The HSBC Sevens World Series, previously known as the IRB Sevens World Series, consists of nine tournaments held around the world between October and May.

National Sevens teams compete for World Series points at each round, with winners in the Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield crowned at each location.

An overall HSBC Sevens World Series champion is crowned at the of the season based on points accumulated throughout the nine events.

There are 15 'core' teams who participate at each round of the Series and, starting from 2012/13 there is to be promotion and relegation from this status, with a pre-qualifier in Hong Kong and a final Series core team qualification event held in London, alongside the final round of the HSBC Sevens World Series.

The 2011/12 World Series winners and reigning champions are New Zealand, who have won the Series 10 times in all. The other Series winners have been Fiji (2005/06), South Africa (2008/09) and Samoa (2009/10).

For more information on the HSBC Sevens World Series, please refer to www.irbsevens.com.