Cape Town will retain the hosting rights for the South African leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series until 2023, while including a women’s tournament from next season.

On Wednesday, it was announced that a women’s tournament would be added to the highly popular men’s Cape Town Sevens for the fifth edition of the tournament that will again take place in December this year.

It will be one of six combined men’s and women’s rounds from 2019 to 2023, with dual tournaments also set to take place in Dubai, Hamilton, Sydney, Hong Kong and Paris.

‘This is a wonderful addition to the already very successful Cape Town Sevens, and a massive boost for women’s rugby in South Africa,’ SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux commented.

‘We are constantly looking at ways of improving the fan experience, and I know many of our loyal supporters will be pleasantly surprised when they see the levels of skill and commitment shown by the women.

‘Apart from that, it will create another opportunity for Paul Delport and the Springbok Women’s Sevens team to play together in a tough tournament, but also to play in front of their family and friends, something that doesn’t happen often.’

Next season’s series will also lead to the Olympic Games that takes place from 27 July to 1 August in Tokyo, Japan. With the newly expanded women’s series, qualified teams will have more competitive playing opportunities as they prepare to participate at Tokyo 2020.

Photo: SA Rugby