Six months after winning back the IRB Sevens World Series crown, New Zealand has been named top seed at the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens, the first event of the 2007/08 season which kicks off on November 30 2007.
The Exiles Rugby ground in Dubai is once again set to be a sell-out crowd
as arguably the most competitive ever 16-team international field battles it out
for the first Cup title of the series, won in December 2006 by South Africa.
At the recent IRB Awards New Zealand was named Sevens Team of the Year, with the Player of the Year accolade going to Afeleke Pelenise, whose incisive pace proved the difference in allowing the Kiwis to overhaul Fiji in the very last game of the 2006/07 Series and win back the title. Their reward now is a tough opening pool in Dubai against a constantly improving Scotland side, the unpredictability of France and the hosts Arabian Gulf.
Second seed Fiji tops Pool B and also has a mountain to climb. No fewer than 16 former Sevens Series players were in the Argentina Rugby World Cup squad that finished third in France and the Pumas will be looking to capitalise on the current rugby boom with further success. Australia overcame Fiji in Dubai last year and again faces them on the opening day, while Zimbabwe has impressed time and again at this level.
Samoa finally broke into the big time last season with first-ever Series Cup titles in Wellington and Hong Kong. It too was still capable of capturing the Series on the final day, eventually finishing a creditable third. Top of Pool C in Dubai, it faces Wales, named as a 'core' team at all eight events this season, Kenya, who reached a first-ever semi final last season in Adelaide, and the USA, whose preparations started last weekend in Singapore.
After winning the Dubai title last year to race into an early Series lead, South Africa finished the season in fourth place and head Pool D as number four seed. It will face England, traditionally strong and well-supported in Dubai, series ever-presents Canada and Tunisia, another constantly improving African nation.
"We couldn't have wished for a better-written script last year," said IRB Tournament Director Beth Coalter.
"For the whole Series to hinge on the last match of the last event was incredible and really sums up the excitement and thrill that international Sevens consistently delivers.
"This year's Rugby World Cup was the best yet and it is worth noting that 26% of the 600 players taking part had played in the IRB Sevens World Series," Coalter added. "Take away certain positions in the forward pack who are less cut out for Sevens and that figure rises easily over the 50% mark.
“The nature of the game means that the players learn how to operate in space, to read play, improve defensively and in their decision making. Sevens is developing a lot of the best players in world Rugby and it's also often the first place that people get to see them.
