HSBC WORLD RUGBY SEVENS SERIES 2019

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1 hamilton Notes! The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series returns to Hamilton for the second time after relocating last year following 18 consecutive tournaments in Wellington.! New Zealand hold the Sevens Series record for most event wins at a tournament on home soil, winning nine Cup finals in Wellington. South Africa sit second with four titles, while England are third with three titles at their home event.! The All Blacks Sevens are the only team to have won consecutive titles on multiple occasions in New Zealand, winning three Cup finals between , and , and also going back-to-back in 2011 and 2012.! The All Blacks Sevens have played 11 Cup finals at home, the most of any team in New Zealand. The next best is Fiji with nine Cup finals.! Eight nations have contested the Cup final in New Zealand (New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, South Africa, England, Kenya, Australia and Argentina) but only Argentina and Kenya have never lifted the trophy.! Fiji and South African have played the Cup final in New Zealand in the past two tournaments. There have never been the same finalists three years in a row, however several teams have met in a Cup final more than once.! The most common match-up has been New Zealand against England, occurring four times, followed by Fiji against New Zealand and South Africa against Fiji on three occasions.! Fiji hold the record for most runner-up finishes in New Zealand with five.! The record for total tries scored at a single HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series event in New Zealand is 288 back in 2004.! Fiji hold the record for the most tries at a single tournament in New Zealand, scoring 38 in Wellington in 2000.! The first six, and nine of the first 12 tournaments in Wellington between all saw at least one team score more than 30 tries. However since 2012, no team has reached this total. The All Blacks Sevens are the last team to score this many tries at a single series event in New Zealand, scoring 30 tries in Wellington in 2011.! There were 255 tries scored in Hamilton last year, two tries more than in Wellington the previous year.! The past two tournaments on the 2019 Series have seen an increase in tries scored. Dubai saw 278 tries scored, and Cape Town finished with 293 tries. 1 hamilton january, 2019

2 ! Hamilton will be hoping to become the first tournament since Hong Kong in 2011 to see more than 300 tries scored (386 tries although this tournament featured 24 teams rather than 16).! There has never been an event in Sevens Series history that has seen 300 or more tries scored when only 16 teams are playing.! Fiji s Sireli Bobo holds the record for most individual tries in a tournament in New Zealand, scoring 12 tries in Wellington in 2003.! Fiji s Waisale Serevi holds the record for the most individual points in a single tournament in New Zealand, scoring 84 points in Wellington in 2000.! There have now been 20 consecutive tournaments dating back to Wellington in 2017 without a player scoring more than 10 tries.! This equals the longest streak in HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series history, which begun in Edinburgh in 2007 and ended in Wellington in 2010.! France s Terry Bouhraoua was the last player to reach double figures in a tournament, scoring 10 tries in Cape Town in Past champions in New Zealand SERIES LOCATION CUP WINNER DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL 2018 Hamilton Fiji South Africa (24-17) Wellington South Africa Fiji (26-5) Wellington New Zealand South Africa (24-21) Wellington New Zealand New England (27-21) Wellington New Zealand South Africa (21-0) Wellington England Kenya (24-19) Wellington New Zealand Fiji (24-7) Wellington New Zealand England (29-14) Wellington Fiji Samoa (19-14) Wellington England New Zealand (19-17) Wellington New Zealand Samoa (22-17) Wellington Samoa Fiji (17-14) Wellington Fiji South Africa (27-22) Wellington New Zealand Argentina (31-7) Wellington New Zealand Fiji (33-15) Wellington New Zealand England (38-26) Wellington South Africa Samoa (17-14) Wellington Australia Fiji (19-17) Wellington Fiji New Zealand (24-14) 2 hamilton january, 2019

3 Key stats! New Zealand holds the Sevens Series record for most event wins at a tournament on home soil, winning nine Cup finals in Wellington.! Fiji are the defending champions in Hamilton and are looking to win consecutive Cup titles at the same event for the fourth time in their history after winning four straight in Hong Kong ( ) and going back-to-back on the Gold Coast (2012 and 2013) and in Las Vegas (2015 and 2016).! Fiji have won six of the past nine Sevens Series tournaments dating back to Hamilton last year.! Fiji have scored the most points (375) and tries (61) of any team on this series so far, leading the scoring in both Dubai and Cape Town.! They scored 33 tries in Cape Town, the fourth time in the past seven tournaments they have scored 30 or more tries.! USA are on top of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings for the first time.! New Zealand are one win away from becoming the first team to win 800 games on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.! Japan are two wins away from 100 Sevens Series victories.! Captain Kyle Brown will equal Frankie Horne s South African record for most Sevens Series tournaments played with Hamilton being his 68th career event.! In his 66th Sevens Series tournament, Nathan Hirayama will become the most capped Canadian, surpassing John Moonlight s record of 65 tournaments.! If called up on as an injury replacement, England s James Rodwell will become the most capped player in Sevens Series history, surpassing DJ Forbes record that has stood since Dubai 2016.! England captain Tom Mitchell requires 19 more points to become the fifth player to score 1,500 points on the Sevens Series.! Scotland s Scott Riddell will play his 70th Sevens Series event becoming the seventh player, and the first from Scotland, to reach this milestone.! Argentina s captain Gaston Revol will also play his 70th Sevens Series event, becoming the eighth player to reach this milestone, and the first from Argentina.! USA s Folau Niua will equal Zack Test s Eagles Sevens record for most tournaments played with Hamilton his 62nd Seven Series event. 3 hamilton january, 2019

4 Argentina team notes! Argentina have reached the Cup final once in New Zealand, finishing runner-up to the All Blacks Sevens in Wellington in 2005 (31-7).! They reached the Challenge Trophy final in Hamilton last year after finishing third in a tightly contested Pool C, which saw three teams finish on five points.! They scored 25 tries in Cape Town in December, their most in a Sevens Series tournament since 2005 in Paris (27 tries).! This was just the second time in their past 14 tournaments that they have scored 20 or more tries.! They will be hoping to score 20 or more tries in consecutive tournaments for the seventh time, and for the first time since 2016 in London and Paris.! The first two tournaments this season have had an Argentinian as their leading try-scorer, with Marcos Moroni finishing Dubai with seven tries, and Franco Sabato also scoring seven in Cape Town.! This is the first time in Sevens Series history that Argentinian players have been the leading try-scorers at consecutive events.! Santiago Gomez Cora is the only Argentina Sevens player to finish as the tournament s leading try-scorer in New Zealand. He scored 10 tries in Wellington in 2002.! Franco Sabato is four tries away from reaching 100 Sevens Series tries.! He scored at least one try in all six games in Cape Town.! Captain Gaston Revol will play his 70th Sevens Series event, becoming the eighth player to reach this milestone, and the first from Argentina.! Fernando Luna returns to the Sevens Series for the first time since Sydney 2018, his only tournament that season.! After making his debut in Hong Kong in 2012, this will be just his third event in New Zealand after playing in Wellington in 2015 and Cup titles (2) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL San Diego England (19-14) Los Angeles New Zealand (21-12) 4 hamilton january, 2019

5 AUSTRALIA TEAM NOTEs! Australia won their inaugural Cup title in New Zealand in 2001, defeating Fiji in Wellington to claim their maiden Sevens Series event win.! They have reached at least the Cup quarter-finals in seven of their past nine events in New Zealand.! They claimed bronze in Hamilton last year, defeating hosts New Zealand 8-7 in the bronze final.! Australia have drawn Fiji in their pool for the third time in the past four events in New Zealand.! They will be looking to end a 12-game losing streak against the three-time Sevens Series champions dating back to Hong Kong 2016.! Australia s last Sevens Series victory against Fiji came the third place playoff at the Canada Sevens in 2016, winning courtesy of a John Porch try in the final play. Porch is one of two survivors in the current Australian squad from that match alongside Henry Hutchison.! Australia have lost their past four matches against Fiji in New Zealand, with their last victory coming in Wellington in 2013.! They are one of just three teams alongside New Zealand and Fiji to have scored 30 or more tries in a Sevens Series tournament in New Zealand.! Their 32 tries in Wellington in 2001 are the joint-fourth most of any team at a Sevens Series event in New Zealand.! Australia s 45 tries so far this series are the joint-third most of any team behind Fiji (61) and USA (50).! The Australian defence has been busy, averaging the second most tackles per game (16.4) of any team this season.! Josh Coward will make his Sevens Series debut for Australia. He was part of the Australian sevens squad that won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2015.! Simon Kennewell returns to the Australian team for the first time after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament days before the HSBC Sydney Sevens in 2018.! His last Sevens Series appearance came in Cape Town in 2017, where he scored four tries in three matches played. 5 hamilton january, 2019

6 ! Lewis Holland is the only survivor in the current Australian squad from the team that last defeated Fiji in New Zealand in 2013.! He requires four tries to reach 100 Sevens Series tries.! He is the most experienced player in this Australia squad with Hamilton his 41st Sevens Series event.! John Porch is the leading point scorer on the 2019 series with 98.! He is one of seven players to have scored a hat-trick in the 2019 Series, crossing three times against Canada in Cape Town. His 19 points overall in that match are the third highest of any individual in the series so far.! He made his Sevens Series debut in Wellington in 2016.! Maurice Longbottom has made the most carries (50) of any player this series.! His nine line-breaks are the joint-most for Australia alongside John Porch.! He is the joint-second highest try-scorer on the 2019 series with 11. Cup titles (7) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL 2018 Sydney South Africa (29-0) Tokyo Samoa (28-26) London South Africa (19-14) Brisbane New Zealand (28-0) Kuala Lumpur New Zealand (19-17) Shanghai South Africa (19-12) Wellington Fiji (19-17) 6 hamilton january, 2019

