Torley, Emma Uren, Jessica Weaver and Amy Wilson Hardy. Allen and Weaver debuted; Shekels and Torley were making their second appearance.

Many of those names are missing from the nine listed below.

Staffing

I have mentioned before (http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2022/05/29/time-for-a-change/) the remarkable turnover in coaching staff for the two 7s squads. Now a completely different set of coaches has been installed, with the same intricate and lop-sided structures as before.

Ciaran Beattie takes charge of the men’s and women’s squads, but will double as the men’s assistant coach. Nick Wakley becomes the new women’s head coach. So who has the ultimate authority for deciding matters: the head coach or the head head coach who has half an eye on the men’s programme? How can you be the head coach and the assistant coach at the same time?

Of Scott Forrest, Beattie’s predecessor, not a sign. It would be fascinating too to know what has happened to other coaches previously in place. Charlie Hayter was England’s head coach in 2019, replaced later by James Rodwell.

Robbie Fergusson becomes a second coach to help superintend both the men’s and women’s squads. His brief is to look after ‘technical skill areas’. Beattie, Wakley and the assistant coach (see below) presumably won’t have the time to look after all these unnamed skills themselves.

And they still haven’t got round to appointing that assistant coach. What has been happening through the long hot summer that prevented these decisions being finalised by now?

Once more, the whole business seems so last-minute. The Dubai 7s take place in early December. That is barely five weeks away, and final additions to the squad won’t apparently be confirmed till after 12 November, when the RWC ends.

*The Core Nine

Ellie Boatman, Abbie Brown, Heather Cowell, Megan Jones, Alicia Maude, Isla Norman Bell, Celia Quansah, Jade Shekels and Emma Uren.

Scotland 7s head coach Ciaran Beattie has been named Programme Lead for the Men’s and Women’s teams and will oversee both programmes, as well as serving as men’s assistant coach, as the men’s group prepare to compete on the 2023 circuit, which gets underway on the weekend of 4-6 November in Hong Kong.

The amalgam of English, Scottish and Welsh national sevens squads sees Tony Roques named men’s head coach and Nick Wakley as women’s head coach. Robbie Fergusson, will be in a player/coach role as he focusses on technical skill areas of the game with both squads. Recruitment for a women’s assistant coach role is currently being finalised.

The 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will consist of 11 men’s and 7 women’s rounds, from November to May, with final legs being staged in London for the men, and Toulouse for the women.

The core 2023 GB7s men’s squad sees five 2020 Olympians included while the women’s squad features a number of previously core England players including co-captains Meg Jones and Abbie Brown with the remainder of GB7s Women’s selection subject to additions to be determined upon the conclusion of the current Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

The initial squads met for their first camp last week, as the men prepare shortly for the Hong Kong event which kicks off the World Series. The women were brought together as they start their preparation for Dubai in early December.

GB7s Programme Lead, Beattie, said: “It has taken a great deal of hard work from everyone connected with GB7s to be able to announce the initial core players for both men’s and women’s squads for the upcoming season.

“The 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is a matter of weeks away, and we are pleased to have squads in camp in preparation for that opening men’s event in Hong Kong in November.

“The women’s squad will continue to train, with more players to be added in due course, ahead of the Dubai legs in December.”

GB7s core squads for 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series:

Men’s
Jamie Adamson
Jamie Barden
Kaleem Barreto
Api Bavadra
Alex Davis
Tom Emery
Jamie Farndale
Robbie Fergusson
Will Homer
Paddy Kelly
Ross McCann
Max McFarland
Freddie Roddick
Morgan Williams
Tom Williams
Ethan Waddleton

Women’s*
Ellie Boatman
Abbie Brown
Heather Cowell
Megan Jones
Alicia Maude
Isla Norman-Bell
Celia Quansah
Jade Shekells
Emma Uren

*further core squad members to be announced in due course.

With thanks to the RFU

Great Britain fielded two sides: Lions (England) and Royals (Wales).

The twelve teams were split into three pools as below.

Pools A: France, Spain, Netherlands, Finland
Pool B: Russia, Great Britain Royals, Portugal, Ukraine
Pool C: Great Britain Lions, Ireland, Italy, Belgium

GB Lions Squad: Abbie Brown, Natasha Brennan, Lotte Clapp, Lauren Cattell, Deborah Fleming, Katie Mason, Lucy Nye, Katy Mclean, Kelly Smith, Amy Wilson Hardy (C), Millie Wood, Rachael Woosey

GB Royals Squad: Elinor Snowsill (C), Sian Williams, Dyddgu Howell, Rhi Parker, Shona Powell Hughes, Jess Kavanagh-Williams, Elen Evans, Keira Bevan, Gemma Rowland, Sinead Breeze, Hannah Jones, Alisha Butchers

Sunday 25 September

Cup Finals

1st/2nd France 5-26 Russia

3rd/4th Ireland 5-12 Great Britain Lions

Plate Finals

5th/6th Great Britain Royals 0-10 Netherlands

7th/8th Belgium 14-19 Spain

Bowl Finals:

9th/10th Finland 0-34 Italy

11th/12th Portugal 22-5 Ukraine

Cup Semi Finals

France 22 – 19 Great Britain Lions

Russia 27-5 Ireland

Cup Quarter Finals:

