Dubai Sevens winner 'can't be predicted'

Thursday 3 December 2009
Published By: Ben Welch
Sevens > New Zealand

It's practically impossible to predict a winner of this year's Dubai Sevens, according to one expert.

The tournament gets underway today and commentator Nigel Starmer-Smith reckons the hierarchy of the game has not only changed in recent years - it's disappeared entirely.

Once upon a time, New Zealand versus Fiji was the big clash and you could pretty much guarantee one of them would win any event, he said.

However, Starmer-Smith expects this year's series will see reigning champions South Africa challenged by the Kiwis, England, World Cup holders Wales, Samoa and just about every other team there.

"It's hard to predict who will qualify for the cup quarter-finals from day one, so there's no way I'm going to predict a winner," he concluded.

The Australian-based Aggreko Dynamos will be making another appearance at Dubai this year with the eight-strong cheerleading squad apparently boasting new members as well as new routines.