Pools set for IRB Sevens in London

The pools have been set for the IRB Womens Sevens Challenge Cup taking place in London on the weekend of May 12.Its the third IRB-sanctioned tournament with 12 teams competing for the title which was recently won by England in Hong Kong(pictured)while Canada took the inaugural title in Dubai in December.

JoiningEnglandin Pool A areSouth Africa, Kazakhstanand Olympic Games 2016 hostsBrazil. Canadatop Pool B and will face European opposition as they take on Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 hostsRussia, the NetherlandsandPortugal.

The toughest pool though undoubtedly is Pool C which is headed by current Rugby World Cup Sevens championsAustralia, who are joined by a rapidly improvingUSAside as well asChinaandFrancewho will also be aiming high.

The womens pool games will be played near the main Stadium at the neighboring Cardinal Vaughan pitches with the semi-finals and the final taking centre stage on the Twickenham Stadium pitch.

The action on Day One begins at 10.30am when Australia and China kick off proceedings with the action on Day Two starting at 9.30a,.

This is another tough pool for England, said England Captain Michaela Staniford. South Africa are the team that jump out at me. They have been developing at an impressive rate over the past few years, they proved this in Canada at the Nations Cup in XVs and then in the IRB Challenge Cup Sevens in Dubai last year. South Africa were definitely our toughest opponents in the pool games in Dubai, with us only winning by two points.

Tickets are available for the two day tournament with weekend passes starting from 30, single day tickets from 18 and childrens tickets at 5 each day. Visit www.rfu.com/tickets or call 0844 847 2492. (Tickets are subject to availability and booking fees apply).