“Last season’s IRB Sevens World Series was the most competitive to date. The destiny of the title wasn’t decided until the final day of the final event when New Zealand overtook Fiji in the standings to be crowned champions,” said IRB Sevens Manager, Beth Coalter.
“The series will again kick off with the Dubai and South Africa Tournaments in November and December 2007 before moving on to New Zealand, USA, Hong Kong, Australia and England. The series will climax for the second successive year in Scotland at the end of May 2008,” added Coalter.
IRB Sevens World Series 2007/08 Schedule:
• Dubai – Nov 30/Dec 1
• South Africa – Dec 7/8
• New Zealand – Feb 1/2
• USA – Feb 9/10
• Hong Kong – Mar 28/29/30
• Australia- Apr 5/6
• England – May 24/25
• Scotland – May 31/Jun 1
“The 2006/07 series was without doubt the most successful in the history of the event, setting new broadcast and attendance records, while the standard of competition on the pitch reached new levels. A total of 32 Unions participated across the eight series Tournaments while there were four different Cup winners, with Samoa securing a series Cup title for the first time,” said Coalter.
The 2006/07 series also saw the introduction of three new Tournament locations in Adelaide, San Diego and Edinburgh. Each proved to be successful additions garnering strong crowds, attracting widespread interest and adding to the international appeal of the series.
In an exciting development for the Game it was recently announced Rugby Sevens will also feature in the sporting programme for the Pan American Games in 2011 and re-inclusion in the All-Africa Games moved a step closer when the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) endorsed its inclusion.
