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Hamilton Replaces Wellington As World Rugby Sevens Series Host

Hamilton will be the "home of the New Zealand leg" of the World Rugby Sevens Series for '18 and '19, according to the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. Wellington's Westpac Stadium has hosted the event since '00 but "crowd numbers have dwindled in recent years from the glory days when the tournament would sell out in a matter of hours." The announcement of the shift was made by New Zealand Rugby Chief Strategy & Operations Officer Nigel Cass. Cass said that Hamilton offered a "world-class stadium built for rugby fans," a central location for traveling fans, and "most of all, a host community that loves rugby." Cass: "Hamilton and the Waikato region are rugby mad and we're looking forward to introducing international sevens to the local community and for visiting fans from around New Zealand to experience the heart of rugby in New Zealand" (NZ HERALD, 5/22). The AFP reported it is the only change to the 10-round global tournament and was "welcomed by New Zealand officials who have struggled to maintain public interest in Wellington as a venue." Cass said, "It was time to start a new chapter for the tournament in New Zealand." Wellington Mayor Justin Lester added, "The feedback we'd been getting from the public was that the event in Wellington seemed to have lost its allure. Wellingtonians have been voting with their feet in the last few years and we've seen the result in dwindling crowd numbers and lower ticket sales" (AFP, 5/22). REUTERS reported the tournament will be held from Feb. 3-4 next year, a week after the Sydney tournament, and is the fourth stop on the world sevens circuit. The Sevens Rugby World Cup will be played in San Francisco from July 20-22, 2018. 2017-18 Rugby Sevens Series schedule: Dec. 1-2: Dubai; Dec. 9-10: Cape Town; Jan. 26-28: Sydney; Feb. 3-4: Hamilton; March 2-4: Las Vegas; March 10-11: Vancouver; April 6-8: Hong Kong; April 28-29: Singapore; May 26-27: Paris; June 2-3: London (REUTERS, 5/22).

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