The Kenya Lionesses, fresh off their historic first-ever international tournament victory, have been seeded top for the second leg of the 2025 Challenger Series, set to take place next weekend at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.
The Lionesses, who triumphed over Argentina with a thrilling 17-12 win in the final to claim the title in the opening leg of the series, have been pooled alongside Uganda and Belgium in Pool A for the upcoming event.
Pool B will feature Argentina, Czechia, and Hong Kong China, while Pool C consists of South Africa, Poland, and Samoa. The remaining teams in the women’s competition are Colombia, Thailand, and Mexico, who complete the final pool.
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On the men’s side, Chile is seeded top alongside Japan and Hong Kong China in Pool A. Canada, Uganda, and Tonga make up Pool B, while Pool C includes Germany, Madagascar, and Georgia. Samoa, Portugal, and Brazil round out the men’s pools.
The Challenger Series will feature back-to-back events in Cape Town, with the top eight men’s and women’s teams advancing to the final tournament at Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow, Poland, on 11-12 April.
The four men’s and women’s teams with the most cumulative points across all three Challenger rounds will secure a spot in the HSBC SVNS Play-Offs in Los Angeles on 3-4 May. There, they will compete against the bottom four ranked teams from the HSBC SVNS 2025 in a high-stakes promotion and relegation tournament, where four coveted spots in future SVNS events will be up for grabs.
World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 dates:
Cape Town, South Africa | 1-2 March
Cape Town, South Africa | 7-8 March
Krakow, Poland | 11-12 April
Los Angeles, USA | 3-4 May
World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 dates:
Pool A: Chile, Japan, Hong Kong China
Pool B: Canada, Uganda, Tonga
Pool C: Germany, Madagascar, Georgia
Pool D: Samoa, Portugal, Brazil
Pool A: Kenya Lionesses, Uganda, Belgium
Pool B: Argentina, Czechia, Hong Kong China,
Pool C: South Africa, Poland, Samoa
Pool D: Colombia, Thailand, Mexico
