Today, on the eve of the Series opener, a joint announcement took place in Dubai between the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and TAG Heuer to herald their new partnership and the appointment of the Swiss Avant Garde watch brand as the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the entire Series.

The agreement was announced by Marc Biver, Global Sports Director for TAG Heuerand Agustin Pichot,World Rugby Vice Chairman at a press conference held at the Jumeirah Al Qasr hotel in the presence of five legends of Rugby Sevens: KarlTenana, Rob Vickerman, Julien Candelon, Vincent Inigo, Lewis Holland. Following the press conference, the stars waited, shirts in hand, to greet seven young players from the Dubai Rugby League to take part in a TAG Heuer Rugby Challenge on a giant target in the shape of the Carrera Heuer 01 chronograph, as a prelude to the 2016-17 Series. TAG Heuer used the occasion to donate USD 10,000 to the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.

The relationship between TAG Heuer and the World Rugby Sevens was forged in 2015, with an initial partnership for the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Tournament. The successful event and the excellent business it generated encouraged TAG Heuer to intensify its profile in the world of rugby and strengthen its links with the Rugby Sevens, and it will enjoy a global Rugby Sevens presence from 1st December 2016.

In terms of visibility, the watch brand will be represented in all the strategic locations involved in the competition. On TV screens TAG Heuer will countdown viewers to each match kick off, half time, second half and full time. On big screens in the stadium, counting down to kick off, on field perimeter hoardings and LED screens around the pitch inside the stadium. TAG will also have a presence on the podiums and backdropsduring interviews. Rugby Sevens, a more competitive and physical discipline than 15-a-side rugby, is in perfect harmony with the #DontCrackUnderPressure spirit of TAG Heuer. The motto will be the guiding principle behind TAG Heuer operations throughout the season.

About the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series

The competition starts on 1st December 2016 with 10 Tournaments in 10 different countries across 5 of the 6 continents. Created in 1999, originally to develop an elite competition between the various nations, the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is a Series of international Rugby Sevens Tournaments. They take place annually in the form of a Cup comprising 16 national teams, in four pools of four teams. Each match has two 7-minute halves with a minute break at half time. The season starts at the beginning of December and runs through to the end of May. The destinations for the 2016-17 Series are Dubai, Cape Town, Wellington, Sydney, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris and London.

The qualifying teams for the 2016-17 Series are: South Africa, England, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Scotland, USA, Fiji, France, Wales, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Russia and Samoa.

The HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series is also growing from strength to strength, particularly after the success of the 2016 Olympic Games, with six Tournaments being competed during the 2016/17 Series. The teams will travel to destinations such as Kitakyushu in Japan, Langford in Canada and Clermont-Ferrand in France, as well as linking up with the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai, Sydney and Las Vegas.

The qualifying teams for the 2016-17 Series are: Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, Spain and USA.