Lau Pa Sat, Singapore’s most iconic Hawker Market, is in the heart of the city and was the backdrop where the team captains gathered Wednesday ahead of the highly anticipated HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens at the National Stadium on Saturday.

Fresh off a thrilling weekend in Hong Kong, the world’s 16 best men’s teams have arrived in Singapore for the ninth round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023, as the race for Paris 2024 Olympic qualification starts to take shape. Only three events remain.

New Zealand, which has tasted victory three times this season in Sydney, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, leads the series standings with 142 points and can become the first nation (other than host France) to officially qualify for Paris 2024, if they hoist the trophy Sunday.

Hamilton and Vancouver winner, Argentina (121), sits second behind New Zealand and is trailed by Hong Kong runner-up, Fiji (113), France (112) and South Africa (101).

The men’s series has seen five winners (Australia, Samoa, South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand) through the opening eight tournaments.

After a 10-year hiatus, in 2016 the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series made its triumphant return to Singapore, a location that hosted stops in 2002 and then 2004-2006. 

Since then, the tournament has seen four nations crowned champions, including first-time victories for Kenya in 2016 (against Fiji) and 2017 for Canada (against the USA).

Fiji is the only nation to have been victorious on numerous occasions, winning in 2018 (against Australia) and 2022 (over rival New Zealand). South Africa won in 2019 by blanking Fiji 19-0.

The 2023 series continues to be the most competitive in history, with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top 4 women’s and men’s teams in the standings. 

France’s men have pre-qualified for next year’s pinnacle event in the nation’s capital.

The stakes couldn’t be higher at the bottom end of the men’s series this season, as well.

Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th-ranked team will be relegated, while the No. 12, 13 and 14 will face off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th, and final, position on the 2024 series.

As it stands, Japan (11 points) holds the lowest ranking among core teams, while Canada (22), Kenya (30), Uruguay (39) and Spain (40) will be trying to accumulate points over the next two tournaments.

Pool A sees New Zealand alongside Dubai winner South Africa, Hong Kong (Round 1) winner Australia and the invitational side Hong Kong China.

Hong Kong runner-up Fiji has been drawn with Spain, Samoa and Canada in Pool B, while France will meet USA, Uruguay and Kenya in Pool C.

Great Britain, which narrowly lost in the Hong Kong bronze final, will meet Argentina, Ireland and Japan in Pool D.

The action gets under way Saturday at 9:30 a.m. local time (GMT+8), when Argentina takes on Ireland, with the final match of day one kicking off at 7:33 p.m. It will be Fiji and Spain.

Play begins Sunday at 10:50 a.m. with the ninth-place quarterfinals. The gold-medal final is scheduled for 7:28 p.m. local time.