2008-09 IRB Sevens World Series

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The 2008–09 IRB Sevens World Series was the tenth of an annual series of rugby union sevens tournaments for full national sides run by the International Rugby Board since 1999–2000. South Africa clinched the 2008-09 World Series on Day 1 of the Edinburgh Sevens, its first Series title. The defending series champions were New Zealand, who won the 2007–08 series by winning the season's first 5 tournaments. New Zealand won the 2007–08 series with one tournament remaining after winning the Plate Final of the London leg.[1]

Sevens is a stripped-down version of rugby union, with seven players on each side rather than fifteen. Games are much shorter, seven or ten minutes each half, and tend to be very fast-paced. Sevens is traditionally played in a two-day tournament format. However, the most famous event, the Hong Kong Sevens, is played over three days, largely because it involves 24 teams instead of the normal 16. Starting in 2008–09, the Australia leg (which involves the normal 16 teams) was spread out over a three-day period.

The series' tournaments are identical to 2007–2008 and span the globe:

2008-09 Itinerary[1]
Leg Venue Date Winner
Dubai The Sevens[2] November 28–29, 2008 22x20px South Africa
South Africa Outeniqua Park, George December 5–6, 2008 22x20px South Africa
New Zealand Westpac Stadium, Wellington February 6–7, 2009 22x20px England
United States PETCO Park, San Diego, California February 14–15, 2009 22x20px Argentina
Hong Kong Hong Kong Stadium March 27–29, 2009 22x20px Fiji
Australia Adelaide Oval, Adelaide April 3–5, 2009 22x20px South Africa
London Twickenham May 23–24, 2009 22x20px England
Scotland Murrayfield, Edinburgh May 30–31, 2009 22x20px Fiji

The 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens is not a part of the 2008-09 series. Unlike the 2005 edition held in Hong Kong, the 2009 edition did not replace one of the 2008-09 series events. The World Cup was held in Dubai from March 5–7, 2009 and won by Wales.

Core teams[edit | edit source]

Prior to the season, the IRB announced the 12 "core teams" that would receive guaranteed berths in each event in the 2008–09 series:[3]

The one new core team was the USA, which replaced its neighbor Canada.[3]

Points schedule[edit | edit source]

The season championship is determined by points earned in each tournament. For most events, points are awarded on the following schedule:[4]

  • Cup winner (1st place): 20 points
  • Cup runner-up (2nd place): 16 points
  • Losing Cup semifinalists (3rd & 4th place): 12 points
  • Plate winner (5th place): 8 points
  • Plate runner-up (6th place): 6 points
  • Losing Plate semifinalists (7th & 8th place): 4 points
  • Bowl winner (9th place): 2 points

Points are awarded on a different schedule for the Hong Kong Sevens:[4]

  • Cup winner (1st place): 30 points
  • Cup runner-up (2nd place): 24 points
  • Losing Cup semifinalists (3rd & 4th place): 18 points
  • Losing Cup quarterfinalists (5th, 6th, 7th & 8th place): 8 points
  • Plate winner (9th place): 4 points
  • Plate runner-up (10th place): 3 points
  • Losing Plate semifinalists (11th & 12th place): 2 points
  • Bowl winner (17th place): 1 point

Tournament structure[edit | edit source]

In all tournaments except Hong Kong, 16 teams participate. Due to its place as the sports most prestigious annual event, the Hong Kong tournament as 24 teams. In each tournament, the teams are divided into pools of four teams, who play a round-robin within the pool. Points are awarded in each pool on a different schedule from most rugby tournaments—3 for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 for a loss. The first tiebreaker is the head-to-head result between the tied teams, followed by difference in points scored during the tournament.[5]

Four trophies are awarded in each tournament, except for Hong Kong. In descending order of prestige, they are the Cup, whose winner is the overall tournament champion, Plate, Bowl and Shield. In Hong Kong, the Shield is not awarded. Each trophy is awarded at the end of a knockout tournament.[4]

In a 16 team tournament, the top two teams in each pool advance to the Cup competition. The four quarterfinal losers drop into the bracket for the Plate. The Bowl is contested by the third-place finishers in each pool, while the Shield is contested by the last-place teams from each pool.[5] In Hong Kong, the six pool winners, plus the two highest-finishing second-place teams, advance to the Cup. The Plate participants are the eight highest-ranked teams remaining, while the lowest eight drop to the Bowl.[6]

Statistics[edit | edit source]

Table[edit | edit source]

