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By Ben Gollings
It’s that time of year again when HSBC Sevens World Series gets "hot " in the desert. Rated in the top three tournaments of the year, the Dubai Sevens never disappoints and this year it promises to be even bigger and better. Personally for me it was a favorite stop on the series.
The electric atmosphere and experience in Dubai begins with the amazing crowd – pulled to the UAE from around the globe, wild in all its fancy dress and passionately behind their team. Next is the rugby venue itself, which is highlighted by The Sevens Stadium, but all five fields in the complex are packed with teams applying their trade for the full three days. There are nearly 400 teams taking part in a number of different categories topped by the international tournament. It’s one big party and an event not to miss if you’re any kind of rugby fan.
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With this year carrying the tag of Olympic qualification, the rugby played on this year’s Sevens World Series will be even more intense. Teams want to make the top four slots for automatic Olympic qualification so every point and each position counts. The USA Men’s Eagles will want to build off their performance in Australia under new coach Mike Friday. It will be no easy task however as they come up against England, Australia and Kenya in their pool. Nothing is impossible in sevens especially in Dubai where the underdogs have knocked off some big dogs in years gone by, so the U.S. team will look to take their chances. The Eagles team will want to make the quarterfinals at a minimum to continue to show progress under Friday.
Added this year in Dubai is the new look World Rugby Women's Seven Series with 12 core teams all playing it out for Olympic spots. Australia won last year in a dramatic final against New Zealand and these two traditionally strong teams are probably favorites for the tournament again, however the likes of England and Canada will be pushing for tops slots also.
The USA Women's Eagles will be looking at a solid performance having just come back from Fiji’s Coral Coast Sevens where (playing as the Serevi Selects) they lost in the final to the Aussie Pearls. The Women’s Eagles have been building nicely under coach Ric Suggit and he will be pushing hard for a top four finish in Dubai.
Having been in Dubai last week as part of the HSBC Rugby Festivals powered by Serevi, I could feel the buzz in the city and one would love to be there this week to see the action. Each year the rugby community grows in Dubai, with more locals playing and following the game along with the ex-pat community who will again be out in force to support their teams. I will be looking forward to seeing the tournament unfold from a far and will be keeping a close eye on the results with so much at stake.
My tips for the men’s side will be South Africa who have been playing good rugby of late, and in the women’s I’ll go with my home country in England.
Ben Gollings played for England in seven Dubai Sevens tournaments between 2004-2011, winning two cups in 2005 & 2010. Gollings is the all-time points scorer in international sevens rugby with 2,652 points in his career. He is now a partner and coach at Serevi Rugby.