7 CANADA TEAM notes! Canada s best finish in New Zealand came in Wellington in 2017, finishing fourth after reaching a Cup semi-final on kiwi soil for the first time.! Canada will look to improve on their performance in Hamilton last year which saw them score just 11 tries, their least in a tournament in 2018.! Prior to Hamilton, Canada averaged 19.2 tries per tournament in their previous five Sevens Series visits to New Zealand.! Canada were one of eight teams in Cape Town to overturn a half-time deficit to win. After trailing at the break against Zimbabwe, they outscored the Cheetahs 14-5 in the second-half to win ! Canada meet New Zealand in Pool D for the first time since their bronze medal match in Paris, which the All Blacks Sevens won 38-5.! After losing 33-straight matches against New Zealand between , Canada have been undefeated in four of their past 10 meetings with three wins and one draw in this period.! In his 66th Sevens Series tournament Nathan Hirayama will become the most capped Canadian, surpassing John Moonlight s record of 65 tournaments played between ! He made his Sevens Series debut in Dubai in 2006, and is the fourth highest point scorer in history.! Justin Douglas was Canada s leading try-scorer in Cape Town with four tries.! He has made the most line-breaks (eight) and second most carries (37) for Canada this season.! He has scored six tries in his past three games against Japan, Canada s Pool D opponents, including one of two career Sevens Series hat-tricks.! Pat Kay has been Canada s leading tackler in each of their past two events, making 19 tackles in total.! Connor Braid has made the second-most carries of any player (46) in this series, including the most in Cape Town (27). Cup titles (1) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL Singapore USA (29-16) 7 hamilton january, 2019

8 ENGLAND TEAM notes! The HSBC New Zealand Sevens is one of five tournaments England have won multiple times alongside Dubai (four), Hong Kong (four), London (three) and South Africa (two).! They are one of just three teams alongside the All Blacks Sevens in 2014 and Blitzboks in 2002 to have won a tournament in New Zealand despite having lost a pool game on the opening day (2009 Cup title).! They have played four Cup finals against the All Blacks Sevens (2003, 2009, 2011 and 2015), a record for the most finals featuring the same teams in New Zealand.! They have made the joint-most half-time comebacks of any team so far this series, trailing at the break against Australia in Dubai and against France in Cape Town.! If England can score six more tries than Samoa in Hamilton, they will move ahead of the Pacific Islanders into fifth all-time for most tries scored.! Samoa has currently scored 3070 Sevens Series tries, five more than England who are in sixth on the all-time list with 3065 tries.! If called upon as an injury replacement, James Rodwell will become the most capped player in Sevens Series history, surpassing DJ Forbes record that has stood since Dubai 2016.! He made his Sevens Series debut in Edinburgh in 2008, and has played in 89 of 93 tournaments in total in this period. His only absences have been in Paris and London in , Hong Kong in 2018, and Dubai this series.! He was part of the England team who won the HSBC New Zealand Sevens in Wellington in 2009 and 2013.! Captain Tom Mitchell requires 19 more points to become the fifth player to score 1,500 points on the Sevens Series.! He was the New Zealand Sevens joint top point scorer (alongside Sherwin Stowers) in Wellington in 2012.! Will Muir was England s leading try-scorer in Cape Town with five tries.! Dan Bibby has led the English defensive effort this series, making a team-high 29 tackles, the joint-third most of any player after two tournaments. 8 hamilton january, 2019

9 ! Tom Bowen was England s leading try-scorer in Hamilton last year with five tries, including a hat-trick against Papua New Guinea. Cup titles (19) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL Vancouver South Africa (19-7) Cape Town South Africa (19-17) Tokyo South Africa (21-14) Wellington Kenya (24-19) Dubai France (29-12) Dubai Samoa (29-21) London New Zealand (31-26) Wellington New Zealand (19-17) Hong Kong Fiji (26-24) Los Angeles Fiji (38-5) Dubai Fiji (28-26) Dubai Fiji (26-21) London New Zealand (22-19) Hong Kong Argentina (22-12) George New Zealand (38-14) London Fiji (31-24) Hong Kong New Zealand (22-17) Brisbane Fiji (28-14) Hong Kong Fiji (33-20) 9 hamilton january, 2019