France 31-7 Belgium

Russia 21-0 Netherlands

Ireland 26-0 Spain

Great Britain Royals 5-14 Great Britain Lions

Plate Semi Finals

Belgium 7-29 Great Britain Royals

Netherlands 24-5 Spain

Bowl Semi Finals:

23 10.28 Portugal 12-19 Finland

24 10.50 Italy 14-7 Ukraine

Pool Fixtures Results:

1 Great Britain Lions 21-12 Belgium
2 Ireland 12-12 Italy
3 Russia 51-0 Ukraine
4 Great Britain Royals 19-0 Portugal
5 Spain 12-7 Netherlands
6 France 53-0 Finland
7 Great Britain Lions 14-12 Italy
8 Ireland 12-5 Belgium
9 Russia 59-0 Portugal
10 Great Britain Royals 37-5 Ukraine
11 Spain 29-0 Finland
12 France 33-0 Netherlands
13 Italy 5-7 Belgium
14 Great Britain Lions 5-27 Ireland
15 Portugal 24-21 Ukraine
16 Russia 38-0 Great Britain Royals
17 Netherlands 36-0 Finland
18 France 26-14 Spain

Results will be updated throughout the day.

• Australia make history with inaugural Olympic Games women’s rugby sevens gold
• First Olympic Games rugby medals in 92 years awarded
• Australia win gold, New Zealand silver and Canada bronze on thrilling final day
• Hosts Brazil secure 2016-17 World Rugby Sevens Series core team status
• Rugby the winner on historic day for the sport and the Games
• Bill Beaumont hails game-changing women’s competition 

Olympic Games history was made as Australia struck gold in the women’s rugby sevens competition at the Deodoro Stadium on Monday.
 
In defeating New Zealand 24-17 in a high-quality and frenetic final, Australia became rugby’s first Olympic Games gold medallists in 92 years and the first-ever women’s rugby gold medal winners.

On a day of firsts, high drama and spectacular sevens, rugby was the winner. It may have been seven years in the making from inclusion on the Olympic programme, but the wait was worth every second and how the fans loved it.

In stark contrast to 1924 when rugby last appeared at the Games, sevens is made for the modern Olympic stage. It is fast, dynamic, action-packed with a carnival atmosphere and has showcased the very best of the top women’s sevens players in what is one of the world’s fastest-growing and most accessible team sports.

The dream final pitted the top two ranked teams in the world – Australia, the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series champions, and world champions New Zealand – in a match of enormous intensity, drama and skill. With the knowledge that Olympic glory beckoned, no quarter was given nor asked.

Defence and determination dominated, but the skill was exceptional throughout. Kayla McAlister broke the deadlock for New Zealand midway through the first half, but Emma Tonegato hit back for Australia to level the scores at 5-5. Portia Woodman’s yellow card gave Australia the advantage and Evania Pelite scored on the stroke of half-time for a 10-5 lead.

After the interval, Australia extended their lead to 24-5 with tries by Ellia Green and Charlotte Caslick, before New Zealand launched a late rally. McAlister and Woodman clawed back the deficit, but Australia held out to take their place in history as rugby’s first gold medal winners since 1924.

Canada defeat Great Britain to win bronze
Canada made up for their semi-final disappointment to win bronze, defeating Great Britain 33-10 in a thrilling pre-cursor to the gold medal match. Once again, it was the sublime talent and leadership of Jen Kish that steered the Canadians through as Bianca Farella, Ghislaine Landry (2), Karen Paquin and Kelly Russell’s tries secured an historic bronze medal.

Semi-final: Australia 17-5 Canada
Series champions Australia continued to impress in their semi-final, defeating Canada 17-5. Leading 12-0 at the interval thanks to a brace by Emilee Cherry, Australia showed their series-winning class in the second half, adding a third try through Chloe Dalton before soaking up late Canada pressure to guarantee at least silver.

Semi-final: New Zealand 25-7 Great Britain
New Zealand eased into gold medal match after two yellow cards in the space of 30 seconds gave Great Britain an uphill battle from which they never recovered. A Portia Woodman hat-trick capped an irresistible performance for the world champions, with Ruby Tui and Huriana Manuel also crossing for tries.

Positional play-offs
In the other matches, USA were classified fifth after defeating France 19-5, while Spain claimed seventh with a 21-0 win over Fiji. For hosts Brazil there was extra reason to celebrate a solid competition as their impressive 33-5 win over Japan to finish ninth secured core team status for the 2016-17 HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series and opportunity for future success. Kenya defeated Colombia 22-10 to claim 11th place.

For rugby’s first Olympians in more than a lifetime, the honour to compete on sport’s greatest stage was victory in itself and all will reflect on playing their part in making history in what has already been heralded as a game-changing event.

Beaumont hails world’s top women players
World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “We have seen women’s rugby launched on a truly global stage. Stars have been born, unforgettable moments created and fans entertained.

“Congratulations to our gold medallists Australia, but to all our women Olympians, thank you, you have made your families, nations and rugby proud. You have made history.

“This competition has demonstrated the very best of rugby and its character-building values. I am sure that we have reached, engaged and inspired new women and girls across the world and we are excited to welcome them to the rugby family.”