The sevens circuit continues this weekend as the tour hits Southeast Asia for the legendary Hong Kong Sevens. This was a marquee sevens event before sevens events became a big deal. The 2024 edition is especially important as this will be the last time the Hong Kong 7s is played at the iconic Hong Kong Stadium before it moves to Kai Tak Sports Park for 2025.
Here is a look at what happened in the 2023 Hong Kong Sevens preview of what will come in 2024, paying special attention to the chances of the Springboks this weekend.
2023 Hong Kong 7s Recap
The 2023 Hong Kong 7s went the way of New Zealand as they beat Fiji 24-17 in a classic final between two of the sport’s giants. France took bronze by beating Great Britain in the third-place game, while South Africa had to settle for sixth after losing to Argentina in the fifth-placed match.
2024 Hong Kong 7s Preview
2024 Hong Kong 7s Odds To Win (BetXchange)
This is the sixth stop on the tour calendar, so the teams know plenty about each other by now. The stakes are higher, however, as 2024 is an Olympic year, and the conversion of Antoine Dupont of France to 7s has drawn more eyes to the sport than ever before.
Dupont has instantly made France a challenger, which is not surprising given that he is arguably the best XVs player in the world.
What is more surprising has been Argentina’s sheer dominance through five rounds. They have won three of the five rounds so far, finished second in another, and only performed poorly at the Los Angeles 7s last time out. They lead the standings with 90 points from a possible 100, and they are miles clear of Ireland (70) and Fiji (64) in second and third on the log, respectively.
South Africa has had a weird set of results so far. They won the series opener in Dubai, but the Blitzboks have struggled from that point onward. This was capped with a two-point showing last time out in LA, beating only Spain in the pool stages and finishing 11th out of the twelve competing teams.
It is now or never for the BlitzBoks to win at this venue. It is a gold that has eluded the team despite 40 HSBC SVNS tournament golds. Tests will come from all angles, especially from Fiji, a team that always runs well here.
Two former Junior SPringboks will be in to bolster the ranks, with Katlego Letebele and Quewin Nortje both making their Hong Kong 7s debuts. That injection of youth could be important to a squad that has done everything other than win in Hoong Kong.
2024 Hong Kong 7s: Pool Stages
I like France to pip Fiji to the top spot in this pool. Dupot is not in the squad for this one, but Michael Hooper will make his much-anticipated 7s debut for Australia. Could he be enough to inspire them to a pool win?
Was LA a blip, or is the shine off of Argentina? New Zealand might be worth the pick here.
South Africa were humbled last time out. The hope is that they are trying to peak at the right time for the Olympics. They have a group they should win as they avoid all the bigger guns (historically).