10 FIJI TEAM notes! Fiji are the defending champions in Hamilton and are looking to win consecutive Cup titles at the same event for the fourth time after winning four straight in Hong Kong ( ) and going back-to-back on the Gold Coast (2012 and 2013) and in Las Vegas (2015 and 2016).! Fiji have won six of the past nine Sevens Series tournaments dating back to Hamilton last year.! Their four Cup titles in New Zealand are their third most in any single country behind seven in Hong Kong and five in Australia.! They are looking to win two of the opening three tournaments in a series for the first time since when they won in George and Wellington en route to their maiden Sevens Series title.! They have reached the Cup final in their past two Sevens Series tournaments in New Zealand, losing to South Africa 26-5 in Wellington in 2017 before claiming victory in a Cup final repeat last year in Hamilton. They have never played in three consecutive Cup finals in New Zealand.! Fiji have scored the most points (375) and tries (61) of any team on this series so far, leading the scoring in both Dubai and Cape Town.! They scored 33 tries in Cape Town, the fourth time in the past seven tournaments they have scored 30 or more tries.! Fiji only conceded three first-half tries in Cape Town, holding France, Kenya and USA scoreless in the opening seven minutes of their games.! USA are the only team in this series so far to score more than one try against Fiji in the first half, crossing twice in the Cup quarter-final in Dubai.! Alosio Naduva was named HSBC Player of the Final in Hamilton last year.! He scored a hat-trick against South Africa in the Cup final.! He has scored the second most tries of any player so far in 2019 (11) behind Samoa s Alamanda Motuga (12).! Kalione Nasoko is Fiji s second leading try-scorer this series behind Naduva with 10 tries, including a double in the Cup final in Cape Town.! Fiji are one of just two teams alongside Australia to have multiple players who have scored 10 or more tries this season. 10 hamilton january, 2019

11 ! They have 13 individual try-scorers in 2019, the joint-most of any team alongside New Zealand and South Africa.! Vilimoni Botitu was named HSBC Player of the Final in Cape Town.! Fiji welcome back Josua Vakurunabili and Paula Dranisinukula for the first time this series after both players missed Dubai and Cape Town. They have not played in a Sevens Series event since Paris in Cup titles (37) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL 2019 Cape Town USA (29-15) 2018 London South Africa (21-17) 2018 Singapore Australia (28-22) 2018 Hong Kong Kenya (24-12) 2018 Vancouver Kenya (31-12) 2018 Hamilton South Africa (24-17) Hong Kong South Africa (22-0) Hong Kong New Zealand (21-7) Las Vegas Australia (21-15) Dubai England (28-17) Glasgow New Zealand (24-17) Hong Kong New Zealand (33-19) Las Vegas New Zealand (35-19) Gold Coast Samoa (31-24) Tokyo South Africa (33-26) Dubai South Africa (29-17) Hong Kong Wales (26-19) Gold Coast New Zealand (32-14) London Samoa (38-15) Hong Kong New Zealand (35-28) Gold Coast New Zealand (26-12) Wellington Samoa (19-12) Edinburgh South Africa (20-19) Hong Kong South Africa (26-24) Adelaide Samoa (21-7) San Diego Samoa (38-24) London Samoa (54-14) Singapore England (40-21) Wellington South Africa (27-22) George Argentina (21-19) George New Zealand (24-14) Mar del Plata South Africa (24-7)) Tokyo New Zealand (27-22) Brisbane Australia (24-21) Wellington New Zealand (24-14) Mar del Plata New Zealand (26-14) Stellenbosch New Zealand (12-10) 11 hamilton january, 2019

12 France TEAM notes! France will be looking for an improved performance in Hamilton this year after winning the 13th place play-off in 2018.! Two of their three joint highest try-scoring tournaments in Sevens Series history have come in New Zealand, scoring 26 tries in 2000 and 2015.! They have reached the Cup quarter-finals in just one of their past six Sevens Series events in New Zealand (2017).! France averaged the most passes per game (40.8) of any team in Cape Town, and the second most (39) overall this season.! France have included five new faces in their squad from Cape Town, welcoming back Pierre Boudehent and Remi Siega who have not played since Paris 2018, Manoel Dall igna who has not played since Singapore 2018 and Gabriel Ngandebe and Jimmy Yobo who will make their Sevens Series debut.! Manoel Dall igna will become France s most capped Sevens Series player in his 64th event, surpassing Jean Baptiste Mazoue.! He is one of four survivors in France s 12-man squad from the team who played in Hamilton last year.! Nisie Huyard is France s leading try-scorer this series with five.! Paulin Riva has made the most carries (37) and tackles (22) for France this series.! Jimmy Yobo, who will make his Sevens Series debut, has also represented France at the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2012, and currently plays for Stade Francais in France s Top 14 competition. Cup titles (1) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL Paris Fiji (28-19) 12 hamilton january, 2019

13 japan TEAM notes! Japan will make their first HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series appearance in Hamilton.! They made their New Zealand Sevens debut in 2000 in Wellington and have played in nine of the 19 tournaments overall in New Zealand.! Their best result in New Zealand came in 2003, scoring 17 tries and narrowly losing the Shield final to Tonga.! Japan will be looking to end a six-game losing streak dating back to Dubai.! Their only victory this series came against Kenya (26-19) in the 13th place semi-final in Dubai.! They are only two wins away from 100 Sevens Series victories.! Japan will be looking to repeat their Rio 2016 Olympic Games success against New Zealand when they meet in their opening Pool D match.! Japan won at Deodoro Stadium in what is still their only victory against the All Blacks Sevens across all competitions.! Japan will also be chasing their first Sevens Series win against Spain, with their RWC Sevens 2001 victory (12-7) their only success across all competitions.! Japan s best result against all Pool D opposition is against Canada, who they have beaten on six occasions on the Sevens Series, most recently in Sydney in 2017 (19-7).! Katsuyuki Sakai is the only survivor from the team who defeated New Zealand at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, with his conversion giving Japan the lead.! He is Japan s leading try-scorer this series with four tries.! He has made the third most carries of any player (45) this series.! He and captain Dai Ozawa were also part of the team who last defeated Canada in Sydney in 2017.! Naoki Motomura and Yoshihiro Noguchi were Japan s only try-scorers in Cape Town. 13 hamilton january, 2019

