New Zealand will not participate in the World Championships in Malaga and Seville

New Zealand national rugby team 7 men and women, current world championsYou will not participate in the stages of the World Championships that will be hosted At the end of January Malaga and SevilleDue to the difficulty of travel imposed by the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in your country.

Las “Black Ferns”, who also won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, Belgium will replace its place in the women’s draw, while Germany will replace the “Black Sevens” in the men’s tournament, silver medalists in the Japanese capital last summer.

The absence of the two New Zealand national teams He did not participate for the same reason In a round of two championships that opened the season in November On Dobby (United Arab Emirates), had to restructure the groups of the Malaga stage that will take place between January 21 and 23.

In the Women’s competitionBelgium will merge Spain Group A, along with Australia and Ireland. The United States, Canada, Fiji and Poland make up the second group. In the third group participate France, Russia, Brazil and England.

Germany joins Group B in the men’s competition, in which Australia, Japan and Ireland will compete; Spain will not suffer changes in its calendar, as it remains in the C with Argentina, the United States and Samoa; South Africa, England, Scotland and Fiji make up Group A, while France, Kenya, Canada and Wales make up Group D.