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This weekend’s fourth leg of the IRB Sevens World Series in America has more than one reason to get the juices flowing.

Not only is it there a microscope on what Las Vegas can add to the circuit after the move from San Diego but, following the Wellington Sevens last weekend, Sevens once again showed its beauty.

Fiji were crowned champions, making the race for first place open again and Canada surprised all before them by making the Cup quarter finals in their first appearance of the season.

Every team will want to claim some all important points with the half way point dawning and many questions will be answered. Will South Africa lose another Plate final, can Wales break into the Cup quarters or will Argentina reclaim the title they won so dramatically last year? 

Pool A

New Zealand headline Pool A at the Sam Boyd Stadium, with Australia their biggest rivals having won two Plate finals including at last weekend's Wellington Sevens.

Australian skipper Pat McCutcheon, however, believes this weekend could see them progress further in the Cup competition.

Whilst the Australians are proud of their two Plate trophies, they are eager to improve on their Series best result of fifth.

“Our next team goal is to try and make the Cup semi-finals in Vegas, obviously we need to win the Cup quarter-final, which has proved difficult in the past,” McCutcheon said.

“If we can take the necessary steps forward, hopefully we’ll see the Australian team in the Cup final.”
 

France, Wellington’s Bowl finalists, and Guyana, making their first appearance of the season, complete the pool.

Pool B

South Africa possibly faces their toughest test so far this season in a fiercely competitive Pool B.

Smarting from three lost Plate finals, Treu’s side open their campaign against the hosts, USA, before taking on last weekend’s surprise package Canada who will want to show it wasn’t just a one off.

All of this before facing the new team to beat and Wellington champions, Fiji, who have beaten South Africa in all three of their Cup quarter finals this season.

But the Springboks may take a slightly different tactical approach this weekend, with the pitch being 63 metres in width instead of 70, something which could suit Treu’s side more direct approach.

“We’ve been struggling to score, despite dominating possession and territory in all our tournaments thus far. We’re now thinking of playing a more direct game,” said Treu.

“We haven’t got the speed to go around the outside such as teams like Fiji, and it is now a matter of identifying or creating space closer to the phase facets.”

Pool C

Last weekend’s finalist Samoa, who sit third in the log head Pool C, with Kenya, Scotland and Chile completing the line up.

It will be many of the player’s first times in Las Vegas, including Kenya’s speedster Collins Injera, but it is expected there will be a huge Kenyan fan base too.

“This is beautiful, I am amazed, it is my first time in Vgeas,” Injera told the IRB.

“This weekend we have a tricky pool. We will take it one step at a time, tackling the pool first, before Day two playing our hearts out for the Cup.

“Actually there is going to be a huge Kenyan fan base here. We are expecting a great support as they are coming in their numbers. As a team we don’t want to disappoint them and give them what they want. I know the boys, we are ready to do this,” added Injera.

Newcomers Chile will face an uphill task to make inroads into the tournament, but as Canada demonstrated last week, anything is possible.

“All the groups are tough ones, there are no easy games. We are amongst the bottom teams here and we just need to fight,” said coach Edmundo Olfos.

“I remember us beating Kenya in 2004 in Los Angeles but they are a different side now and Samoa come here with confidence after a good weekend in Wellington. Scotland can be an inconsistent side and we need to be able to be ready if they slip up.”

Pool D

The current USA Sevens champions Argentina haven’t had the best of preparations for their defence, having not even qualified for the Cup quarter finals in Wellington.

Having said that, Argentina’s Santiago Gomez Cora, believes due to the new location of the USA Sevens they won’t be seen as defending champions.

"We aren't really (defending champions),” the record IRB Series try scorer told the IRB.

“This is a new tournament, in a new city and we have a new team. The pressure on us is to perform after a tournament in Wellington where we failed to play to our potential.

“We have a tough pool with Japan, Wales and England. It will have to be one game at a time."

England will play the Pumas third on Day One, but the real pool decider could be when three time Bowl winners Wales, who will want to break into the Cup, meet Argentina second – with the winner likely to take the second Cup spot.

Day One schedule:
(Kick-off is local time - GMT - eight hours)
Match 1: New Zealand v France, 11.00
Match 2: Australia v Guyana, 11.22
Match 3: Fiji v United States, 11.44
Match 4: South Africa v Canada, 12.06
Match 5: Samoa v Scotland, 12.28
Match 6: Kenya v Chile, 12.50
Match 7: England v Wales, 13.12
Match 8: Argentina v Japan, 13.34
Match 9: New Zealand v Guyana, 14.06
Match 10: Australia v France, 14.28
Match 11: Fiji v Canada, 14.50
Match 12: South Africa v United States, 15.12
Match 13: Samoa v Chile, 15.34
Match 14: Kenya v Scotland, 15.56
Match 15: England v Japan, 16.18
Match 16: Argentina v Wales, 16.40
Match 17: France v Guyana, 17.24
Match 18: United States v Canada, 17.46
Match 19: Scotland v Chile, 18.08
Match 20: Wales v Japan, 18.30
Match 21: New Zealand v Australia, 18.52
Match 22: Fiji v South Africa, 19.14
Match 23: Samoa v Kenya, 19.36