The 2021-22 HSBC Rugby Sevens Series is heading towards its final tournament in Los Angeles, Calif., and there’s plenty on the line with a title up for grabs.
South Africa is in prime position to win the series championship if it finishes in first place, but Australia, Argentina and Fiji are all still in the mix for the top hardware as well.
As the tournament approaches, let’s take a look at five players that could dictate the action in Dignity Health Sports Park:
Terry Kennedy, Ireland
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Ireland isn’t in a position to take home any hardware from the series (5th place with 92 points), but Terry Kennedy has enjoyed a great run in 2021-22 as the nation makes their way up in the rugby world.
Kennedy trails only Australia’s Dietrich Roache in points scored with 235, but leads the series in tries scored with 47. He also has 35 clean breaks, good for second. He has a tremendous knack of getting past the goal posts to earn points, and if Ireland hopes to finish in the top three in Los Angeles, Kennedy must continue his fine form. Ireland’s best finish in 2021-22 was second place in the Toulouse Sevens, which was two tournaments ago.
Dietrich Roache, Australia
Sports
In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
Only one player leads the 2021-22 Series in points scored and conversions after tries: Dietrich Roache from Australia. Roache has scored 280 points to go with 92 conversions, which are both extremely dominant, since the player with the second-highest points total has 235 and the second-highest conversions has 69.
The Wallabies won the last series tournament in London and are two points off South Africa for the series title. If there’s one person who can lead Australia to their first ever championship in the Sevens Series, it’s Roache. Corey Toole, Roache’s teammate, will also play an imperative part in trying to achieve that feat.
Steve Tomasin, USA
Like Ireland, USA cannot win any hardware from the series as it sits in sixth place with 84 points. The team has only finished in a top-three spot once in 2021-22, which was in the first tournament in Dubai.
If the U.S. wants to win a medal on home soil, Steve Tomasin must sustain his elite play. The 27-year-old is third in points scored with 218 and second in conversions with 69. Teammate Kevon Williams has also been great (fourth in tries scored but will miss this tournament), but Tomasin’s prowess at getting points on the board from tough angles will be pivotal.
Corey Toole, Australia
With players like Selvyn Davids of South Africa and Marcos Moneta of Australia late scratches from their respective squads, the door is wide open for Australia to take home the gold – and the series title. Along with Roache, Toole has been having an impressive series.
Toole is second among all players in tries scored in 2021-22 (38), trailing only Ireland’s Kennedy, and he’s sixth among all players in points scored with 190. The Aussies have to go all out and run up the score on their opponents to optimize their winning potential, and Toole has proven he can do that in bunches.
Jerry Tuwai, Fiji
The Flying Fijians haven’t performed anywhere near their best in 2021-22 (missing tournaments due to COVID-19 restrictions also played a factor), but there’s no denying the attention that Tuwai will command when he takes the field.
The 33-year-old Tuwai, who is the only rugby sevens player in history with two Olympic gold medals, has been in and out of the lineups due to injuries, but he’s on the squad for Los Angeles and will need to help teammates like Waisea Nacuqu and Viwa Naduvalo put points on the board. His passing and link-up play will also be vital for a team that is historically great in those categories, but have clearly missed what he brings to the pitch as those areas have not been so clean lately.
Honorable mentions
Henry Hutchinson, Australia
Waisea Nacuqu, Fiji
Siviwe Soyizwapi, South Africa
