The new Asia Rugby Sevens Series (ARSS) 2024 kicks off with the first leg taking place in Korea this weekend. The regional premier national Sevens Series returns to a three-leg format this season with teams chasing World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 qualification and the right to be Asian champions.

Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2024 - What You Need To Know

The Asia Rugby Sevens Series format sees the top 8 men’s and women’s national teams compete across three legs in 2024 (with each leg played across two days). 

Hong Kong China Men were runners-up in last season's ARSS, which was a reduced two-leg format, with Japan the defending champions. The top two sides of the ARSS 2024 Men’s competition will qualify for the HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025.

Hong Kong China Women came in third last season, with Japan edging China to the title, thanks in part to our girls beating the Chinese women in the second leg. As both Japan and China have qualified for the SVNS Series 2024-2025, the top two women’s sides in the ARSS 2024 (apart from the SVNS qualified teams) will earn qualification to the HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025.

The bottom-placed teams from the women and men at the end of the ARSS 2024 will be relegated to the Trophy Series in 2025, while the winners of that competition this year earn promotion to ARSS 2025.

The newcomers this season are the Thailand Men and UAE Women who won the Asia Rugby Trophy Series last season.

One change for this season is that ARSS squads can travel with 13 members, but only 12 can be confirmed for each match.

Hong Kong China Squads - Korea 7s 2024

Head Coach of the Hong Kong China 7s programme Paul John is thrilled at the opportunities for our teams competing across all fronts.

“Three, four years ago, we had nothing on because of COVID. Now we have the Asia Rugby Sevens Series, World Cup qualifiers (XVs men and women), National Games, Asian Games, Olympic Qualifiers and the Challenger Series. We should be excited about what's coming up, and if you're a player, you should be thinking about these great opportunities. Even those at a junior level would be thinking, ‘Oh, Hong Kong looks like a good place to play rugby.’ That's what we want. Everyone's excited at the moment.”

John confirmed that most players have been back now for about a month in training as there were staggered returns from those involved in various tours and tournaments last season, and that everyone was collectively refreshed and energised for the season ahead.

He was pleased with how the coaches across all forms of the game at HKCR are working well to ensure they can achieve the best results, and across Sevens, coaches can transfer between both programs so that everyone learns from each other.

Hong Kong China has already announced two strong squads for the first Korea 7s leg which will be played at the Namdong Incheon Asiad Rugby Stadium from 7-8 September (view squad)

Hong Kong China Women’s Sevens

Natasha Olson-Thorne returns to lead the Hong Kong China Women's 7s side as captain. The ever-present talisman earned her 50th cap for the representative side last season in what has been a remarkable XVs and 7s career for Hong Kong China. 

In the build-up to the first leg, Paul John talked of a squad with a great blend of experience and youth who will be targeting a top-three finish this campaign (which would likely be enough to qualify for the Challenger Series). 

Women’s 7s Head Coach Andy Vilk did a great job in his first season, and the coaching and management collective has been working hard to ensure that there are contingencies in place while also identifying the talent pool for the women in particular. 

Paul John said, “We want to do the best that we can in the Asia Rugby Sevens Series and the first leg is always very important because you need to get off to a good start. We're all just trying to work together, and it's been working really well in trying to get the best out of everybody. 

“Andy did an excellent job at the end of last season trying to expand the squad, and we managed to get a good few players out of that, as we had a few players debut in Poland (at the final Challenger Sevens event). The players are fully aware of what we are working towards and it's been planned very well.”

There is one potential debutant in the women’s squad in the first leg – Grace Hood. 

John said of her selection, “She played for the national representative U20s and XVs team a few years ago, and then she went to University in the UK. She has been playing for us in the Super Sevens Series tournaments in the UK and she played really well in those. She's come back to live in Hong Kong and play rugby here, and she's done well to force herself into selection for the first series leg.”

He added that it demonstrated a good story of someone who's played for Hong Kong China before and made the decision to come back and give rugby in Hong Kong another go.

This season, former GB Sevens captain Robbie Fergusson will be assisting across the HKCR sevens programmes, and travelling as Coach with the women’s squad for competitions (read full story).

Paul John said of having Robbie on board, “Having somebody join us coming out of the top tier of the modern game with his knowledge, and who is clearly still capable of playing at that level because he played really well for GB in Monaco at the Olympic Repechage, is great for us. 

“He has just added his experience of the modern game, and he's very good with both groups of players so everybody can benefit from his experience. He's landed on his feet running, and is clearly enjoying being part of it.”

Opposition coaches of some of the leading ARSS women’s contenders have also seen coaching changes this season, with Japan and Thailand appointing new Head Coaches, while China has come off a strong season.

The second leg of the ARSS 2024 in Hangzhou, China will see several core women’s 7s members unavailable as they represent HKCR at WXV3 in Dubai to try and earn a Rugby World Cup 2025 spot, but all players should be available again for the final leg in Bangkok.

Hong Kong China Men’s Sevens

The Hong Kong China Men’s 7s team still has the hard-working Jevon Groves at the helm as Head Coach with Peter Jericevich (PJ) travelling with the squad as Coach – as they target a top-two finish and a spot on the Challenger Series next year.

James Christie has been announced as the new captain, of which the local resident and player who grew up playing the sport in Hong Kong said, “This is a huge honour and a privilege for me. To be asked to captain my representative region means a lot, and there is so much on the horizon for the team.… The Challenger is a tournament we always have our eye on, we have a strong team now who’ve had a well-deserved break” (read full story).

Christie heads to Korea with a terrific squad which includes core members that have represented the team so well at ARSS, Asian Games, and Olympic Qualifiers over recent years. 

One potential debutant in the squad is Matteo Avitabile, who also earned his first senior XVs cap this season.

Paul John explained, “Matteo is another example of someone we have stayed in touch with and he has returned to Hong Kong. He also played for us in the Super Seven Series in the UK. Since he's been back, he's trained extremely well with both programs (fifteens and sevens), he's fitted in really well and everybody's been impressed with how he's played. For us, he could play anywhere, across the forwards and also as a halfback or centre. So he thoroughly deserves his place.”

John added, “You can't rest on your laurels at all in these competitive tournaments. China, we had a few training camps with them and they are always capable, the same as the UAE, while Korea will be tough, and Japan are always at the top of the game.”

You can stay up to date on Hong Kong Sevens social media, and RugbyPass TV throughout the Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2024.

This article was posted in collaboration with our good friends at RugbyAsia247 – check them out for all the latest Asia Rugby news!