It has definitely been a fantastic season, going right to the final day but there’s no doubt that Samoa were the cream of the crop. The strength, determination and skill that they showed throughout was outstanding. A tip of the hat should go to New Zealand, who started so strongly with Cup wins in Dubai and George. They are such a good side and never gave up but in the second half of the series, they just couldn’t quite keep up with the Samoan boys.

The Australian team also deserves a mention. The squad got better and better with each round and they finally got that victory in London and a second place finish in Edinburgh.

And how could I forget the Player of the Year, Mikaele Pesamino, who was also top try-scorer with a grand total of 56. He proved to be an important figure in a great squad, with a knack of scoring at crucial moments. A real game-breaker that’s for sure. Congratulations!

Hopefully these guys are all taking a bit of a break after some intense competition. Then it will be back to international, provincial or club duty. And of course the odd 7s appearance I’m sure.

The next thing to look forward to is the Commonwealth Games.

First of all, what a great weekend it was at the London Sevens. Twickenham got record crowds and plenty of superheroes showed up in fine costumes. As for the rugby, it was Australia who brought their ‘A’ game and took their first cup victory since Brisbane in 2002. The Aussie boys have been showing some steady progress this year and they’ve brought some talented guys in to their squad. A very satisfactory weekend for them and nice to see another team getting their hands on the cup.

The tussle between Samoa and New Zealand continued, with another classic encounter between them in the Cup quarter-finals. Samoa are edging their way towards that Series title but the Kiwis gave themselves a fighting chance by winning the Plate.

So it’s off to Murrayfield this weekend for the final chapter of the 09/10 season. There is the obvious title race that everyone will be watching but there will be some interest surrounding the other teams as well. Can England put the disappointment of London behind them and come out firing this week? Will Australia back up their performance and push for another win? Can Fiji hold off the Australians for that third spot? Are Scotland able to produce the goods at home? Is this the time for a new team, like Kenya or Argentina, to lift the trophy?

The other big news from this week concerns the domestic 7s scene in the UK. Ultimate Rugby Sevens announced today that Sky Sports will broadcast the National Sevens Series this summer. This is a fantastic announcement for the series which is in its maiden year, as it will give coverage to the competition and everyone involved, as well as giving rugby sevens more time in the media. Sky will be showing 90 minute highlights from all four tournaments on the circuit.

It has been great to see the amount of support that the National Series has been getting. RugbyRocks on June 12 will most definitely get things going with a bang.

Wales will have Lee Beach back in the squad, who captained the team to RWC Sevens victory. England are set on defending their title and have recalled Ollie Philips and Tom Varndell to their line up. Scotland will call on 15s veteran Ally Hogg for his experience.

South African fans will be happy, as Fabian Juries, who has been a legend over the last few years on the IRB circuit, will be making a return to the scene. He has been involved with the Stormers and Western Province, so has not featured in international sevens in almost 2 years. Mzwandile Stick also rejoins the team after injury.

The Kiwis will have a lot of their core squad returning from injury, so they will be close to full strength.

And Fiji have drawn in Seru Rabeni, who is based in England with Leeds Carnegie. He made his first appearance for Fiji sevens back in 1998! That’s experience right there.

Samoa and New Zealand will be focused on getting the job done and coming out with a hand still on the trophy. All of the other teams will be facing different pressures and have goals of their own, which means it’s going to be fascinating to watch.

• British Army
• Samurai International RFC
• The Smurfs
• H F W Wailers
• Gilbert Pups
• White Hart Marauders RFC
• Raging Bull Ronin
• Apache
• Olorun ID

That’s a great line up right there!

This is a fantastic step forward for sevens rugby, which is gaining in popularity all the time. The group represents the strongest outfits in UK sevens and there is no question that having the top talent in the country concentrated in a series like this will not only showcase the sport but also act as an awesome tool for development.

The National Series will feature events in London, Bath, Manchester and Newquay during June and July. Each tournament will include the core selection plus three guest teams.

Like the IRB World Series, the teams will score points depending on where they finish, which will count towards the overall series title.

At all four tourneys, there will also be open men’s and women’s competitions running alongside the main event, as well as music and various other entertainments.

If you can make it to one of these events, it will be well worth it. And the tickets are pretty cheap as well.

The teams will have had some time to recuperate after the gruelling schedule of the last two events and a number will have been in training camps, working hard on fitness in preparation for the closing stage of the season.

With the London Sevens taking place the week before, there may be some shifts on the leader board, so we don’t quite know yet what the results at the Edinburgh Sevens will mean to the final standings. What we do know right now though, is that it’s tight at the top, so even the most minor slip could prove to be costly.

With the pools and schedules now confirmed, the participants will be sizing up their opposition. The Samoans will face Argentina, Kenya and France in Pool A. New Zealand will have to get past South Africa, Russia and Italy in Pool B.

There is always a tough pool and this time around it’s Pool D. This group comprises of USA, Fiji, Wales and hosts Scotland. The Scots had an impressive end to the season last year, reaching the Cup semi-finals in London and Edinburgh. 2010 might be a different story however, as they haven’t posted any Series points yet and they will have to battle to qualify from their pool. USA have shown some good form recently, Fiji are always dangerous and Wales have the ability turn teams over, so it’s a difficult one to pick.

Whatever happens, by the time things are wrapped up in Edinburgh, there will be a new World Series champion. Any guesses on who that will be?

