Dubai Rugby Sevens pools announced

Dubai: The International Rugby Board (IRB) has confirmed the pools for the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, which will be staged at The Sevens Stadium from December 4-6.

The event will feature the second round of the men’s HSBC Sevens World Series, and the first round of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series, both of which will be hugely significant for all teams with the battle for Olympic spots heating up. At the end of the 2014/15 World Series, the top four finishers in both the men’s and women’s series’ will qualify directly for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In the men’s draw, top seeds Fiji, who won the Dubai leg last year and defeated Samoa to win this year’s first round of the men’s HSBC Sevens World Series on Australia’s Gold Coast on 12 October, have been drawn alongside Argentina, France and Brazil. Fiji will be the favourites in the men’s draw after romping to the Gold Coast title despite fielding as many as four debutantes in the side that beat Samoa 31-24 in the final. Fiji are in fine form after also defeating New Zealand to win the Oceania Sevens at the beginning of October.

Samoa, victors in Dubai in 2012, head Pool B where their biggest opponents will be New Zealand, who have stumbled early in their quest to retain the overall men’s HSBC Sevens World Series title. The All Blacks Sevens were beaten 31-7 by England in the Gold Coast quarter-finals, but recovered their poise to win the Plate title. Scotland and Asian Games gold-medalists Japan are the other two teams in this pool.

England, who finished fourth in the Series last year, head Pool C where their toughest opponents appear to be Australia. Gold Coast Bowl division winners USA and Round 1 Shield runners-up Kenya round off what could be one of the toughest pools in Dubai.