14 Kenya TEAM notes! Kenya played their one and only Cup final in New Zealand in Wellington in 2013, losing to England in extra time.! Since then Kenya have reached the Cup quarter-finals in three of the past five tournaments in New Zealand, including winning the Challenge Trophy in 2017.! They topped their pool in Hamilton last year with two wins and a draw with USA.! Kenya are one of nine teams this season to come back from a half-time deficit to win, overturning a score-line at the break against Wales in Cape Town to win their 13th-place play-off ! Kenya scored 20 tries in Cape Town, the joint-sixth most in the tournament. This is the fourth time in their past seven tournaments Kenya have scored 20 or more tries.! There are no survivors in Kenya s squad from last year s HSBC New Zealand Sevens, with coach Paul Murunga naming five debutants in his young team.! Jacob Ojee will captain the team for the first time. This will be his first tournament appearance since Port Elizabeth in 2014.! Daniel Taabu, Vincent Onyala, Brian Wahinya, and Johnstone Olindi have all made their Sevens Series debut in either Dubai or Cape Town this season.! William Reeve, Harold Anduvate, Brian Wandera and Mark Wandeto will all make their Sevens Series debut in Hamilton.! Michael Wanjala and Bush Mwale are the only two players in the squad to have played a Sevens Series tournament in New Zealand. Michael Wanjala played in Wellington in 2013 and 2015, while Bush Mwale played in 2016 and 2017.! Johnstone Olindi is Kenya s leading try-scorer this series with seven tries.! After making his Sevens Series debut in Dubai, he has scored five tries in his past three games in Cape Town, including his first hat-trick against Wales. Cup titles (1) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL Singapore Fiji (30-7) 14 hamilton january, 2019

15 NEW ZEALAND TEAM notes! New Zealand will be chasing their 10th HSBC New Zealand Sevens title, their first since 2016 and their first in Hamilton after the tournament was relocated from Wellington last year.! Their nine Cup titles are the most of any team at a home tournament, and the second most of any single event behind their 10 titles in South Africa.! It took New Zealand four years to win their home event, with their first of nine Cup titles coming in Wellington in 2003.! The All Blacks Sevens have not won in New Zealand since Only once have they gone three consecutive tournaments without winning this event ( ), and have never failed to reach the Cup final in three events in a row at home.! New Zealand have topped their pool in the past four, and 17 of their 19 events at home. The only two tournaments in which they finished second in their pool were in 2013 (behind England) and 2014 (behind Fiji).! New Zealand require 53 more points to become the first team in Sevens Series history to score 27,000 points.! New Zealand have scored 38 tries this season, and are yet to score 20 or more in a tournament.! They average 26 tries per tournament in New Zealand, and have only failed to score 20 or more on two occasions at home, scoring 18 tries in 2006 and 16 tries in 2007.! New Zealand are one win away from their 800th victory on the Sevens Series.! Co-captain Tim Mikkelson returns to the All Blacks Sevens after missing the first two events of the season due the birth of his first child.! This will be his 10th Sevens Series event in New Zealand, one less than the All Blacks Sevens record holder DJ Forbes. Mikkelson has not missed an event at home since making his debut in ! He is the sixth highest try-scorer in Sevens Series history, with his 205 tries the most by a New Zealander.! A Waikato native, Mikkelson has played 62 first-class matches for the Mooloos in New Zealand s provincial NPC competition, and four Super Rugby games for the Chiefs. 15 hamilton january, 2019

