Johannesburg – In the immediate aftermath of Samoa’s dramatic first IRB Sevens World Series victory, the International Rugby Board has moved quickly to announce the dates for the eight events in the 2010/11 World Series, starting once again with the two events in Dubai and George, South Africa, in December 2010.
The World Series will visit five continents over a six month period with the same tournament host unions as the previous four seasons.
The 12th season of the series will kick off on December 3-4 in Dubai and will reach a climax in Scotland’s capital Edinburgh, on May 28-29, 2011.
The one change from the 2009/10 schedule is Australia’s tournament in Adelaide reverts back to the weekend after the Hong Kong Sevens.
“Samoa’s achievements this year show just how competitive Sevens has become on a global scale and I’m sure that the series will continue to go from strength to strength,” said IRB chairperson, Bernard Lapasset.
“Apart from the unparalleled party atmosphere at each of the events, one of sevens’ major attractions is the unpredictable nature of the matches.
“In the last two seasons alone eight countries from four continents have won Cup titles – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Samoa, Argentina and England all winners on the World Series and Wales at the World Cup and we have seen the emergence of other title contenders such as Kenya and the USA, who have reached finals.
“That element of the unknown, combined with the players’ incredible levels of fitness, skill and camaraderie, makes Sevens such a hit with fans, sponsors and broadcasters all around the world.”
2010/11 IRB Sevens World Series:
Dubai, December 3-4
George, South Africa, December 10-11
Wellington, New Zealand, February 4-5
Las Vegas, USA, February 12-13
Hong Kong, March 25-27
Adelaide, Australia, April 2-3
London, England, May 21-22
Edinburgh, Scotland, May 28-29
* The 2010 Commonwealth Games Sevens will be held in Delhi, India on October 11-12, 2010.