Bok Sevens targets revealed
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:17
South Africa will begin their 2008/09 International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Series assault against Kenya, Scotland and the Arabian Gulf in Dubai at the end of November.
The second-seeded Springboks were drawn in Pool B of the season-opening Dubai event, and have a reasonably easy pool draw.
Should they win it, they will come up against either Australia or Wales in the quarterfinal on Day Two.
The Aussies and Wales, both with a new coach for this series, are likely to fight it out for second place in Pool A, which defending champions and top seeds New Zealand should have little difficulty winning.
A slip-up by the Springboks in the pool phase will see them face the Kiwis in the quarterfinals. If the Boks survive it to the semifinals, they will most likely have Samoa as their opponent.
The Dubai tournament kickstarts seven months of international Sevens action, including the eight events and the Rugby World Cup Sevens, scheduled to be held in Dubai on March 5-7 next year.
The Dubai Sevens will be the first event to be played at 'The Sevens', a new purpose-built stadium which will be the headquarters for rugby in the region. The new state-of-the-art facility will also host the Sevens World Cup for both men and women three months later.
New Zealand proved unbeatable for much of last season, winning in Dubai and then capturing four further Cup titles on the bounce in George (South Africa), Wellington (New Zealand), San Diego and Hong Kong before finishing the season strongly to defend their Edinburgh crown and rubber-stamp a remarkable season - their eighth Series triumph in nine years.
South Africa finished second to the Kiwis in last season's standings and are named second seeds in Dubai.
The islanders of Samoa were the only other side to win a tournament in the 2007/08 Series, the London Sevens at Twickenham. As third seeds they top Pool C against a resurgent Argentina and the dual European challenge of France and Georgia.
With former Sevens maestro Waisale Serevi back at the helm as coach, Fiji head Pool D and face England, Portugal and the USA, who replace Canada this season as the North American region's 'core' team to play at all eight events.
SAPA
