2002–03 IRB Sevens World Series
| 2002–03 IRB Sevens | |
|---|---|
| Series IV | |
| Hosts | |
| Nations | 34 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | New Zealand |
| Runners-up | England |
| Third | Fiji |
← 2001–02 2003–04 → | |
The 2002–03 Sevens World Series was the fourth edition of the global circuit for men's national rugby sevens teams, organised by the International Rugby Board. The season ran from 5th December 2002 to 7th June 2003 and was played out over a series of only seven tournaments. A further three tournaments had originally been scheduled but were cancelled due to concerns about the SARS virus. New Zealand won its fourth consecutive series, with England finishing as runner-up.
Itinerary
| Leg | Venue | Dates | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | Dubai Exiles Rugby Ground, Dubai | 6–7 December 2002 | New Zealand |
| South Africa | Outeniqua Park, George | 13–14 December 2002 | Fiji |
| Brisbane | Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane | 2–3 January 2003 | England |
| Wellington | Westpac Stadium, Wellington | 7–8 February 2003 | New Zealand |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong | 28–30 March 2003 | England |
| Beijing | Chaoyang Stadium, Beijing | 5–6 April 2003 | Cancelled |
| Singapore | National Stadium, Singapore | 26–27 April 2003 | Cancelled |
| Kuala Lumpur | MBPJ Stadium, Kuala Lumpur | 3–4 May 2003 | Cancelled |
| Cardiff | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | 6–7 June 2003 | South Africa |
| London | Twickenham Stadium, London | 14–15 June 2003 | England |
Due to concerns stemming from the spread of respiratory virus SARS, tournaments scheduled for China, Malaysia, and Singapore were cancelled.[1] Further concerns also resulted in two nations — Italy and France — forgoing the opportunity to compete at the Hong Kong Sevens.[2]
Final standings
The points awarded to teams at each event, as well as the overall season totals, are shown in the table below. Gold indicates the event champions. Silver indicates the event runner-ups. A zero (0) is recorded in the event column where a team played in a tournament but did not gain any points. A dash (–) is recorded in the event column if a team did not compete at a tournament.
| Pos. |
Event Team
|
Dubai |
George |
Brisbane |
Wellington |
Hong Kong |
Cardiff |
London |
Points total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 20 | 16 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 8 | 12 | 112 |
| 2 | England | 6 | 4 | 20 | 16 | 30 | 12 | 20 | 108 |
| 3 | Fiji | 8 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 16 | 94 |
| 4 | South Africa | 12 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 20 | 12 | 82 |
| 5 | Australia | 12 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 66 |
| 6 | Samoa | 16 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 58 |
| 7 | Argentina | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | – | 16 | 0 | 36 |
| 8 | France | 2 | 0 | 12 | 6 | – | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 9 | Wales | 4 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 10 | Kenya | 0 | 4 | – | – | 8 | – | – | 12 |
| 11 | Tonga | – | – | 2 | 0 | 8 | – | – | 10 |
| 12 | Canada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 13 | Scotland | – | – | – | – | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 14 | Georgia | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 4 |
| 15 | Italy | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 16 | South Korea | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | 2 |
| 17 | Cook Islands | – | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | – | 2 |
| 18 | Namibia | 0 | 2 | – | – | 0 | – | – | 2 |
| 19 | United States | – | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
Source: rugby7.com (archived)
Legend Gold Event Champions Silver Event Runner-ups Light blue line on the left indicates a core team eligible to participate in all events of the series.
Tournaments
Dubai
| Event | Winners | Score | Finalists | Semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | New Zealand | 36–0 | Samoa | South Africa Australia |
| Plate | Fiji | 29–5 | England | Argentina Wales |
| Bowl | France | 17–7 | Canada | Kenya Italy |
| Shield | Morocco | 31–22 | Namibia | Arabian Gulf Sri Lanka |
George
| Event | Winners | Score | Finalists | Semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | Fiji | 24–14 | New Zealand | South Africa Australia |
| Plate | Argentina | 27–7 | Samoa | England Kenya |
| Bowl | Namibia | 22–21 | France | Wales Canada |
| Shield | Italy | 43–17 | Zambia | Morocco Arabian Gulf |
Brisbane
| Event | Winners | Score | Finalists | Semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | England | 28–14 | Fiji | New Zealand France |
| Plate | Australia | 47–12 | Samoa | South Africa Argentina |
| Bowl | Tonga | 29–10 | United States | Canada Niue |
| Shield | Cook Islands | 29–14 | Papua New Guinea | Japan China |
Wellington
| Event | Winners | Score | Finalists | Semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | New Zealand | 38–26 | England | Fiji Australia |
| Plate | Samoa | 39–5 | France | South Africa Argentina |
| Bowl | Canada | 47–5 | Niue | United States Cook Islands |
| Shield | Tonga | 29–26 | Japan | Papua New Guinea China |
Hong Kong
| Event | Winners | Score | Finalists | Semi-finalists | Quarter-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | England | 22–17 | New Zealand | Fiji South Africa |
Australia Samoa Kenya Tonga |
| Plate | Canada | 19–14 | Scotland | Cook Islands South Korea |
Wales Namibia Chinese Taipei Hong Kong |
| Bowl | United States | 24–19 | Japan | China Russia |
Sri Lanka Singapore Malaysia Netherlands |
Cardiff
| Event | Winners | Score | Finalists | Semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | South Africa | 35–17 | Argentina | England Samoa |
| Plate | New Zealand | 34–14 | Australia | Fiji Wales |
| Bowl | Scotland | 35–14 | France | Canada Russia |
| Shield | Georgia | 24–12 | Italy | Portugal Spain |
London
| Event | Winners | Score | Finalists | Semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | England | 31–14 | Fiji | New Zealand South Africa |
| Plate | Australia | 40–14 | Wales | Georgia Italy |
| Bowl | Samoa | 44–5 | France | Scotland Portugal |
| Shield | Argentina | 36–12 | Canada | Russia Spain |
References
- ^ "SARS fear hits sports". The Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, IN. April 24, 2003. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "2 teams skip event over fears of mystery disease". The Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, IN. March 22, 2003. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
External links
- Official tournament site
- "2002-03 Season Overview". irb.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2013.