In an exhilarating second day of international rugby sevens action at the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series 2024 in Montevideo, Uganda claimed victory over Hong Kong China in a nail-biting quarter-final, securing a spot in the women’s semi-finals.
Meanwhile, a diverse lineup of semi-finalists from different continents intensifies the competition, with South American rivals Uruguay and Chile facing off in the men’s semi-final, and China, Argentina, Belgium, and Uganda showcasing rugby’s global reach in the women’s division. As the excitement builds, teams worldwide vie for glory, adding a dynamic flavor to the evolving landscape of the Challenger series.
China have continued their winning streak since claiming gold at the first round in Dubai and will play Uganda in the first women’s semi-final, before Argentina and Belgium take the pitch in the second semi-final hoping to maintain their unbeaten records in Montevideo.
The women’s quarter-finals saw China beat Kenya 24-7 in a repeat of the Dubai gold medal final. Uganda overcame Hong Kong China 22-17, while crowd favourites Argentina beat Poland 26-17 in a pulsating match and Belgium overpowered Thailand 17-5 to continue their winning streak in Montevideo.
In a demonstration of rugby’s continuing global expansion, teams from four different continents make up the women’s semi-final line up.
The men’s quarter-final clashes saw Chile record a narrow 12-7 win over Germany before hosts Uruguay were cheered on to a 26-7 victory over Portugal. In an intense all African battle it was Dubai winners Kenya who triumphed 7-5 over Uganda before Hong Kong China saw off Tonga 26-7 in the last match of day two at Estadio Charrua.
The action continues from 13:15 local time (GMT-3) on Sunday and concludes with the women’s and men’s finals at 19:05 and 19:39 respectively.
There is more to play for than ever before in this year’s Challenger with the competition expanded to three rounds and the top four placed men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the new promotion and relegation play-off competition at the HSBC SVNS 2024 Grand Final in Madrid.
