Dubai Sevens preview: The road to Rio begins

The Dubai Sevens tournament is upon us, and set to kick off the 2015-16 World Sevens Series, and of course, provide a prelude to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.

Like so many things rugby, the World Sevens Series has been dominated by New Zealand, who’ve won the title in 12 of sixteen seasons to date.

However, this year, Fiji is the team to beat – last series they claimed four first-placed finishes from nine events, relegating New Zealand to third overall, their lowest-placed finish since 2009.

The Australian side couldn’t match either of them for potency then, and went through the series without a single first-placed finish.

However, the Australian side did finish as runners-up in last year’s Dubai event, and will be hoping they can go one better than that this time around.

Australia enter the Dubai Sevens in Pool D, alongside England, Wales, and Kenya. They’ll be confident of finishing top two and making it through to the quarter-finals, but their match with England could prove to be a decider for top spot.

It’s an immense challenge that lies ahead, but the Aussies will go in with a bit of confidence having dominated the Oceania Sevens in November.

Of course, Australian fans should also be getting around the women’s team, who will begin their campaign a day before the men, on Thursday night (AEDT).

Unlike the men, the women’s side has tasted first place in Dubai, in 2014 when they defeated New Zealand in the final.

They also finished runner-up last year – suffering a bit of revenge from New Zealand – and another Antipodean showdown could be on the cards for this year’s decider.

Of course much of this year’s series is not just about the series itself but about preparing teams for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, and while most of the long form stars are still sitting on the sidelines, the early form of each side will start to hint at their Olympic potential.

An exception to the rule, Wallaby Henry Speight has had a quick turn around and will make his Sevens debut after scoring a try against Uruguay in this year’s Rugby World Cup.

Tom Kingston and Stephan van der Walt are two others who will earn their first Sevens caps for Australia at the event.

Pat McCutcheon and Nick Malouf will both be absent from the side, however, unavailable due to injury. Once again, the side will be captained by Ed Jenkins.

Cameron Clark is one to watch for Australia, as he needs just 30 points to become the team’s all-time leading points scorer in World Sevens Series history.

Keep an eye out, too, for a New Zealander named Williams. Not Sonny Bill – though he will be watching from the stands – but his sister Niall, making her debut for the New Zealand women’s team.

The women’s team’s first match is at 6:36pm AEDT on Thursday night, while the men’s campaign begins at 8:48pm AEDT on Friday.

The entire men’s tournament will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1, while the women’s tournament is available through a mix of TV broadcast and online live-stream.