16 ! The All Blacks Sevens also welcome back Joe Ravouvou and Kurt Baker who missed the opening two rounds.! Only six players from their squad in Cape Town have been named for Hamilton.! Andrew Knewstubb is New Zealand s leading scorer this season with seven tries and 85 points.! He has increased his scoring rate this season, with seven tries in his past 12 games, compared to 10 tries in his first 65 Sevens Series games.! Sione Molia was the All Blacks Sevens leading try-scorer in Cape Town with five tries. He requires five more tries to reach 50 tries.! Co-captain Scott Curry was New Zealand s leading try-scorer in Hamilton last year with five tries, and joint-fourth overall in the tournament.! The last New Zealander to top the try-scoring list at a Sevens Series event was Rieko Ioane in London in 2016, 23 events ago. Not since Sherwin Stowers scored eight tries in Wellington in 2014, has a New Zealander finished as the tournament s leading try-scorer on home soil.! Sherwin Stowers (2014), Declan O Donnell (2011), and Roy Kinikinilau (2005) are the only All Blacks Sevens players to have been the leading tryscorers at a tournament in New Zealand. Cup titles (57) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN FINAL 2019 Dubai USA (21-5) 2018 Cape Town Argentina (38-14) Vancouver South Africa (19-14) Sydney Australia (27-24) Wellington South Africa (24-21) Wellington England (27-21) London Australia (52-33) Glasgow Canada (54-7) Hong Kong England (26-7) Wellington South Africa (21-0) Gold Coast Australia (40-19) London Australia (47-12) Port Elizabeth France (47-12) Glasgow England (29-14) Wellington Fiji (24-7) Port Elizabeth South Africa (31-26) Adelaide South Africa (28-20) 16 hamilton january, 2019

17 Hong Kong England (29-17) Wellington New Zealand (29-14) George England (22-19) George Fiji (21-12) Dubai Samoa (24-12) Edinburgh England (24-14) Hong Kong South Africa (26-12) San Diego South Africa (27-12) Wellington Samoa (22-7) George Fiji (34-7) Dubai Fiji (31-21) Edinburgh Samoa (34-5) London Fiji (29-7) George South Africa (24-19) Singapore England (26-5) Los Angeles Argentina (34-5) Wellington Argentina (31-7) George Fiji (33-19) Bordeaux England (28-19) Wellington Fiji (33-15) Wellington England (38-26) Dubai Samoa (36-0) Cardiff England (24-12) London South Africa (54-14) Durban Samoa (19-17) Kuala Lumpur South Africa (29-5) Singapore Argentina (21-17) Beijing South Africa (43-14) Santiago Argentina (21-7) Cardiff Australia (31-5) London Australia (19-12) Tokyo Australia (26-12) Hong Kong Fiji (29-5) Dubai Fiji (38-12) Durban Fiji (34-5) Paris South Africa (69-10) Hong Kong Fiji (31-5) Suva Fiji (31-5) Punta del Este Fiji (42-19) Dubai Fiji (38-14) 17 hamilton january, 2019

18 Samoa TEAM notes! Samoa won their first Cup title at the HSBC New Zealand Sevens in 2007 defeating Fiji in the final.! Samoa have played in five Cup finals in New Zealand, with their last appearance coming in 2010 in Wellington.! Of the 10 different Cup final match-ups in New Zealand since 2000, Samoa s two games against Fiji (2007 and 2010) are one of just five in total to occur more than once.! Samoa won the fifth place play-off last year in Hamilton, defeating Kenya ! Samoa have scored the joint-third most tries (45) of any team this season.! They have scored more than 20 tries in each of their opening two events of the season for the first time since and just the fourth time in their history.! They have won nine of their 12 games this season, with South Africa (twice) and Argentina the only teams to have defeated them in the opening two events.! Their nine wins are their most across the first two tournaments of a season in their history. Their previous best was eight victories, which they achieved on six previous occasions and most recently in ! Alamanda Motuga was named DHL Impact Player in Cape Town, and is the Sevens Series leading try-scorer in 2019 with 12 tries.! He has scored at least one try in each of his past five games, the joint longest streak of his career. He has never scored in six straight games.! He has made the joint-most line-breaks (12) of any player this season, and leads Samoa in carries (41) and points scored (60).! His six tries in Cape Town were the joint-second most of any player alongside team-mate David Afamasaga, behind Argentina s Franco Sabato.! Tomasi Alosio has led Samoa s defence this season with a team-high 20 tackles. He will celebrate his 27th birthday in Hamilton on day one.! Elisapeta Alofipo, David Afamasaga and Joe Perez are the only survivors from the squad who played in Hamilton last year. 18 hamilton january, 2019

19 Cup titles (10) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL Paris Fiji (29-26) Dubai New Zealand (26-15) Las Vegas New Zealand (26-19) Edinburgh Australia (41-14) Hong Kong New Zealand (24-21) Adelaide USA (38-10) Las Vegas New Zealand (33-12) London Fiji (19-14) Hong Kong Fiji (27-22) Wellington Fiji (17-14) 19 hamilton january, 2019

