Live blog: Sevens Challenger Series – day two

RugbyPass is live from Stellenbosch for the second day of the second and final leg of the 2023 Challenger Series. Friday’s 24 matches resulted in nine teams – five men’s and four women’s – reaching the quarter-finals with a pool match to spare and Saturday morning at the Markotter Stadium on the banks of the Eerste will be spent deciding the identity of the remaining seven qualifiers.

Chile – courtesy of a thrilling last-gasp win over last weekend’s champions Tonga – Germany, Uganda, Hong Kong China and Belgium have also reached the men’s last eight, with hosts South Africa, Belgium, Czechia and China all through to the knockout stage in the women’s section.

Amongst the men’s qualifiers, there is still plenty of jockeying for top-seed positions. For instance, Germany and Uganda face off at 11:10am local time to decide who will top Pool B. That happens shortly after Hong Kong China and Belgium meet at 10:38am with the top spot in Pool C at stake.

The eventual men’s champions, a title that will be decided on the aggregate placings across both Challenger Series weekends, will go forward into a four-team qualifier in London next month where a promotion place into next season’s revamped elite World Series will be at stake.

That World Series qualification is a prize automatically guaranteed in the women’s section to the champions of the Challenger Series. Having won last weekend’s first-leg title, the Springboks are tipped to this weekend confirm their return to the sevens elite, but there can be no guarantee.

They showed their nerves on Friday when falling into arrears to Madagascar and although they hit back to win 19-5, they know that rivals such as Belgium, who led them in last weekend’s first-leg final, are capable of causing an upset.

South Africa round off the Challenger Series pool programme with an 11:32 clash with Thailand which will be followed by a two-hour break before the quarter-finals schedule commences at 1:54pm. The men’s quarter-final matches are pencilled in for later in the afternoon.

Follow all the live blog action below and click here for a live stream provided by the SA RU: