Friday 1st May marked the first edition of the Monaco Sevens at Stade Prince Héréditaire Jacques. The event, organised by the Monégasque Rugby Federation (FMR) and AS Monaco Rugby, with the support of the Fondation Princesse Charlène de Monaco, proved to be a great success, with a lively atmosphere maintained throughout the day.
Tournament director Nicolas Bonnet told Monaco Life, “It was important to offer an international tournament, especially for the French teams, as there is no elite circuit existing here.”
The international competition brought together 16 teams competing across the Elite Men’s, Open Men’s, and women’s tournament. Bonnet emphasised the importance of maintaining the traditional sevens format of 25 games played in one day.
The Open Men’s tournament saw an impressive performance by the home team FMR, who shut out the Dolphin Sevens in a 45-0 game, followed by another 40-0 victory over the Bakis Sevens. FMR ended the day with a 40-12 win over RC Digne.
Local women’s team UMUSA was defeated 27-19 by the Polish national team in the final. Earlier in the day, UMUSA had defeated both Italian side I Pretoriani and Georgia. Princess Charlene was also present and met with the team before their final match.
In the Elite Men’s competition, Monaco’s Impis lost their first match to UAE Shaheen, but bounced back to defeat both the Wombats and Seven Landes.
To kick off the Elite Men’s final competition and close out the sporting portion of the day, Princess Charlene, FMR player Ilona Brunel, and Olympic champion Antoine Zeghdar performed the ceremonial opening kick-off.
The award ceremony later celebrated FMR and the Polish women’s team, who received their trophies from John Scott, CEO of Neviswave, the main sponsor of the Monaco Sevens, and Antoine Zeghdar.
The day concluded with an emotional tribute to the late French rugby player Christophe Dominici, in the presence of his family. Trophies for best men’s and women’s player were presented by Loretta Denaaro, Dominici’s wife, and her two daughters, Kiara and Mya, alongside Matthieu Lartot, a leading commentator for French national rugby matches.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene later joined players on the pitch to present awards to the Seventise team, winners of the Elite Men’s final. “Their presence changes everything in terms of prestige,” said Bonnet. “It was a great honor for the teams to meet them.”
It all amounted to a beautiful day along the Riviera, as sun, sport, and music created a lively atmosphere from start to finish. With nearly 10,000 views on the FMR YouTube channel, organisers confirmed that a second edition will take place next year.
Monaco Life was there! See more in our video below…
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Featured Photo Credit: Palais Princier / Frédéric Nebinger