Scotland is the birthplace of rugby’s shortened version and thanks to this, there is a great heritage of sevens in the country. The world’s oldest tournament in Melrose, where it all started, continues to attract top class teams and players as well as fervent supporters each year. Murrayfield has hosted the final leg of the series since 2007 and tournament organisers will be hoping for strong crowds over the weekend of the event to give the season a good send-off.

The team of the moment is obviously Samoa. After winning in Las Vegas, they stormed to victory in Australia and then also battled hard to take the crown in Hong Kong. That’s three cup wins in a row. So the table is now looking a little bit different with just two more legs to go in the 09/10 Series.

At the end of May, the circuit will move to the UK for tournaments in London (22-23) and Edinburgh (29-30). Hopefully the spring weather will be kind and allow the teams to show off their skills.

England will be aiming to hit their stride in front of the home crowd at the London Sevens, where they will go in to the event as defending champions. The focus however will probably be on Samoa and New Zealand who are sitting just three points apart at the top of the standings. Results here could prove crucial in the final straight.

As always though, there is a golden opportunity for any team to hit form and create a chance to take home the cup.

Twickenham will also play host to a world record attempt on the Sunday of the competition, as there is a plan to break the record for the ‘Largest Gathering of Superheroes’. Genius. So for anyone who is interested, this is a chance to dress up as your favourite hero and join thousands of others for another festive weekend of rugby sevens.

The event is one of the highlights on the Sevens calendar, drawing spectators in from all over the globe, and the venue is also gaining profile having recently hosted a Bledisloe Cup fixture (Australia v New Zealand).

The pools and match schedule for the 2010 edition have been set and, as always, there could be some enticing contests. There are two particular pools that stand out for me. First of all Pool E, which includes England, Wales, Japan and Hong Kong, should be tough to get out of.  Some intense rivalries there and the home crowd will be an extra boost for the HK team. I also like the look of Pool F where the three African teams will compete against each other.

Alongside the 12 core teams that participate in every IRB Series leg, it’s great to see a good mix of teams completing the line up, especially the six from the Asian region: China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Thailand. Involvement in tournaments like this are fantastic for the development of rugby in these countries and it’s a great opportunity to showcase local talent.

The Hong Kong Football Club will also be hosting the 13th annual Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens. The draw is made up of 12 teams including reigning champions, Australia, as well as the beaten finalists from last year, China. The event will also be the debut outing for Malaysia.

We’ll wait to see what happens in Adelaide and how the results will impact the overall standings going in to the Hong Kong weekend. Whatever happens, I’m sure rugby 7s fans will not be disappointed.

Fiji’s slip up at the USA Sevens has allowed the Samoans to climb above them in the rankings, so there will be some frustration in their camp at the moment. That said, there are only 2 points which separate these teams, so it’s not over yet by any means.

It would be great to see a close finish to this series, especially if Australia, England or Kenya could also make a push to be in the running.

I was just reading today that the England squad will include Ollie Philips for the upcoming legs. They will be pleased to have him back and his experience will be a positive for Ben Ryan and his players.

So the next date for the diary is March19-21  – the Adelaide Sevens.

The pools and schedules have been set.  The interesting match ups look like Pool C, where Fiji, Kenya, Wales and PNG will be battling it out for the top spots, and Pool D which sees the old rivals England and Australia go head-to-head in the early stages.

It’s going to be a mouth watering tournament. I can’t wait to see the outcome.

What’s going to be so great about the USA Sevens in Las Vegas?

• The Sam Boyd Stadium is not far from the downtown area and the main strip, so endless entertainment will be close by.

• The weather! The climate in Nevada will be way better than a lot of places right now.

• Top class rugby 7s. As with all the Series events, the best teams and players in the world will be in town and giving their all to claim the main prize.

Last week, the pre-tournament favourites, New Zealand, stumbled in their previously unbeaten Series and the win went to the lads from Fiji. So does this mean that Fiji will be the top pick for the US  competition? I don’t see why not. They have gathered some momentum and come off the back of a great attacking display in Wellington. I have no doubt though, that the New Zealand team will try to get their season back on track. There’s a high chance that we’ll see these 2 teams in the final, which will be an interesting encounter.

Of course the likes of Samoa, England, Kenya, South Africa and Argentina will all be snapping at their heels.

On a side note, a big hand must go to the Canada Sevens team for their efforts in Wellington. They made the Cup knockout stage after some strong results in their pool but slipped in the end to the strength of the England team. Hopefully we’ll see more of the same this weekend.

Viva Las Vegas!

Many people say, that the party atmosphere at the Wellington Sevens rivals that of any of the other tournaments on the circuit, including Hong Kong, so there is definitely some fun to be had there.

All eyes will be on the Kiwi boys.  As current Series leaders and the home team, they will go in to the tournament as favourites.  With their current form, it’s hard to see any of the other contenders beating them to this prize but that’s why 7s is such a beautiful game. Anything could happen.

England come back as defending champions and you know that they won’t want to give up the title that easily.  There is also noise from the Australian camp that the team is raring to go following a solid period of preparation. Realistically though, the youthful side will probably not be a match for the big boys yet.

It’s not long until kick off time,  so whether you’re in the stands,  in front of the tv or at your computer, brace yourself for some more cracking 7s action.