The 2014/15 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series gets underway on Thursday in Dubai and this year it’s not just winning that counts - the focus is now firmly on the Olympic Games.
By the time the series finishes in the Netherlands next May, we’ll know the four teams that will compete in Rio 2016, along with hosts, Brazil, having qualified as one of the top four from the season.
All teams have arrived in Dubai and excitement is building in the UAE with the tournament set to raise the bar even further this year in terms of skill levels, intensity and competitiveness.
Last season’s series winners New Zealand will be captained by Sarah Goss after regular captain Huriana Manuel was ruled out of the Dubai round with injury. Goss is expecting the series to be tougher than ever, with Olympic qualification on the line.
“I think it’s going to be a lot more competitive, the series has grown year to year and everyone is coming a lot closer to that top spot. It’s gonna be tough but we’re really looking forward to seeing how other teams have progressed," said Goss.
“We’ve got a few new young girls coming through, and we have older girls but with less experience on the sevens circuit. So we’re looking forward to showcasing them in Dubai and throughout the season.”
Growth and leadership
One of the teams that are sure to chase New Zealand to that top spot will be Australia. Their captain Sharni Williams is back to lead from the front, but even with Olympic qualification up for grabs, she is taking things one step at a time.
“It’s all about Olympic qualification (this season) but we do have to take it one match at a time. But definitely, we want to make top four at the end of the series,” said Williams.
The captain also feels the squads younger members can step up this year.
“I’ve been around a while now but I’ve stepped back a little bit and let these younger girls start to lead. I was away at Women’s Rugby World Cup this year and the girls took charge, and this is what we’re about this season – growth and leadership.
“Charlotte Caslick is amazing and Emilee Cherry is exciting to watch, very fast and with only one season under her belt things are only going to get bigger and better for her and that’s going to be exciting to see.”
Canada are also in Dubai with the goal of finishing in the top four this series, and securing their spot in Rio 2016. But captain Jen Kish admits they will have to reduce the errors if they are to improve on last season.
“There are always games where you are going to leave points out on the field,” said Kish.
“I always think about the Canada v New Zealand game (in Sao Paulo last February) where we were up by two tries and they came back. We played well but New Zealand capitalised and that game slipped away from us. We’re going to minimise the errors and execute every opportunity.”
All matches from the Dubai Sevens will be streamed on worldrugby.org with geo-blocking applying in some regions.The action gets underway on Thursday morning when Australia take on South Africa on pitch 1 at 11:00 (local time GMT +4). All fixtures from the women’s series in Dubai are available here.
