Series Champions Await Scotland Down Under

Scotland 7s will face their toughest assignment this year when they travel to Adelaide for the sixth leg of the IRB Sevens World Series on 5-6 April. The Scots have been drawn against reigning Series champions New Zealand as well as Argentina and the Cook Islands and Scotland 7s coach Stephen Gemmell is realistic about the task ahead.Scotland 7s will face their toughest assignment this year when they travel to Adelaide for the sixth leg of the IRB Sevens World Series on 5-6 April. The Scots have been drawn against reigning Series champions New Zealand as well as Argentina and the Cook Islands and Scotland 7s coach Stephen Gemmell is realistic about the task ahead. We have to be honest with ourselves and admit that it is a very difficult pool to be in, he said, but there are no easy pools here and that’s a marker of how good the Adelaide tournament is in terms of the quality of teams taking part. But in saying that, we are seeded second and you just have to look at the teams seeded third, such as Argentina, Wales, USA and England to realise the quality of our side. That is testament to how the guys have performed so far on the Series and proof that we’re a good team, so we need to perform like a top-eight team and get into the Cup competition on day two. On facing New Zealand, who have won all four Cup competitions so far this season, Gemmell added: The boys took a lot of confidence from their performance against New Zealand when we played them in San Diego. The score line may have suggested otherwise, but it showed them that we can compete and it gave us a good lesson in improving our defensive organisation. On Argentina and the Cook Islands, he concluded: We really have to focus on these two games. We have played Argentina quite a few times so we know each other well. But if we get our game right, then we know we are capable of beating them. As for the Cook Islands, they are a tough prospect. They beat England in Wellington and are very physical in the tackle so we will prepare like we did for Tonga because they are both big powerful sides that can play some great sevens rugby. Scotland 7s’ Pool A fixtures on day one of the IRB Adelaide Sevens: Scotland 7s v Cook Islands, kick-off 12:15pm Scotland 7s v Argentina, kick-off 3:21pm New Zealand v Scotland 7s, kick-off 7:26pm All times are local time. IRB Sevens World Series Dubai (UAE), 30 November-2 December George (South Africa), 7-8 December Wellington (New Zealand), 1-2 February San Diego (USA), 9-10 February Hong Kong (China), 28-30 March Adelaide (Australia), 5-6 April London (England), 24-25 May Edinburgh (Scotland), 31 May-1 June Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s – 2008 Rugby sevens will return to the country of its birth, Scotland, on 31 May & 1 June for the Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s, the final leg of the IRB Sevens World Series. The Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s will feature the world’s top teams over two days of fast flowing, skilful and dynamic international rugby sevens together with a fun-packed Festival of Rugby on the back pitches.