Dubai and Cape Town Sevens cancelled

Covid has claimed another two major tournaments with the cancellation of the start of the Sevens Series. 

Events planned for Dubai and Cape Town in late November and early December will not now go ahead, with organisers forced to make the decision due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

It follows the cancellation of tournaments in Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Paris and Langford, Canada at the end of the 2020 season. 

International Rugby Players Head of Legal and Player Welfare David Quinlan said: “Players are again disappointed to see two more major tournaments cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but these decisions are made for the right reasons.

“This is a tough time for our members with cuts being made to a number of Sevens programmes and an uncertain time ahead.

“We’re working with our player reps, World Rugby and other stakeholders through the Sevens Format Working Group to ensure that we get as meaningful and complete a schedule in place for this coming season as possible.”

New Zealand were awarded both the women’s and men’s titles for the 2020 Series after finishing top of the standings before the pandemic interrupted the Series with five of the eight women’s rounds and six of the ten men’s rounds successfully completed.