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DUBAI, UAE - 30th November 2011 – The stage is set and the teams are ready for tomorrow morning’s Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens kick off.

Thousands of fans are expected to converge on 7he Sevens for what promises to be an exceptional three days of entertainment as 16 international men’s sides and eight international women’s teams, as well as more than 160 Invitation sides, battle it out.

Heading the charge will be defending HSBC Sevens World Series champions New Zealand who have won an incredible nine Series titles in the last 12 seasons.

“We have a couple of new faces but we also have a lot of the experienced guys coming back,” said New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens. “It’s a real challenge playing three weekends in a row but we’re looking forward to playing in Dubai. It’s my favourite destination. I have a lot of friends here and love coming to Dubai,” he added.

Also keen to get their hands on some more silverware following their memorable victory in Dubai last year will be England, who finished third in the Series last season.

“I'm confident we will be better than we were last season,” said England coach Ben Ryan. “That doesn't necessarily mean we'll do better because the opposition will improve too. But we've adjusted a lot of what we're going to do on the field, so there will be some surprises for the opposition. We're confident but also aware there are some outstanding teams that we'll do well to compete with,” added Ryan.

Also determined to put in a good performance are the United Arab Emirates, who will be competing in the tournament for the first time. “Playing against the best professional teams in the world is going to be a massive challenge but our guys are really looking forward to having this opportunity and learning from it,” said UAE coach Wayne Marsters whose team’s participation in the event is made that much more significant by the fact they will make their debut on the 40th anniversary of UAE National Day.

Meanwhile, more history will be made as the first ever IRB-sanctioned women’s event kicks off as part of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens. Eight international women’s sides will contest the inaugural IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup.

Speaking at the pre-tournament press conference today, Gary Chapman, President Emirates Group Services & dnata, said: “With rugby fever still gripping the globe as New Zealand celebrates winning the IRB Rugby World Cup, which Emirates was proud to be a Worldwide Partner of – this year’s tournament promises to be particularly special.”

“This heightened level of passion for rugby – combined with celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of UAE National Day – should result in an unforgettable carnival atmosphere to rank alongside the best we have seen at 7he Sevens,” he added. “It is a tremendous honour for the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens to host the inaugural IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup and great news for spectators who will be able to see the best players in the world in action.”

While the teams are providing entertainment on the pitch, there will be a variety of other fun activities on offer in the rugby village area with something for everyone.

Tickets will be on sale at the gate from Thursday. Thursday is free entry and children under the age of 12 enter free of charge on all three days, provided they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

As in previous years, numerous buses will be on duty to transport fans from 7heSevens back to locations across Dubai, free of charge. These locations include: Dubai Media City, Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City (family drop-off points), Barasti, Nezesaussi (Old Town), Irish Village, Chi @ The Lodge and more. Buses will start from 5pm on December 1st and 6pm on December 2nd-3rd and will run on a continuous loop until 12 midnight.

For more information on the tournament, log on to: www.dubairugby7s.com



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