New Zealand were officially crowned World Series Sevens men and women’s champions for 2020 on Tuesday. World Rugby said that there was no way to complete the schedule due to the ongoing global pandemic.
With four rounds left on the circuit, New Zealand were sitting pretty on 115 points. Their closest rivals in second place, South Africa, had 104 points.
The very nature of the Sevens format means some fans – especially South Africans – will feel somewhat irked by the decision. New Zealand were in red hot form right out of the blocks in the 2020 season and won the crunch clashes when it mattered, evidenced by the fact that they dominate the team stats for points, tries and conversions scored this season.
Individually, though, it’s a much different picture – in the men’s tournament at least. One of the most exciting parts of the 2020 World Series Sevens was the narrowing of the gap between the usual suspects and the individuals who dazzled with their pizzazz. Some might argue to the detriment of their team in some instances.
Nevertheless, the variety of nationalities in the individual stats ladders bodes well for future seasons… if there ever will be such a thing again.
In fact, the only individual metric where a New Zealand player features in the top five for the 2020 World Series stats is for most tackles.
At a glance: World Series Sevens top stats 2020
More stats and a breakdown including the players’ countries follow below the graphics.
World Series Sevens 2020: Most points
| Napolioni Bolaca | Fiji | 159 |
| Jordan Conroy | Ireland | 150 |
| Nathan Hirayama | Canada | 141 |
| Lewis Holland | Australia | 125 |
| Waisea Nacuqu | Fiji | 124 |
World Series Sevens 2020: Most tries
| Jordan Conroy | Ireland | 30 |
| Carlin Isles | USA | 22 |
| Aminiasi Tuimaba | Fiji | 20 |
| Perry Baker | USA | 19 |
| Terry Kennedy | Ireland | 17 |
World Series Sevens 2020: Most conversions
| Lewis Holland | Australia | 50 |
| Billy Dardis | Ireland | 49 |
| Nathan Hirayama | Canada | 43 |
| Santiago Mare | Argentina | 43 |
| Napolioni Bolaca | Fiji | 42 |
World Series Sevens 2020: Most tackles
| Paulin Riva | France | 64 |
| Elisapeta Alofipo | Samoa | 51 |
| Sam Dickson | New Zealand | 50 |
| Phil Burgess | England | 50 |
| Vilimoni Botitu | Fiji | 48 |