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The pools and schedule for the first event of the IRB Sevens World Series 2009, the Dubai Sevens, have been announced today.

World Series champions South Africa will kick off the new season by defending the first tournament they won last year.

The Dubai Sevens is taking place on the 4-5 December and is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

South Africa start as the top seeds in an ultra-competitive international draw, which features 16 nations from five different continents.

They face men's Sevens World Champions Wales, as well as Australia and the hosts Arabian Gulf, in Pool A.

Fiji line up as second seeds in Pool B and face the team that beat them in the the recent Mini Pacific Games, Samoa, as well as Namibia Sevens finalists Zimbabwe and Scotland.

England, runners-up here last year, top Pool C and face a tough test against Kenya at the end of day 1 as well as tackling USA and European champions Russia.

Eight-time World Series winners New Zealand start as fourth seeds and face three competitive matches in Pool D against the Pumas of Argentina and the dual European challenge of France and Portugal.

This year for the first time, women's rugby took centre stage alongside the men's game at the Rugby World Cup Sevens and, following on from that success, a strong international field has entered the women's tournament in Dubai.

The national sides from Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, Spain, USA, Russia and Georgia will all do battle for the Dubai title.

"The IRB Sevens World Series continues to go from strength to strength, attracting record levels of travelling fans and broadcast coverage each year and the popular Dubai event has been a major factor in that success," said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

"At a time when Sevens is reaching out for Olympic Games inclusion, the interest in the Series has never been higher thanks to the performances of Kenya, Argentina, USA and Russia in recent years. The Series truly is a global festival of world class Rugby."

Dubai Sevens Pools:

Pool A - South Africa, Australia, Wales, Arabian Gulf

Pool B - Fiji, Samoa,  Zimbabwe, Scotland

Pool C - England, Kenya, USA, Russia

Pool D - New Zealand, Argentina, France, Portugal

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