Rugby Sevens Pools for Commonwealth Games in India

The Rugby Sevens Pools for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in India have been confirmed.

Defending Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens Champions New Zealand are top seeds and head Pool A, where they will face opening matches against World Series regulars Scotland and Canada as well as Caribbean champions Guyana, who also competed on the World Series this season in Las Vegas.

New Zealand have won all three Commonwealth Rugby Sevens gold medals on offer so far - in 1998 (Kuala Lumpur), 2002 (Manchester) and 2006 (Melbourne).

2002 bronze medalists South Africa head Pool B and face three challenging opening ties against reigning Rugby World Cup Sevens champions Wales, Tonga and the host nation, India.

Reigning IRB Sevens World Series champions Samoa top Pool C and face matches on day one against ever-dangerous Kenya, the Cranes of Uganda and exciting Puk Puks of Papua New Guinea.

2006 silver medalists England head Pool D and face a mouth-watering tie against Australia, who finished this year's World Series in third place behind the Samoans and New Zealand. The two rugby superpowers will also face matches against the third African team in the draw, Namibia, as well as Sri Lanka.

"Having Sevens played at the Commonwealth Games plays an integral role in the ongoing development and promotion of Rugby around the world. The event features teams from Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, North America and the Caribbean and continues to attract some of the world's top players, delivering exciting matches and attracting new fans," said IRB President Bernard Lapasset. "Sevens has consistently proven to be successful at the Commonwealth Games and this year we are particularly excited that the event is being held in India, where Rugby is reaching out to new, young audiences in a rapidly developing market for our sport. We are looking forward to what promises to be a memorable tournament for the global Rugby family."

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