The announcement, made in collaboration with the Scottish Parliament, Glasgow City Council and Sport Scotland, will see the Scotland Sevens move from its traditional home of Edinburgh to Scotstoun Stadium for the penultimate round of the Series on May 5-6, 2012.

The move of the event from Edinburgh comes as the SRU looks to continue to grow Rugby throughout the country, using the world-renowned festival atmosphere of Sevens to reach out to new Rugby fans from the Glasgow area and beyond.

IRB Vice Chairman Bill Beaumont, who was in Glasgow for the announcement, said that Glasgow was perfectly positioned to grow the appeal and popularity of Sevens in the country that invented the sport.

“Scotland is the home of Sevens and today’s announcement represents a further boost for the sport as we count down to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Rugby’s return to the Olympic Games stage in Rio in 2016,” said Beaumont.

“We are confident that the Scottish Rugby Union’s vision and dedication to deliver an outstanding HSBC Sevens World Series event in Glasgow will be rewarded with a tournament that that the city, the Union and the global Rugby family will be proud of.”

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset added: “Sevens continues to go from strength to strength and 2011 has been a year of significant milestones. We have achieved record broadcast and attendance figures for the HSBC Sevens World Series, delivered a first IRB women’s event alongside the Series, welcomed Japan as a new host country and two new venues in the Gold Coast and Port Elizabeth.

“We are delighted to be welcoming Glasgow to the HSBC Sevens World Series and I would like to thank the Scottish Rugby Union for its ongoing commitment as a proud host and participating nation.”

President of Scottish Rugby, Ian McLauchlan, said: “When the HSBC Sevens World Series Sevens comes to Glasgow it will be an incredible atmosphere, a festival atmosphere and we plan on putting on a party for this city in conjunction with our partners in Glasgow.”

“I’d like to thank all our partners, especially the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council for securing this event in Glasgow. I know we will all be working flat out to put on a real show in the coming years.”

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, commenting on the launch while on a visit to Hong Kong with Scottish Rugby representatives, said: “Scotland is well known as the home of Rugby Sevens and it will be tremendous to see this global spectacular staged in Glasgow. It is a city that knows how to put on a show and I have no doubt that come May, the people of Glasgow will take great pride in staging another major international event.”

“Sport can be a tremendous power for good in society; keeping young people fit, teaching them about fair play, camaraderie and teamwork. Sport provides role models for the young people in our country to look up to and learn from and it is only right that we support events such as the Glasgow Sevens.”

“I’m very pleased that we are part of the launch today and we look forward to working with Scottish Rugby and all those involved in making the event a worldwide success.”

Giles Morgan, Group Head of Sponsorship HSBC Holdings PLC, said: "The 2011/12 HSBC Sevens World Series has got off to a terrific start with two new venues in Australia and South Africa and we are confident that Glasgow will prove a fantastic new home for the Scotland round of the World Series. The competition is proving even more exciting this season so by the time of the Scotland Sevens fans should be in for a treat as the teams race towards the end of the Series."

Tickets go on sale from today with a special ‘early-bird’ offer lasting until the end of the RBS 6 Nations. Prices start at only £10 for adults with all concessions at half the equivalent adult price. Tickets will be sold for particular stands and designated days, with two-day ‘weekend’ tickets also available.

The free event that welcomes everyone will kick off at 5pm with a Gloucester Rugby open training session featuring the entire available squad.  This will give supporters the opportunity to see the team preparing for their pre-season campaign which kicks off against London Welsh on 20^th August at Kingsholm.

The training session will be followed by a signing session giving fans the opportunity to meet the squad and collect autographs as well as having the chance to pre-order the new shirt from the club shop.

At 6pm the inaugural JP Morgan Asset Management Gloucester U19’s 7’s tournament run in partnership with the RFU will kick off.  The competition is open to teams across the Gloucester and Forest Combination and will provide a great opportunity for young players to get their season up and running and for spectators to watch some young local talent.

The event will be free to all and promises to be a great evening of rugby and will give supporters not only the opportunity to meet the players but to look around the facilities.

Sharks’ Academy/Transition Coach Pete Anglesea described his players as a young, energetic and highly-skilled team. He said, “We’ve picked a squad that has got a huge amount of ambition. There are some faces whom people won’t have seen before, plus several who played for the Jets last year. We want to play exciting rugby at a quick tempo. We’re using this tournament as a stepping stone to put lads under pressure, to see where they’re up to at the start of the season.”

Sale Sharks: 1.Mark Jennings, 2.Tommy Taylor, 3.Jordan Davies, 4.Dan Hall, 5.Tom Brady, 6.Alex Brown, 7.Will Cliff, 8.Danny Bibby, 9.Will Addison, 10.Tommy Bell, 11.Ed Tellwright, 12.Nathan Fowles.

