2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...

was the 12th annual series of rugby union sevens tournaments for full national sides run by the International Rugby Board

International Rugby Board

The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...

since 1999–2000.

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

Hong Kong Sevens

The Hong Kong Sevens is considered the premier tournament on the IRB Sevens World Series in rugby sevens—a variant of rugby union....

, was played over three days, largely because it involved 24 teams instead of the normal 16.

Itinerary

The IRB announced dates for the 2010–11 events on 1 June 2010, only two days after the final event of the 2009–10 series, the Edinburgh Sevens

2010 Edinburgh Sevens

The Edinburgh Sevens was a rugby union sevens tournament, the eighth and final Cup tournament in the 2009–10 IRB Sevens World Series. The 2010 competition was held at Murrayfield Stadium between May 29 and May 30.-Format:...

. The stops remained unchanged from recent years; the only scheduling change for 2010–11 was that the Adelaide event, which moved from its traditional slot of one week after Hong Kong to one week before in 2010, returned to its prior slot for 2011.

This was the last season for the South Africa leg in George and the Australia leg in Adelaide. On 13 April 2011, both countries' national unions announced that their respective legs of the series would move to new sites for 2011–12. The South Africa Sevens will move to Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a 48,000-seater stadium in Port Elizabeth.The five-tier, R2 billion Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was built overlooking the North End Lake, at the heart of the city. It is one of three coastal stadiums built in anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It regularly hosts...

in Port Elizabeth. The Australia leg will move to Skilled Park in the Gold Coast

Gold Coast, Queensland

Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

Dubai 2010 Dubai Sevens The Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens was played annually as part of the IRB Sevens World Series for international rugby sevens . The 2010 competition was held on December 3 and December 4 at The Sevens....	The Sevens The Sevens (stadium) The Sevens, also written as "7he Sevens", is a purpose-built rugby sevens stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.It was the venue for the first HSBC A5N Youth Rugby Festival in February 2009.-External links:* * *...	3–4 December 2010	>-	South Africa 2010 South Africa Sevens The South Africa Sevens was played annually as part of the IRB Sevens World Series for international rugby sevens . The 2010 competition was held on December 10 and December 11 at Outeniqua Park in George, Western Cape...	Outeniqua Park Outeniqua Park Outeniqua Park is a multi-purpose stadium in George, South Africa. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches and was the home stadium of the South African leg of the IRB Sevens World Series from 2001 through 2010, after which it moved to Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.The... , George George, Western Cape George is a city with 203,253 inhabitants in South Africa's Western Cape province. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre and the administrative and commercial hub of the Garden Route.- Location :...	10–11 December 2010	>-	New Zealand 2011 Wellington Sevens The Wellington Sevens is played annually as part of the IRB Sevens World Series for international rugby sevens . The 2011 competition was held on February 4 and February 5 at Westpac Stadium....	Westpac Stadium Westpac Stadium Westpac Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape and silver coloured external walls, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin to the locals and other New Zealanders... , Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...	4–5 February 2011	>-	United States 2011 USA Sevens The USA Sevens is played annually as part of the IRB Sevens World Series for international rugby sevens . The 2011 competition was held on February 12 and February 13 at Sam Boyd Stadium in the Las Vegas suburb of Whitney, Nevada.It was the fourth of eight events in the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World...	Sam Boyd Stadium Sam Boyd Stadium Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; the mailing address of the stadium is "Las Vegas". The stadium is named after Sam Boyd, a major figure in the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consists... , Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...	12–13 February 2011	>-	Hong Kong 2011 Hong Kong Sevens The 2011 Hong Kong Sevens was a seven-a-side rugby union tournament, part of the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series. The competition was being held from 25–27 March in at Hong Kong Stadium in Hong Kong and featured 24 teams.- Teams :...	Hong Kong Stadium Hong Kong Stadium Hong Kong Stadium is the main sports venue of Hong Kong. Redeveloped from the old Government Stadium it reincarnated as Hong Kong Stadium in 1994...	25–27 March 2011	>-	Australia 2011 Adelaide Sevens The 2011 Adelaide Sevens was a rugby union sevens tournament, part of the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series. The competition was held from 2–3 April at Adelaide Oval in Australia and featured 16 teams....	Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide... , Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...	2–3 April 2011	>-	London 2011 London Sevens The 2011 London Sevens was a rugby union sevens tournament, part of the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series. The competition was held from May 21–22 at Twickenham Stadium in England and featured 16 teams....	Twickenham Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...	21–22 May 2011	>-	Edinburgh 2011 Edinburgh Sevens The 2011 Edinburgh Sevens was a rugby union sevens tournament, part of the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series. The competition was held from May 28–29 at Murrayfield Stadium in Scotland and featured 16 teams.- Format :...	Murrayfield Murrayfield Stadium Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one... , Edinburgh Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...	28–29 May 2011

