This comes in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic, and while some countries are playing rugby again, travel restrictions remain a major stumbling block.

The decision was taken to call off remaining tournaments that would have been contested in Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris and London.

It is a double-whammy for New Zealand as they have been awarded both the men’s and women’s title by virtue of being the log-leaders on both tours.

The 2018 champions, South Africa, are the runners up in the men’s series, followed by the 2019 and Olympic champions Fiji in third.

Chairman of World Rugby, Bill Beaumont, said that it was not an easy decision to take but the health and wellbeing of the rugby community and wider society remains the number one priority.

“While it is very disappointing for players, fans, organisers and everyone involved to have to cancel these events due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the health and well-being of the rugby community and wider society remains the number one priority.

“These difficult decisions have been taken following detailed consultation with our union partners and in line with advice from the various government and public health agencies around the world, given the global nature of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

“Rugby sevens is a key driver of global growth for our sport, particularly in emerging nations, and it firmly remains a top priority for our organisation. As we begin to see light at the end of the tunnel, 2021 has the potential to be a very exciting year for rugby sevens with the Tokyo Olympic Games on the horizon.

“Congratulations to New Zealand on being awarded both the women’s and men’s Series titles following their outstanding and consistent performances prior to the onset of the pandemic, and to Japan for being crowned champions of the inaugural Challenger Series and securing a core place on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2021.”

The 2019/20 season was an important one as it meant that Olympic qualifying was up for grabs, but the seedings for the global showpiece in Japan will be adapted to include the results of the 2020/21 season.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport