27 April
SA Sevens to face Wales in opener
South Africa Sevens will start their London Sevens Tournament with their opening match against RWC Sevens winners Wales.
The top seeded Springbok Sevens and Wales will play each other in the opening match of the London Sevens as Paul Treu’s side look to take a step closer to their first ever IRB Sevens World Series crown.
The two-day tournament in England is the penultimate tournament fixture on the World Series calendar. The popular Series ends a week later when Edinburgh play host to rugby’s Sevens stars.
South Africa has won three tournaments so far this season and they will be in action in three matches on the first day. The Springbok Sevens take on Wales in Pool A, followed by Germany and tackle Australia in their final fixture on day one.
Paul Treu’s team retained their Adelaide Sevens crown in their last outing, a result which stretched their overall lead over second placed England (76 points) to 28 points.
Hong Kong winners Fiji will face the much-improved Kenya side in Pool C, who will be buoyed by their first ever Series Cup final appearance in Adelaide. The USA and Scotland make up the rest of the pool.
RWC Sevens runners-up Argentina are the top-seeds in Group D and faces tough opposition in defending Series champions New Zealand, while Portugal and Canada completes the final pool pairing.
“Wales have done very well recently and it will not surprise me at all if they recall most of their RWC Sevens winners for the last two tournaments,” explains Treu.
”Australia has also improved with every tournament this season and they finished as pool leaders for the first time recently in Adelaide. Germany is a bit of an unknown quantity but the competitive nature of Sevens is such that you cannot underestimate any of the teams,” added Treu.
IRB Sevens Manager Beth Coalter said rugby enthusiasts can expect another exciting tournament in London: “Right from the first tournament in Dubai last November it was clear that the 10th year of the Series was going to be hugely competitive. With London kicking off the last two tournaments this year and a bumper crowd expected, the scene is set for an incredible climax to the Series.”
The Springbok Sevens team is currently busy with preparations for the last two tournaments at their base camp in Stellenbosch and the squad leaves on May 16 for London.
Source + Pic: sarugby.co.za
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