20 Scotland TEAM notes! Scotland played their first HSBC New Zealand Sevens event in The following year they scored 22 tries, which is still their highest in a tournament on New Zealand soil.! They will be hoping to repeat their performance in Wellington in 2017 that saw them finish third in New Zealand for the first time.! They defeated Canada in the bronze final, with Nyle Godsmark, Jamie Farndale, Gavin Lowe and Glenn Bryce the only current Scottish survivors from this match.! This was their second bronze final after also reaching this stage in 2015, losing to South Africa 40-7 to finish fourth.! They have reached the Cup quarter-finals in their past two, and three of their past four, tournaments in New Zealand.! Scotland will be looking to increase their try-scoring rate this series after averaging 11.5 per tournament across Dubai and Cape Town.! Their 23 tries in total in 2019 are their lowest across the opening two events of the series since (14 tries).! Scotland are averaging the most passes per game this series with 39.5! Scott Riddell will play his 70th tournament becoming the seventh player, and the first from Scotland, to reach this milestone if he features in their opening game against France.! Sam Pecqueur is Scotland s leading try-scorer this series with five tries.! Co-captain Robbie Fergusson has made the most line-breaks for Scotland this series with eight.! Max McFarland was Scotland s leading try-scorer in Hamilton last year with four tries. Cup titles (2) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL London England (12-7) London South Africa (27-26) 20 hamilton january, 2019

21 South africa TEAM notes! South Africa are chasing their third Cup title in New Zealand after winning in Wellington in 2002 and 2017.! They have played in the Cup final in the past three, and four of the past five tournaments in New Zealand. They have reached four consecutive Cup finals in a single country just once in their history, at the South African Sevens between 2013 and 2016.! They are yet to reach a Cup final across the opening two events of the 2019 series. Not since have the Blitzboks failed to play at least one Cup final inside the opening three events of a season.! South Africa, who have averaged 27 tries per tournament in their past three visits to New Zealand, have not scored more than 21 tries in each of their past four events dating back to London 2018.! They have scored a total of 40 tries this series, the joint-fifth most of any team. This is their least number of tries after the opening two events of the season since (36 tries), however on that occasion they went on to score 46 across their next two tournaments.! South Africa had the best defence of any team in Hamilton last year, conceding the least tries in the tournament (seven).! Kyle Brown will equal Frankie Horne s South African record for most Sevens Series tournaments played with Hamilton his 68th career event.! He made his debut in Dubai in 2008 and was part of the squad who won South Africa s inaugural Sevens Series title that season.! He also captained South Africa to gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.! Werner Kok has made the most tackles (29) this season for South Africa, and the fourth most of any player overall.! He was the only South African to be named in the HSBC Dream Team at last year s tournament in Hamilton.! Stedman Gans is South Africa s only change to the team from Cape Town, playing his first Sevens Series tournament since London.! Gans played in Hamilton last year and is still chasing his first try on New Zealand soil. He and Werner Kok were the only two South Africans not to score a try in the tournament. 21 hamilton january, 2019

22 Cup titles (29) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL 2018 Paris England (24-14) 2018 Dubai New Zealand (24-12) Paris Scotland (15-5) Las Vegas Fiji (19-12) Sydney England (29-14) Wellington Fiji (26-5) Dubai Fiji (26-14) Cape Town Argentina (29-14) Port Elizabeth New Zealand (26-17) Dubai Australia (33-7) Las Vegas New Zealand (14-7) Port Elizabeth New Zealand (17-14) Glasgow New Zealand (28-21) Tokyo New Zealand (24-19) Las Vegas New Zealand (40-21) Edinburgh Australia (36-35) London Fiji (24-14) Las Vegas Fiji (24-14) Adelaide Kenya (26-7) George New Zealand (12-7) Dubai England (19-12) Adelaide New Zealand (15-7) Dubai New Zealand (31-12) Paris Samoa (33-12) London England (21-12) Singapore Argentina (24-19) Dubai New Zealand (33-26) Cardiff Argentina (35-17) Wellington Samoa (17-14) 22 hamilton january, 2019

23 Spain TEAM notes! Spain have recorded their best start to a season in their history, sitting ninth on the series standings with 17 points.! In the previous three series where they have been a core team, after the opening two events they have sat 13th on 10 points in , 15th on three points in and 11th last season on 14 points.! Their 36 tries so far in the 2019 Series are the ninth-most of any team, and their most after the opening two events of a season in their history.! Spain scored 20 tries in Cape Town, the most in a tournament in their history.! Spain will make their fourth Sevens Series appearance in New Zealand after playing in Wellington in 2013 and 2014, and in Hamilton last year.! They have lost their past five and 10 of their past 11 matches in New Zealand dating back to Wellington in Their last victory came against Tonga, in the Shield semi-finals.! They have never scored more than 12 tries at a Sevens Series tournament in New Zealand, with their best effort coming in 2014.! Captain Francisco Hernandez was the leading point scorer in Cape Town with 45 points, becoming the first Spanish player in Sevens Series history to score the most points at a single event.! His 22 points against Japan in Cape Town are the joint most of any player in a match this season alongside USA s Stephen Tomasin.! Pol Pla is Spain s leading try-scorer this season with 10, and one of just seven players to have scored double-digit tries.! He has also made the most line-breaks (six) for Spain this season.! Javier Carrion has made the most carries (33) for Spain this season.! Manuel Sainz-Trapaga was Spain s leading try-scorer in Hamilton last year with four tries.! Alejandro Alonso made the second most offloads (six) of any player in Cape Town.! Alberto Diaz makes his return to the Sevens Series after a five-year absence. His one and only tournament appearance came in Las Vegas in hamilton january, 2019

