• • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Reddit
  • Stumble Upon
  • Furl

Samoa will start the defence of their World Series crown when the 2010/11 international season kicks-off tomorrow in Dubai. 

The newly named HSBC Sevens World Series will feature 16 teams in the usual four pools of four on the opening day's play of the event which will come to a close on Saturday night.

Sixty-four players are making their HSBC Sevens World Series debuts at the event with new stars set to be unveiled.

The Samoans preparations have been hampered with Mikaele Pesamino, Lolo Lui, Afa Aiono, Fautua Otto and Ofisa Treviranus all joining the squad late in Dubai having been away with the Samoan national side for six weeks.

The inclusion of last year’s leading try-scorer Pesamino is a major fillip for coach Stephen Betham. Pesamino has to sit an English exam in January as part of his application for a work visa to join Sale Sharks, and is not able to play for the English side in the meantime – allowing him to participate in the first two legs of the season for the Samoans.

The islanders will first Wales first up before playing hosts Arabian Gulf and Kenya later in the day in Pool A. 

Defending Dubai champions New Zealand come into Dubai with great confidence following October’s Commonwealth Games gold in Delhi. A new-look team, coached by maestro Gordon Tietjens, face USA, Argentina and Zimbabwe in Pool B.

Tietjens has been at the New Zealand helm since the mid-nineties and requires just three more victories for an incredible 500 wins at full international tournaments.

Australia made the biggest breakthrough last year winning their first tournament (London) for eight years and picking up silver in the Commonwealth Games. A fresh and young squad will clash with Scotland and the ever-improving Russians in their opening two games of the day in Pool C.

They then face a mouth-watering tie with 2008 IRB Sevens champions South Africa on the final fixture of what is set to be a pulsating day’s pool play.

England are hotly anticipated to deliver in Dubai as the only side to boast 12 players in their squad who have played previously at this level. Backed by the usual pro-English partisan crowd, they will be tested by the always-dangerous Fiji in Pool D with a solid Portugal outfit and France completing the line-up.

Dubai Sevens Pools:

Pool A: Samoa, Wales, Kenya, Arabian Gulf
Pool B: New Zealand, United States, Argentina, Zimbabwe
Pool C: Australia, Scotland, South Africa, Russia
Pool D: Fiji, Portugal, England, France

Previous winners of Dubai leg:

2009/10: New Zealand
2008/09: South Africa
2007/08: New Zealand
2006/07: New Zealand
2005/06: South Africa
2004/05: England
2003/04: England
2002/03: South Africa
2001/02: New Zealand
2000/01: no winner
1999/2000: New Zealand
1998/99: New Zealand