2008-09 Standings[7]
Pos. Country Dubai South Africa
(George)
New Zealand
(Wellington)
USA
(San Diego)
Hong Kong Australia
(Adelaide)
England
(London)
Scotland
(Edinburgh)
Overall
1 22x20px South Africa 20 20 8 12 24 20 12 16 132
2 22x20px Fiji 12 12 4 4 30 12 8 20 102
3 22x20px England 16 8 20 16 8 8 20 2 98
4 22x20px New Zealand 12 16 16 8 8 4 16 8 88
5 22x20px Argentina 4 12 12 20 8 12 0 0 68
6 22x20px Kenya 6 0 12 6 18 16 2 4 64
7 22x20px Samoa 8 4 0 4 18 2 0 4 40
8 22x20px Australia 4 0 0 2 8 6 4 6 30
9= 22x20px Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 12 24
9= 22x20px Wales 0 0 6 0 2 4 0 12 24
11 22x20px United States 0 4 4 12 0 0 0 0 20
12 22x20px Portugal 2 6 - - 1 0 6 0 15
13 22x20px France 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 0 8
14 22x20px Tonga - - 0 - 4 0 - - 4
15 22x20px Canada - - 0 0 3 - 0 0 3
16 22x20px Cook Islands - - 2 - - 0 - - 2
17= 22x20px Zimbabwe 0 0 - - 0 - - - 0
17= 22x20px Japan - - - 0 0 0 - - 0
17= 23x15px Arabian Gulf 0 - - - - - - - 0
17= 22x20px Georgia 0 0 - - - - 0 0 0
17= 22x20px Germany - - - - - - 0 - 0
17= 22x20px Niue - - 0 - - - - - 0
17= 22x20px Mexico - - - 0 - - - - 0
17= 22x20px Tunisia - 0 - - - - - - 0
17= 22x20px Uruguay - - - 0 0 - - - 0
17= 22x20px West Indies - - - - 0 - - - 0
17= 22x20px Hong Kong - - - - 0 - - - 0
17= 22x20px China - - - - 0 - - - 0
17= 22x20px Sri Lanka - - - - 0 - - - 0
17= 22x20px Chinese Taipei - - - - 0 - - - 0
17= 22x20px South Korea - - - - 0 - - - 0
17= 22x20px Spain - - - - - - - 0 0

Individual points[edit | edit source]

Individual points [8]
Pos. Player Country Points
1 Ben Gollings 22x20px England 260
2 Collins Injera 22x20px Kenya 210
3 Richard Kingi 22x20px Australia 205
4 Renfred Dazel 22x20px South Africa 191
5 Lolo Lui 22x20px Samoa 187
6 Tomasi Cama 22x20px New Zealand 174
7 Pedro Leal 22x20px Portugal 168
8 Lavin Asego 22x20px Kenya 166
9 Paul Albaladejo 22x20px France 165
=10 Ollie Phillips 22x20px England 161
=10 Mzwandile Stick 22x20px South Africa 161

Individual tries[edit | edit source]

Individual tries [9]
Pos. Player Country Tries
1 Collins Injera 22x20px Kenya 42
2= Rayno Benjamin 22x20px South Africa 28
2= Santiago Gomez Cora 22x20px Argentina 28
4 Luke Morahan 22x20px Australia 27
5 Vereniki Goneva 22x20px Fiji 24
6 Ollie Phillips 22x20px England 23
7= Alafoti Fa'osiliva 22x20px Samoa 22
7= Renfred Dazel 22x20px South Africa 22
7= Robert Ebersohn 22x20px South Africa 22
7= Pio Tuwai 22x20px Fiji 22
7= Vuyo Zangqa 22x20px South Africa 22

Tournaments[edit | edit source]

Dubai[edit | edit source]

Main article: 2008 Dubai Sevens
Event Winners Score Finalists Semi Finalists
Cup 22x20px South Africa 19 - 12 22x20px England 22x20px New Zealand
22x20px Fiji
Plate 22x20px Samoa 12 - 7 22x20px Kenya 22x20px Argentina
22x20px Australia
Bowl 22x20px Portugal 24 - 0 22x20px France 22x20px Wales
22x20px Zimbabwe
Shield 22x20px United States 31 - 7 23x15px Arabian Gulf 22x20px Georgia
22x20px Scotland

South Africa[edit | edit source]

Main article: 2008 South Africa Sevens
Event Winners Score Finalists Semi Finalists
Cup 22x20px South Africa 12 - 7 22x20px New Zealand 22x20px Argentina
22x20px Fiji
Plate 22x20px England 24 - 7 22x20px Portugal 22x20px Samoa
22x20px United States
Bowl 22x20px France 21 - 12 22x20px Australia 22x20px Kenya
22x20px Wales
Shield 22x20px Zimbabwe 26 - 0 22x20px Scotland 22x20px Georgia
22x20px Tunisia

New Zealand[edit | edit source]

Main article: 2009 Wellington Sevens
Event Winners Score Finalists Semi Finalists
Cup 22x20px England 19 - 17 22x20px New Zealand 22x20px Argentina
22x20px Kenya
Plate 22x20px South Africa 26 - 12 22x20px Wales 22x20px Fiji
22x20px United States
Bowl 22x20px Cook Islands 24 - 10 22x20px Tonga 22x20px France
22x20px Australia
Shield 22x20px Scotland 24 - 0 22x20px Niue 22x20px Samoa
22x20px Canada

USA[edit | edit source]

