World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 Leg 2 Pools – All On The Line To Qualify As A Top 8 Team

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger 2025 Leg 2 at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town will see the same participating teams involved from 7-8 March as they compete to try and secure a top-8 spot overall to qualify for the 3rd leg in Krakow. 

Feature Photo Credit – World Rugby – Thailand Women 7s

With only the top eight men’s and women’s teams progressing to the third round in Krakow from 11-12 April 2025, and then only the top four placed men’s and women’s teams securing their place in the high stakes HSBC SVNS Play-Off in Los Angeles on 3-4 May for an opportunity to gain promotion to the HSBC SVNS – every fixture in the second leg is high-stakes.

Everyone will be using their calculators to work out the permutations and with the relentless format of the pools – every game will be treated like a final.

World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 Leg 2 Pools

We will update this article with team news as they are made available.

Women’s Pools

Of the Asian-based teams, Thailand women are best placed following their 5th place finish and are in Pool D with Colombia who finished 4th overall and Mexico who were the lowest ranked side after the first leg – and who the Thais comfortably beat in pool play 41-0.

The team is on a high and the side’s top try scorer wants more in the second leg. Jirawan Chutrakun told us; “I really want this team to reach a final or top 4 finish and I think we can do that next weekend.”

Hong Kong China with a 10th place finish in the opening leg is in a tough pool B with leg 1 runners-up Argentina and 7th placed Czechia – they will need to target a win over the Europeans and hope to finish as high as possible in the 5-8 bracket.

Hong Kong China Women’s co-captain Natasha Olson-Thorne said: “We’re still driving for that top eight spot and we have to keep fighting and keep going and believing – bringing it back to basics of being quick, tackling, passing – we have everything to play for.”

Photo Credit – World Rugby – HKCR Women

Pool A

• Kenya
• Uganda
• Belgium

Pool B

• Argentina
• Czechia
• Hong Kong China

Pool C

• South Africa
• Poland
• Samoa

Pool D

• Colombia
• Thailand
• Mexico

Men’s Pools

As fate would have it, both Japan and HKCR men are pooled with the leg 1 champions, Chile, in Pool A. Unless either side can beat the log leaders, it is likely the pool match between the two Asian teams will determine one of them missing out on a top 8 finish unless other results go their way. They are scheduled to face each other first in the pool.

Photo Credit – World Rugby – Japan Men

Jevon Groves, Hong Kong China Men’s 7s Head Coach said that he had been disappointed with their performances after the opening leg, but added, “Hopefully we can go again next week because tournaments can change very quickly.

Japan Men’s 7s Head Coach Phil Greening told Rugby Asia 247, “I want the boys to be free and express themselves as I know when they do that, they are talented players.”

Photo Credit – World Rugby – HKCR Men

Pool A

• Chile
• Japan
• Hong Kong China

Pool B

• Canada
• Uganda
• Tonga

Pool C

• Germany
• Madagascar
• Georgia

Pool D

• Samoa
• Portugal
• Brazil

Standings – World Rugby HSBC 7s Challenger 2025 Leg 1

Keep in mind that the points differentials may also well come into play by the conclusion of the second leg.

Women’s Standings

1. Kenya 20
2. Argentina 18
3. South Africa 16
4. Colombia 14
5. Thailand 12
6. Poland 10
7. Czechia 8
8. Uganda 6
9. Belgium 4
10. Hong Kong China 3 
11. Samoa 2
12. Mexico 1

Men’s Standings

1. Chile 20
2. Canada 18
3. Germany 16
4. Samoa 14
5. Portugal 12
6. Madagascar 10
7. Uganda 8
8. Japan 6
9. Hong Kong China 4
10. Tonga 3
11. Georgia 2
12. Brazil 1

All of the results and fixtures will be made available online by World Rugby.

Sevens Rugby News 2025

• Asian Sides Struggle In HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger 2025 Leg 1 Opening Day.
• HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger 2025 Leg 1 Pools and Fixtures Confirmed.
• 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens – What You Need To Know.
• 2025 Cohort of Gallagher High-Performance Academy Coaches Announced – Involved In World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025.