Rugby sevens circuit set for revamp as Hong Kong await fate, USA player hits out
Global chiefs poised to announce latest restructuring, but USA’s Stephen Tomasin accuses them of moving goalposts
World Rugby plans to slash the number of teams in the elite global sevens series to just eight, all but ending Hong Kong’s slim hopes of ever joining the top tier of the game.
In a radical overhaul of the sport, rugby bosses were on Thursday understood to have created a second division of six teams to play in three tournaments, starting in the 2025-26 season and reportedly staying in place until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The switch would come just two years after officials cut the number of teams from 16 to 12, while combining the men’s and women’s competitions, saying that move was to bring the sport in line with the Olympic format.
Before officials made an official announcement, USA player Stephen Tomasin revealed the restructure in an emotional Instagram video on Thursday.
The 30-year-old, who said it meant “the Olympic format obviously doesn’t matter”, added that he was speaking out because “World Rugby doesn’t seem to want to put out any information about what’s going on right now”.
“The worst part about it all, it wasn’t like we learned about it this season, and they are going to implement it next season,” he said. “The teams found out that things were going to change in January, and that this was going to be the way things were going in March.”