Core teams

Before each season, the IRB announces the 12 "core teams" that received guaranteed berths in each event in that season's series. The core teams for 2010–11 were:

The core teams were unchanged from 2009–10.

Points schedule

The season championship was determined by points earned in each tournament. The points allocations for all events were identical to those in the 2009–10 series, reflecting changes that the IRB made starting with that season:

16-team events (all except for Hong Kong)

Cup winner (1st place): 24 points
Cup runner-up: 20 points
Losing Cup semifinalists: 16 points
Plate winner (5th place): 12 points
Plate runner-up: 8 points
Losing Plate semifinalists: 6 points
Bowl winner (9th place): 4 points

24-team event (Hong Kong)

Cup winner: 30 points
Cup runner-up: 25 points
Losing Cup semifinalists: 20 points
Plate winner (5th place): 16 points
Plate runner-up: 10 points
Losing Plate semifinalists: 8 points
Bowl winner (9th place): 5 points

Tournament structure

In all tournaments except Hong Kong, 16 teams participated. Due to its place as the sport's most prestigious annual event, the Hong Kong tournament had 24 teams. In each 16-team tournament, the teams were divided into pools of four teams, who played a round-robin within the pool. Points were 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 was the head-to-head result between the tied teams, followed by difference in points scored during the tournament.

Four trophies were awarded in each tournament. In descending order of prestige, they were the Cup, whose winner was the overall tournament champion, Plate, Bowl and Shield. The Shield was contested in Hong Kong for the first time in 2010. Each trophy was awarded at the end of a knockout tournament.

In a 16-team tournament, the top two teams in each pool advanced to the Cup competition. The four quarterfinal losers dropped into the bracket for the Plate. The Bowl was contested by the third- and fourth-place finishers in each pool, with the losers in the Bowl quarterfinals dropping into the bracket for the Shield.

The Hong Kong Sevens adopted a new structure effective with its 2010 edition. As in previous years, the 24 teams were divided into six pools of four teams each, with the competition points system and tiebreakers identical to those for a 16-team event. Also as in the past, the six pool winners and the two top second-place finishers advanced to the Cup competition.

The Plate competition was contested by the losing quarterfinalists from the Cup, as in all other events in the series.
The Bowl was contested by the four remaining second-place finishers and the top four third-place finishers.
The Shield was contested by the remaining eight entrants.

Table

2010–11 Standings
Pos.	Country	Dubai	South Africa (George)	New Zealand (Wellington)	USA (Las Vegas)	Hong Kong	Australia (Adelaide)	England (London)	Scotland (Edinburgh)	Overall
1		16	24	24	16	30	24	16	16	166
2		12	12	8	24	16	20	24	24	140
3		24	20	20	16	25	16	0	6	127
4		16	16	12	20	20	6	20	12	122
5		20	16	16	12	20	16	12	8	120
6		8	6	16	6	10	6	8	20	80
7		6	6	6	0	0	12	16	16	62
8		4	8	6	6	0	8	6	0	38
9		0	0	4	8	0	0	0	4	16
10-tie		0	4	0	4	0	0	4	0	12
10-tie		0	0	0	0	0	0	6	6	12
12		6	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	10
13-tie		0	0	0	0	8	0	0	0	8
13-tie		0	0	0	0	8	0	0	0	8
15		0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	5