Leicester Tigers, Newcastle Falcons and Worcester Warriors join the Sharks in the six-game group, with the top two joining Harlequins, Bath, Saracens and London Wasps on Finals night at the Twickenham Stoop on Friday 5th August.

Edgeley Park opens at 6 p.m., and there is an array of attractions available for Sevens rugby fans, including a live band, interactive games, inflatables, Insider Suite bar and refreshments. Two special features will be a pitchside Hot Tub – a prize in a Sharks competition – and the chance to measure whether you can pass a ball faster than Dwayne Peel.

The weather forecast for Stockport predicts a fine day, with the sun shining through before noon, temperature rising to 20 degrees.

Dates
Sat.13 Aug (2 p.m.) Development XV away at Fylde.
Fri.19 Aug (7.45 p.m.) Sharks v. Edinburgh
Fri.26 Aug (7.45 p.m.) Sharks v. Glasgow

The 23-year-old from London has been called up for the USA Sevens to replace Isoa Damudamu, who returned home after last weekend’s NZI Sevens in Wellington for treatment to a shoulder injury.

Odejobi joins an England side riding high at the top of the HSBC Sevens World Series after one tournament win and two runners-up places in the first three stages of the eight event series.

"Mark’s played in a Junior World Championship final on the wing, played for England’s age group teams and has trained with us for the last year," said head coach Ben Ryan.

"It’s a great opportunity for him to establish himself and he’s a powerful player."

Odejobi, who has played for Esher this season in the RFU Championship, joined the side earlier this week for a key stage in the series and a unique tournament.

England triumphed in the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens but were beaten in George and Wellington by New Zealand, going down 29-14 in last weekend’s final, something Ryan’s side want to make amends for in Nevada in front of a live NBC TV audience.

On Saturday, they face Guyana (5.24pm), France (9.40pm) and Argentina (12.51am Sunday) in Pool A on the opening day with Kenya the likely quarter final opponents (5am Sunday) if they top the group.

"Everything’s different in Vegas," said Ryan. "We play with a different ball on a narrow pitch and with four games [rather than three] on day one but we knew about all that in advance and it’s important that we maintain the consistency we’ve shown so far this season.

"New Zealand have come back at us over the last two legs and have had the upper hand so now we want to rewind and get back to where we were in Dubai."

England do have the advantage of being led by points machine Ben Gollings, who is on the threshold of another staggering sevens landmark in Vegas.

The captain has a world record 2,495 series points – including 210 tries – banked since his series debut in 1999 and should go through the 2,500 barrier on the opening day.

A measure of achievement is how far ahead of the opposition Gollings now is. In second place is the Fijian legend Waisale Serevi, nearly 1,200 points behind.

England Sevens
Greg Barden (Royal Navy)
John Brake (England Sevens)
Dan Caprice (England Sevens)
Chris Cracknell (England Sevens)
Ben Gollings (England Sevens)
Simon Hunt (Birmingham & Solihull)
Nick Royle (England Sevens)
Dan Norton (Bristol Rugby)
Mark Odejobi (Unattached)
Tom Powell (England Sevens)
James Rodwell (England Sevens)
Mathew Turner (England Sevens)

Isoa Damudamu (British Army) scored early on and Simon Hunt (Birmingham & Solihull) struck in the closing moments with Ben Gollings supplying the conversions.

But a Declan O’Donnell hat trick and scores from Tomasi Cama and Toby Arnold saw the hosts home.

The two sides are locked together at the top of the series rankings, with England still leading by virtue of having reached all three tournament finals so far this season.

And they now head for next weekend’s USA Sevens in Las Vegas determined to make amends for their Westpac Stadium setback.

Head coach Ben Ryan said: “There were a couple of cucial points, the key being early in the second half when New Zealand got the score that took them away from us, but we’re still top on finals reached and still No.1.

“It hurts losing here and we’ll be using this as ammunition to make sure we do a job next weekend. We’ll see how good we are in Law Vegas.”

Earlier England booked their place in the semi finals with a 14-7 win against Argentina.

Damudamu scored his first try of the tournament and Dan Norton his fourth before the break with Gollings’s two conversions taking England into a 14-0 interval lead.

But a Ramiro Moyano try made the last two minutes tense before England closed out the game.

Ryan’s men then edged out reigning series champions Samoa 7-5 at the semi final stage, John Brake’s try and a Gollings conversion seeing them home.

Isoa Damudamu (British Army) scored his first try of the tournament and Dan Norton (Bristol Rugby) struck before the break with captain Ben Gollings’s two conversions taking him to 2489 series points and England into a 14-0 interval lead.

But a Ramiro Moyano try and Joaquin Todeschini made the last two minutes tense before HSBC Sevens World Series leaders England closed out the game.

