The Lady Cranes finished in 7th place in the Krakow Sevens, defeating Paraguay 35-5 in the 7th place playoff game. The Lady Cranes started the weekend in fourth but had a disappointing run, losing to Argentina and Paraguay in the pool stage and then falling to China in the quarter-finals, which dropped them to sixth in the standings.
China had an impressive run in the women’s World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024, beating hosts Poland 36-0 in the Krakow final to win their third straight tournament. They secured their place in the HSBC SVNS Play-off tournament by qualifying for the quarter-finals on day one. China will be joined in Madrid by Argentina, Belgium, and Poland.
Many fans in Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium hoped to see a home title, but China proved why they have been the top team in the 2024 Challenger series, losing only one of their 17 matches across Dubai, Montevideo, and Krakow before the final. Despite losing in the final, Poland’s second place lifted them to fourth in the overall standings, securing their spot in Madrid in two weeks.
Kenya, with a lower points difference compared to Poland, needed a big win in the bronze final in Krakow to get the last ticket to Madrid. However, Belgium claimed their second consecutive bronze medal by defeating Kenya 26-7.
The pools for the HSBC SVNS Play-offs in Madrid are set: China and Poland will compete with Japan and Spain in Pool A, while Argentina and Belgium will face Brazil and South Africa in Pool B.
