Jeddah, crippled beyond recognition by the new regulations for admission into the tournament and work obligations were roundly trounced by a very confident and coordinated Lanka Lions 33-0. Two converted tries in the first half and three tries, one converted, in the second piled on the points on Jeddah who had to draw heavily on pool players. As is always the case, operating with new and unknown players is a risk as the team is more of an assembly than coordinated group.

The Riyadh Warriors took on Fujairah RFC in a scrappy and lumbering game. Fujairah, clearly fitter and more practiced did not play their best but it was enough to knock over the Warriors. Fujairah shut down set pieces, headed off any coordinated phases of attack and generally shut the Warriors in their own half do much of the game. A final minute try preserved a sense of decency for the Warriors who trailed in 20 points to 5. There were some bright moments  - a couple of breakout runs and individual muscle especially in the scrum, but on their first showing the Warriors showed that there is a long way to go in fitness and skills training.

It was left to the Riyadh Falcons, who played the Dubai Exiles II, to bring home the honors of the opening rounds.  In what looked like a training game, the Falcons looked like a practiced team with very decent individual skills and a display of teamwork that rocked Dubai from the start. By halftime, it was all over bar the shouting and the second half added another platter of points to pile up a 31-3 victory.

The second outing by the Warriors provided livelier interest with the team drawing on its reserve players. Opponents Dubai Hurricanes 3 meted out severe lesson in tactics, strength speed and skills cruising effortlessly to a 39-5 pounding of the Warriors. Friday  the Warriors  take on Sharjah Wanderers for their final test.

A refreshed and much tighter playing Jeddah team took on the Muscat 2 and were unrecognizable as the slow and disjointed team of the morning's round. Despite some rather boisterous play by Muscat that saw a couple of interesting tackles, Jeddah prevailed 26-10 and bring them on Friday to face the Multiplex Maurauders.

The difficulties caused by the new residency regulations that hit the Saudi teams transferred itself to the Sevens ground on Thursday. Finding and co-opting pool players to join the team was, said Scott MaCarthy, something of a nightmare. The player registration tent according to several players was chaos and the formalities took up to 90 minutes, perilously close to trapping players and causing them to miss their early games.

Thursday is the first day of the international matches and start of this year's round of World Sevens Series matches. It is the least predictable Dubai Sevens for years with many of the top teams fielding new faces. Surprises are certain and both players and coaches are being particularly coy about their team's chances.

What is certain however is that it will be a spectacular festival of sevens rugby.