24 tonga TEAM notes! Tonga return to the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series as an invitational team for the first time since in Wellington, 45 tournaments ago.! This will be their 41st Sevens Series event. They have also played at three Commonwealth Games (2002, 2006 and 2010), and six Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments (1993, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2018).! They have participated in 15 of the 19 HSBC New Zealand Sevens Series tournaments overall since 2000.! They last topped their pool in New Zealand in 2012, and finished runnerup in the Plate final.! Their best finish in New Zealand came in 2004, winning the Plate final.! Their best try-scoring effort in New Zealand came in 2003 when they scored 24 tries during the tournament.! Tonga will return to FMG Stadium Waikato on 7 September as the 15s team will play a test against New Zealand as part of their Rugby World Cup 2019 preparations.! Tonga finished fifth at the Oceania Rugby Sevens Championship 2018 in Fiji.! They finished second in their pool behind Samoa, their Pool B opponents in Hamilton.! Atieli Pakalani is the only member of the Tongan squad to have played a Sevens Series event.! He represented Australia in four tournaments in , scoring seven tries in 24 matches played.! He represented Tonga at the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2009 and has played six tests, most recently on their November tour against Wales and Georgia last year.! Injury replacement Potolaka Maake is one of only two players in Hamilton to be born this century, alongside Argentina s Lucio Constantino Cinti Luna.! Coach Tevita Tui fua played 15 tests for Tonga between , including seven games at Rugby World Cup hamilton january, 2019

25 usa TEAM notes! USA are on top of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings for the first time.! After finishing runner-up in Dubai and Cape Town, they will be hoping to win their third Cup title. Not since Australia in 2001 in Tokyo, London and Cardiff has a team lost three Cup finals in a row.! South Africa in , New Zealand in , , and , England in and Fiji in , and are the only four teams to have played the Cup final in each the first three events of the season.! USA scored 30 tries in Cape Town, their most in any Sevens Series tournament.! They have scored 50 tries in the 2019 series, the second most of any team, and their most across the opening two events of a season.! They won the Challenge Trophy at last year s HSBC New Zealand Sevens in Hamilton, defeating Argentina ! They have only topped their pool in New Zealand twice, in 2001 and 2015 in Wellington, with their only Cup semi-final coming in 2001, losing to eventual winners Australia 36-5.! USA had 11 different try-scorers in Cape Town, the most of any team, with Stephen Tomasin top-scoring for them with five tries.! Folau Niua will equal Zack Test s USA record for most tournaments played with Hamilton his 62nd Seven Series event.! He will also celebrate his 34th birthday on day two in Hamilton.! Perry Baker scored at least one try in all six matches in Hamilton last year, finishing the tournament as the joint leading try-scorer with eight.! Baker has scored 17 tries in 21 games in New Zealand.! He is USA s leading try-scorer this season with nine tries.! He has made the joint-most line-breaks (12) of any player this season. Cup titles (2) SERIES ROUND DEFEATED IN CUP FINAL 2018 Las Vegas Argentina (28-0) London Australia (45-22) 25 hamilton january, 2019

26 WALES TEAM notes! Wales are chasing their first Cup quarter-final in New Zealand since 2011 after finishing third in their pool in the past five, and six of their past seven, events dating back to 2012.! They made their New Zealand Sevens debut in Wellington in 2001, and have participated in 13 of the 19 events overall.! Wales have scored 30 tries in the 2019 series, the same amount after the opening two tournaments as scored in 2018.! They are chasing their first pool win for 2019, and their first since London in 2018 when they defeated Ireland at Twickenham.! Wales scored 16 tries in Hamilton last year, their most in a series event in New Zealand since Wellington in 2009 (18 tries), and their third most behind their 17 tries in Wellington in 2001.! Wales have six new faces in their 12-man squad from the team who played in Cape Town.! Dragons winger Rio Dyer, Scarlets winger Tom Rogers and Ospreys scrum-half Reuben Morgan-Williams will all make their Sevens Series debuts.! Sion Bennett will play his first Sevens Series event since Port Elizabeth in 2014.! The Cardiff Blues back-row made his debut in Glasgow in 2012 and was also part of the Welsh team that finished runner-up to England at the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2013.! Captain Luke Treharne has scored the fourth most points of any player this season (65).! He is also their leading try-scorer with seven tries. He needs one try to reach 50 tries, and seven points to reach 400 points.! He scored the second-most tries for Wales (three) at last year s HSBC New Zealand Sevens in Hamilton.! He is one of four survivors alongside Owen Jenkins, Joe Jenkins and Ben Roach in the current Wales squad from their last visit to Hamilton.! He has made the most tackles (22), joint-most line-breaks and second most carries (30) for Wales this season. 26 hamilton january, 2019