The historic first Women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens kicks off on Friday with some mouth-watering matches on show for fans at 'The Sevens' in Dubai.
The 24 pool matches over the course of the day will determine which teams go into the Cup and Bowl quarter finals on day two, with the top two in each pool qualifying for the Cup and the remaining teams contesting the Bowl.
Sixteen teams will take to the two pitches, with arguably the highlight of the day being the opening Pool B match between top seeds England and USA, the runners up in the North American qualifier.
The two sides met only three weeks ago in the final of the warm-up tournament in San Diego. Heather Fisher scored the sudden-death extra-time try to give European champions England a 17-12 victory at PETCO Park.
The encounter will showcase some of the game’s finest women and with both teams being billed as potential winners of the tournament, it is one not to be missed. England will be hoping to repeat their recent win, although Jo Yapp is well aware of the dangers posed by the USA.
Reversal of fortune
“USA are going to be really tough for us,” said Yapp, who was lured out of retirement by the prospect of the RWC Sevens and going one better than she managed as captain at the 15-a-side World Cup in 2006. “They took us to extra time in the final in San Diego.
“We have done our analysis on them and we have done work on our own game to try and play against some of their patterns. We have had the opportunity to do that while we have been out here, so hopefully it will make a difference.
“They have got a couple of very physical girls and they have a wing who is exceptionally quick as well. We know if we give her space we could be in trouble, but hopefully if we can close her down, that will be good for us.”
It is likely that the match will be another fiercely contested encounter, with Ines Rodriguez confident that the Americans’ preparation will enable them to come out on top this time and bolster their chances of becoming the first to lift the Women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens trophy.
“We went back to Little Rock in Arkansas for another week of training and we really focused on the points that we thought we could make a difference in our game. It was a very successful week for us,” Rodriguez said.
Kicking off the tournament
“I think we can reverse the result this time and I know it is going to be a big game but I know our girls are up for it.”
This may be the standout match on the schedule, but there are 23 others to whet the appetite, with Australia and China given the privilege of writing their name into the history books by playing in the first RWC Sevens women’s match in Pool A.
The announcement that Oceania champions Australia would open play on Pitch 1 came as something of a surprise to Selena Tranter, an experienced campaigner who played in the first Australian women’s Test back in 1994.
“They sent that (the schedule) through to work and I let out a little scream, I was so excited. I thought because we were ranked second, with England ranked first, they would be given that match, so I was a little surprised.”
In Pool C the match that stands out is the Brazil v Canada encounter, which should determine the side that finishes top of the standings and therefore meets the runner-up from Pool D in the Cup quarter finals on Saturday.
Places in history
Brazil are unbeaten on South American soil for five years and their place in history is already assured as the first nation to qualify for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, although Canada, the North American champions and captained by Mario Gallo, will harbour their own title aspirations.
The occasion is exciting enough for all of the 16 teams taking part, but for one team in particular there is an extra reason to celebrate their involvement in the inaugural tournament. Uganda are their country’s first team to qualify for a World Cup in any sport.
The Lady Cranes have been counting down the days to kick off, having now got over the initial shock of being drawn to face New Zealand, one of the title contenders, in their opening Pool D match.
“People have asked me if we are nervous about playing New Zealand in our first game, but to be honest we can’t wait,” said captain Helen Buteme. “We think we can take them on, we are ready for it and we are just going to go and play how we know. Play our hearts out and bring some Ugandan flavour to this World Cup.”
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