Hamilton’s third performance on the Sevens world stage has seen another stellar weekend of sport in the city.
The city’s FMG Stadium Waikato hosted the HSBC New Zealand Sevens over 25 and 26 January.
This year’s event saw the first fully integrated men’s and women’s tournament in New Zealand, with the women’s final won by New Zealand’s Black Ferns Sevens, while the men’s final was won by New Zealand’s All Blacks Sevens team. The Kiwis were able to continue their great form with another series win on the back of their last round wins in South Africa.
An electric atmosphere greeted thousands of Sevens fans the moment they entered the stadium gates. There were carnival rides, food trucks, cocktail and craft beer bars, promotional events and entertainment from popular New Zealand music acts Mitch James, JessB and Sons of Zion.
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate says the event was another demonstration of the world-class venue, the commitment of staff who run it – and the positive collaboration between H3 Group, Hamilton City Council, New Zealand Rugby and events company 37 South.
“Once again, Hamilton has really turned on a phenomenal event. We’ve held another outstanding HSBC New Zealand Sevens tournament in our great river city.”
“The city has come alive this weekend with a fabulous, family-friendly atmosphere. It’s great for our local community, fantastic for visitors to see Hamilton in top form, and provides an economic boost to hoteliers, retailers and restaurant owners. I’m very proud of the city,” says Mayor Southgate.
HSBC New Zealand Sevens General Manager Steve Dunbar said the intensity of the respective finals had been a fitting finale.
“We had 18,000 on Saturday, and nearly 20,000 on Sunday, near-perfect weather and two extremely popular champions who had to really fight hard for their titles, so we couldn’t have asked for much more.”
37 South Managing Director and co-promoter Dallas Fisher said the past three years had showed the value of catering to a wide variety of event goers.
“What a fitting way to cap off three incredibly successful events in Hamilton. We’ve had the support of the city and the community all the way and we can’t wait to come back in 2022. We know we can deliver big events well and this will give us confidence to relook at what works well and then take the event to the next level.”
Full results for the 2020 HSBC New Zealand Sevens can be found here.
