If you’re in Sydney and keen for some fast-paced rugby action this weekend, the 2012 Oceania Sevens Championship will be held at North Sydney Oval.
There is plenty on the line with the tournament acting as a qualifier for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament to be held in Moscow, and also providing a chance to secure the last remaining spot in the Sevens World Series.
The Aussie Thunderbolts, led by Ed Jenkins, have already secured their spot in the Sevens World Series but are yet to secure their ticket to Moscow, and will need to finish in the top three this weekend.
Rugby Sevens will debut at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and although that’s four years away, planning is already under way. With a gold medal on the line, expect to see some lesser names pumping resources into the Sevens format.
The format for the weekend sees two groups of four playing in a round robin format on the Saturday, with the finals taking place on Sunday. The Australian side will come up against Tonga, American Samoa and Solomon Islands in their pool whilst the other pool sees Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands and Tahiti playing each other.
Tickets for each day are $15 for adults, $10 for concession and a bargain $5 for kids up to 16. Tickets are available at the gate or from ProTicket.
If you can’t get to the games, the second day of competition will be streamed online live and free at http://www.ethnicmedia360.com/Events/RUGBY/FORU/OceaniaSevens2012.aspx
Aussie Thunderbolts squad: Ed Jenkins (c), Luke Morahan, Jesse Parahi, Will Miller, Jacob Taylor, Jordan Tuapou, Con Foley, Allan Faalavaau, Matthew Blain, Matt Lucas, Dan Yakapo, Pama Fou.
| OCEANIA 7'S DRAW | ||
|---|---|---|
| SATURDAY | ||
| 1 | 11:00am | PNG v Cook Islands - Pool A |
| 2 | 11:22am | Samoa v Tahiti - Pool A |
| 3 | 11:44am | Tonga v American Samoa - Pool B |
| 4 | 12:06pm | Australia v Solomon Islands - Pool B |
| 5 | 12:37pm | PNG v Tahiti - Pool A |
| 6 | 12:59pm | Samoa v Cook Islands - Pool A |
| 7 | 1:21pm | Tonga v Solomon Islands - Pool B |
| 8 | 1:43pm | Australia v American Samoa - Pool B |
| 9 | 2:14pm | Cook Islands v Tahiti - Pool A |
| 10 | 2:36pm | Samoa v PNG - Pool A |
| 11 | 2:58pm | American Samoa v Solomon Islands - Pool B |
| 12 | 3:20pm | Australia v Tonga - Pool B |
| SUNDAY | ||
| 13 | 11:00am | 1st Pool A v 4th Pool B |
| 14 | 11:22am | 2nd Pool A v 3rd Pool B |
| 15 | 11:44am | 3rd Pool A v 2nd Pool B |
| 16 | 12:06pm | 4th Pool A v 1st Pool B |
| 17 | 12:37pm | Loser Match 13 v Loser Match 15 |
| 18 | 12:59pm | Loser Match 14 v Loser Match 16 |
| 19 | 1:21pm | Winner Match 13 v Winner Match 15 |
| 20 | 1:43pm | Winner Match 14 v Winner Match 16 |
| 21 | 2:14pm | 7 v 8 Playoff - Loser Match 17 v Loser Match 18 |
| 22 | 2:36pm | 5 v 6 Playoff - Winner Match 17 v Winner Match 18 |
| 23 | 2:58pm | 3 v 4 playoff - Loser Match 19 v Loser Match 20 |
| 24 | 3:20pm | Final - Winner Match 19 v Winner Match 20 |