Main article: 2009 USA Sevens
Event Winners Score Finalists Semi Finalists
Cup 22x20px Argentina 19 - 14 22x20px England 22x20px South Africa
22x20px United States
Plate 22x20px New Zealand 22 - 7 22x20px Kenya 22x20px Fiji
22x20px Samoa
Bowl 22x20px Australia 40 - 0 22x20px France 22x20px Scotland
22x20px Wales
Shield 22x20px Canada 31 - 7 22x20px Uruguay 22x20px Mexico
22x20px Japan

Hong Kong[edit | edit source]

Main article: 2009 Hong Kong Sevens
Event Winners Score Finalists Semi Finalists Quarter Finalists
Cup 22x20px Fiji 26 - 24 22x20px South Africa 22x20px Kenya
22x20px Samoa
22x20px England
22x20px New Zealand
22x20px Argentina
22x20px Australia
Plate 22x20px Tonga 14 - 12 22x20px Canada 22x20px Wales
22x20px France
22x20px United States
22x20px Hong Kong
22x20px Scotland
22x20px South Korea
Bowl 22x20px Portugal 14 - 12 22x20px Uruguay 22x20px Zimbabwe
22x20px Japan
22x20px Chinese Taipei
22x20px West Indies
22x20px China
22x20px Sri Lanka

Australia[edit | edit source]

Main article: 2009 Adelaide Sevens
Event Winners Score Finalists Semi Finalists
Cup 22x20px South Africa 26 - 7 22x20px Kenya 22x20px Argentina
22x20px Fiji
Plate 22x20px England 24 - 19 22x20px Australia 22x20px Wales
22x20px New Zealand
Bowl 22x20px Samoa 35 - 14 22x20px France 22x20px Tonga
22x20px Cook Islands
Shield 22x20px United States 24 - 21 22x20px Scotland 22x20px Japan
22x20px Portugal

London[edit | edit source]

Main article: 2009 London Sevens
Event Winners Score Finalists Semi Finalists
Cup 22x20px England 31 - 26 22x20px New Zealand 22x20px Scotland
22x20px South Africa
Plate 22x20px Fiji 24 - 10 22x20px Portugal 22x20px France
22x20px Australia
Bowl 22x20px Kenya 12 - 7 22x20px Wales 22x20px Samoa
22x20px Argentina
Shield 22x20px Canada 27 - 7 22x20px United States 22x20px Germany
22x20px Georgia

Scotland[edit | edit source]

Main article: 2009 Edinburgh Sevens
Event Winners Score Finalists Semi Finalists
Cup 22x20px Fiji 20 - 19 22x20px South Africa 22x20px Scotland
22x20px Wales
Plate 22x20px New Zealand 34 - 12 22x20px Australia 22x20px Samoa
22x20px Kenya
Bowl 22x20px England 26 - 15 22x20px France 22x20px Argentina
22x20px Portugal
Shield 22x20px United States 12 - 10 22x20px Canada 22x20px Georgia
22x20px Spain

References[edit | edit source]

  1. "IRB Sevens World Series 2008-09 (Referee) Selections" (PDF). International Rugby Board. 2008-09-01. http://www.irb.com/mm/document/newsmedia/0/080901ccirbsevensworldseries2008-2009selections_6135.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
  2. "Emirates unveils Dubai venue 'The Sevens'". International Rugby Board. 2008-07-02. http://www.irb.com/rwcsevens/news/newsid=2025888.html#emirates+unveils+dubai+venue+the+sevens. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 International Rugby Board (2008-09-22). USA Rugby receives major Sevens boost. Press release. Retrieved on 2009-03-05.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Rules". International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. http://www.irb.com/irbsevens/rules/index.html. Retrieved 2008-04-04. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Rules: 16-Team Tournament". International Rugby Board. 2007. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. http://www.irb.com/irbsevens/rules/rules16.html. Retrieved 2008-04-04. 
  6. "Rules: 24-Team Tournament". International Rugby Board. 2007. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. http://www.irb.com/irbsevens/rules/rules24.html. Retrieved 2008-04-04. 
  7. "Overall Standings". International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. http://www.irb.com/irbsevens/standings.html. Retrieved 2008-12-07. 
  8. "Season Player Points". International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. http://www.irb.com/irbsevens/statistics/pointdetails.html. Retrieved 2008-12-07. 
  9. "Season Player Tries". International Rugby Board. http://www.irb.com/irbsevens/statistics/triesdetails.html. Retrieved 2008-12-07. 

External links[edit | edit source]

V T E IRB Sevens World Series
2013-14 events 2013 Gold Coast Sevens | 2013 Dubai Sevens | 2013 South Africa Sevens | 2014 USA Sevens | 2014 Wellington Sevens | 2014 Japan Sevens | 2014 Hong Kong Sevens | 2014 Scotland Sevens | 2014 London Sevens
Current Stadiums Robina Stadium | The Sevens | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | Sam Boyd Stadium | Westpac Stadium | Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium | Hong Kong Stadium | Scotstoun Stadium | Twickenham Stadium
Former events Paris Sevens | Singapore Sevens | Shanghai Sevens | Tokyo Sevens | Mar Del Plata Sevens | Punta Del Este Sevens | Kuala Lumpur Sevens | Fiji Sevens
Seasons 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14