JEDDAH: The 40th annual Dubai based round of the International Rugby Board seven-a-side rugby series bursts onto the Gulf sporting scene on Dec. 3. The Dubai 7s will have a new and powerful motivator to all out performance for the participating teams this year after the selection of seven-a-side rugby for inclusion as an Olympic sport for 2016.
The speed and tightness of the game and its short duration — seven minutes a half and 10 for a final — encourages exciting action. It also requires that a team never relaxes during the game as a single missed pass or interception can mean a winning try that comes out of nowhere for a team considered in the rankings as underdog.
The pressure is on the younger and first-time players to prove themselves this year with the promise of the Olympics seven years down the road.
In this 40th year there has been a record entry apart from the 16 international teams. A record 161 teams of all skill levels have entered, a validation of the increasing popularity of the sport.
And there are scores to settle. Fiji wants its title back having been beaten by England on the first day last year and handed a quarterfinal victory to a blisteringly fast Kenya in the World Cup quarterfinals in March this year.
Fiji have been drawn in Pool B along with Samoa, Scotland and Zimbabwe. They will be playing in the opening game of the IRB Sevens World Series, on Friday, Dec. 5 against Scotland. “Preparations have been fairly intensive. We’ve selected a strong team that we’re hopeful can deliver in Dubai,” said team coach Iliesa Tanivula.
England, with three key players out injured, reached the final and lost in a last gasp try from the formidable Ryno Benjamin to give South Africa the title.
Having completely dominated eight of the first 10 seasons of the IRB Sevens World Series, the New Zealand team had a rather disappointing 2008/2009 season, first losing out to England in the semifinal in Dubai last year and then going on to finish fourth in the overall season standings.
They will be in Dubai determined to take the title; the last time they won in Dubai was 1998.
New Zealand has been grouped together with Rugby World Cup Sevens finalists Argentina as well as Portugal and France in Pool D for the opening leg of the series in Dubai, which their legendary coach Gordon Tietjens believes is wide open.
“The series will be more competitive than ever with the likes of South Africa, Fiji, England, Samoa, Kenya, Argentina and even Scotland all fielding quality sides,” said Tietjens
For this year’s beaten Rugby Sevens World Cup finalists Argentina, it is a case of starting over again with a virtually untried new team.
The Argentineans took the Rugby World Cup Sevens by storm in March, defeating title favorites South Africa in the quarterfinal stage and then with their aggressive tackling and agile running, getting the better of Kenya to reach the final, where they were eventually turned over by the victorious Welsh side.
The South Americans paid the price for their outstanding display; four of the players from that side were snapped up by the national 15s team. They have to concentrate on rebuilding the team for the 2016 Olympics to be held on their continent.
“Argentina’s goal is to finish in the top five at season’s end which given that we are starting a new team will be hard. We always start a tournament with the goal of reaching the Cup, and that is our initial aim in Dubai,” he added.
The Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union has announced its representative side to compete this year. The new coach, Shane ‘Junior’ Thornton announced the squads and noted that over half of the men’s squad played in the Rugby World Cup Sevens in March. However, the captaincy has changed hands with the Gulf side being led out this time by Australian, Sean Hurley.
He will be joined in the lineup by World Cup Sevens teammates, Marcus Smith, Josh Sherrin, Stephen Cooper and Chris Gregory. Jonny McDonald is making the trip back from his university studies to play with his old teammates.Thornton has also brought in some young blood, Khaled Helal, after his impressive international debut with the 15s side in the Asian 5 Nations, as well as former Gloucester centre, Duncan Murray.
“All the players are motivated and ready for the upcoming competition. They’ve been turning up at training with an open and positive attitude and I’m pleased to say that I have seen developments in both individual players and the team as a whole.”
Playing in what is surely the toughest pool, consisting of the reigning Sevens World Cup holders Wales, the current IRB Sevens World Series champions, South Africa and Australia, many would see this as a mountain to climb for the team of amateurs, but not Thornton. “It’s a challenge and we see it as such, they are all extremely talented sides; but we’ll focus on one game at a time!”
The Dubai 7s open for the club rounds on Thursday Dec. 3, with the international days and club semifinals and finals on Dec. 4 and 5.
