2008-09 IRB Sevens World Series
The 2008–09 IRB Sevens World Series was the tenth of an annual series of rugby union sevens tournaments for full national sides run by the International Rugby Board since 1999–2000. South Africa clinched the 2008-09 World Series on Day 1 of the Edinburgh Sevens, its first Series title. The defending series champions were New Zealand, who won the 2007–08 series by winning the season's first 5 tournaments. New Zealand won the 2007–08 series with one tournament remaining after winning the Plate Final of the London leg.
Sevens is a stripped-down version of rugby union, with seven players on each side rather than fifteen. Games are much shorter, seven or ten minutes each half, and tend to be very fast-paced. Sevens is traditionally played in a two-day tournament format. However, the most famous event, the Hong Kong Sevens, is played over three days, largely because it involves 24 teams instead of the normal 16. Starting in 2008–09, the Australia leg (which involves the normal 16 teams) was spread out over a three-day period.
The series' tournaments are identical to 2007–2008 and span the globe:
| 2008-09 Itinerary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg | Venue | Date | Winner |
| Dubai | The Sevens | November 28–29, 2008 | South Africa |
| South Africa | Outeniqua Park, George | December 5–6, 2008 | South Africa |
| New Zealand | Westpac Stadium, Wellington | February 6–7, 2009 | England |
| United States | PETCO Park, San Diego, California | February 14–15, 2009 | Argentina |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong Stadium | March 27–29, 2009 | Fiji |
| Australia | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | April 3–5, 2009 | South Africa |
| London | Twickenham | May 23–24, 2009 | England |
| Scotland | Murrayfield, Edinburgh | May 30–31, 2009 | Fiji |
The 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens is not a part of the 2008-09 series. Unlike the 2005 edition held in Hong Kong, the 2009 edition did not replace one of the 2008-09 series events. The World Cup was held in Dubai from March 5–7, 2009 and won by Wales.
Read more about 2008-09 IRB Sevens World Series: Core Teams, Points Schedule, Tournament Structure
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—Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986)