Individual points

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Pos.	Player	Points
1	Cecil Afrika Cecil Afrika Cecil Afrika is a South African rugby union player. He is currently part of the South African sevens team where he plays at Flyhalf.-Career:Afrika represented the South African Schoolboys in 2006...	381
2	Tomasi Cama Junior Tomasi Cama Tomasi Cama is a New Zealand Rugby union player. He plays for Manawatu Turbos in the Air New Zealand Cup, and has also been included in the New Zealand Sevens team. He is the son of former Fiji sevens great Tomasi Cama.-Early career:...	299
3	Ben Gollings Ben Gollings Ben Gollings is a rugby union footballer who plays fly-half for Rugby Lions and formerly for England Sevens.-Career:...	278
4	Hamish Angus	240
5	Andrew Skeen	201
6	Emosi Vucago Emosi Vucago Ratu Emosi Vucago is a Fiji Rugby union player. He plays as a half-back in the Fifteens man-code and also as a halfback/fly-half in the Sevens code He has also been part Fiji Sevens team since the Wellington leg in 2007...	195
7	Bernard Foley	123
8	Frank Halai	175
9	Dan Norton	164
10	Gonzalo Gutierrez Taboada	159

Individual tries

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>

Pos.	Player	Tries
1	Cecil Afrika	40
2	Frank Halai	35
3	Dan Norton	32
4	Humphrey Kayange Humphrey Kayange Humphrey Kayange is a Kenyan rugby union player. Kayange is well known within the rugby sevens community, as he has produced some of the best performances for the Kenya national sevens side. He is the captain of the team.-Career:...	31
5-tie	Seremaia Burotu	29
5-tie	Collins Injera Collins Injera Collins Injera is a rugby player from Kenya. He is known for his achievements with Kenyan national rugby sevens team.- Career :...	29
7	Toby Arnold	27
8-tie	Bernard Foley	26
8-tie	Declan O'Donnell Declan O'Donnell Declan O'Donnell, from Waikato, is a New Zealand international rugby sevens player who made his World Series debut in the 2010–11 season. He became an overnight sensation after he scored three tries for New Zealand during the final of the 2011 Wellington Sevens against England.-Biography:O'Donnell...	26

Dubai

Event	Winners	Score	Finalists	Semi Finalists
Cup		29 – 21
Plate		19 – 12
Bowl		21 – 0
Shield		26 – 0

South Africa

Event	Winners	Score	Finalists	Semi Finalists
Cup		22 – 19
Plate		10 – 5
Bowl		26 – 0
Shield		14 – 5

New Zealand

Event	Winners	Score	Finalists	Semi Finalists
Cup		29 – 14
Plate		26 – 12
Bowl		19 – 0
Shield		19 – 12

USA

Event	Winners	Score	Finalists	Semi Finalists
Cup		24 – 14
Plate		26 – 15
Bowl		19 – 14
Shield		19 – 12

Hong Kong

Event	Winners	Score	Finalists	Semi Finalists	Quarter Finalists
Cup		29 – 17
Plate		26 – 19
Bowl		35 – 12
Shield		17 – 12

Australia

Event	Winners	Score	Finalists	Semi Finalists
Cup		28 – 20
Plate		14 – 7
Bowl		17 – 10
Shield		22 – 5

England

Event	Winners	Score	Finalists	Semi Finalists
Cup		24 – 14
Plate		22 – 12
Bowl		21 – 19
Shield		22 – 7

Scotland

Event	Winners	Score	Finalists	Semi Finalists
Cup		36 – 35
Plate		26 – 14
Bowl		21 – 14
Shield		17 – 12

External links

IRB Sevens

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