Head coach Ben Ryan’s men go forward to take on reigning series champions Samoa – 12-5 winners against Fiji – in the semi finals.

The HSBC Sevens World Series leaders topped Pool A following their victories against the Welsh, the USA (31-10) and the Cook Islands (21-17).

England now face Argentina in the quarter finals with Samoa or Fiji awaiting the winners at the Westpac Stadium.

Against Wales there were two tries for former Moseley forward James Rodwell and one apiece for ex-Northampton Saints scrum half John Brake and Bristol Rugby wing Dan Norton. Captain Ben Gollings added four conversions to extend his series points tally to 2,485.

“It was a very satisfying opening day and we really gelled against Wales,” said head coach Ryan.

“Argentina were battered by New Zealand in their final group game and we know they’ll bounce back strongly against us so we’ll have to be at our very best.”

Earlier England breezed past the USA with two more tries for Norton and one apiece for Simon Hunt (Birmingham Solihull), Dan Caprice and Gollings, who also kicked three conversions.

They stuttered early on against the flamboyant Cook Islands, who led 17-0 before being overhauled with two tries from Mathew Turner, one from Gollings and the captain’s three conversions.

Ben Ryan’s England Sevens side lead the HSBC Sevens World Series after the first two legs and tackle the Welsh on the opening day of the NZI Sevens in Wellington – 11 hours before the RBS 6 Nations clash between the countries gets under way in Cardiff.

England, chasing a first ever sevens world title, top the table after December’s tournament win in Dubai and second place in George. They are out to emulate a dramatic 2009 triumph in Wellington, when Isoa Damudamu clinched victory with the last play in the final against the hosts.

To reach the knock out stages this time, they need to find a way past Friday’s Pool A opponents the USA (01.28 GMT) and the Cook Islands (04.24) before taking on Wales (08.34).

“Whatever happens in the future that 2009 win remains one of our top moments,” said Ryan. “It’s very easy to discard what’s happened in the past sometimes, but the guys in 2009 set the ball rolling for us.

“This year we’re fitter, we’ve had more contact time together and we’ve gelled more as a team. We’re in good shape as series leaders but we want to improve on two good peformances so far here in Wellington and the following week in Las Vegas.

“We’re all still annoyed at losing to New Zealand in the final at George. It’s something that rankles with us and this is our first chance to rectify that.”

England have made only one change for Wellington and Las Vegas with Nick Royle coming into the 12-man squad in place of the injured Ollie Lindsay-Hague (Harlequins).

But despite their status as series leaders, the opening day in Wellington throws up three tricky games – no more so than the potentially decisive clash with Wales.

“Wales are last up on the day and while we haven’t lost to them for three years they’ll be desperate to beat us here,” said Ryan. “They’ve got a consistent group of players and a settled group of management now and are much better for it.

“The Cook Islands have beaten all three of the sides in the group in the past and this is their Olympic Games. They’re dangerous and play a very off-the-cuff unstructured game.

“The other side, the USA, are very structured and professional and if they get their tails up they are very good and played well enough to hit one of the cup finals last year.”

England squad for Wellington and Las Vegas
Greg Barden (Royal Navy)
John Brake (England Sevens)
Dan Caprice (England Sevens)
Chris Cracknell(England Sevens)
Isoa Damudamu (British Army)
Ben Gollings (England Sevens, captain)
Simon Hunt (Birmingham & Solihull)
Dan Norton (Bristol Rugby)
Tom Powell (England Sevens)
James Rodwell (England Sevens)
Nick Royle (Fylde)
Mathew Turner (England Sevens)

There are three new caps in the squad – Dragons scrum half Nicky Griffiths, Pontypridd’s Adam Thomas and Aberavon’s Ricky Thomas.

Head coach Paul John said: “We are pleased with our return from the first two tournaments of the season in Dubai and George. We got to the Cup quarter-finals both times which is something we haven’t done before and were competitive in both. That has to be our primary aim in these two tournaments – to get out of our Pool.”

There are four changes in the squad – other than three new caps, Alex Cuthbert returns to the squad after injury.

John added, “It will be tough because we have some new players and it will take them a while to get up to speed in an international Sevens competition. We haven’t had much preparation time as a 12 man squad but I know the players will all be 100% committed. The selection is a great reward for Ricky and Adam and their Principality Premiership clubs, while Nicky Griffiths has been training with us since before the Commonwealth Games but has missed out through injury so he gets a chance to show what he can do. 

“It’s pleasing to see some of our squad players from last season doing so well for their Regions this season – Ashley Beck was with us for the first two tournaments last season and Justin Tipuric, who spent all of last season with us, is pushing Marty Holah for the Ospreys No 7 shirt which is great to see.”

Wales Sevens squad for New Zealand and USA Sevens:
Lee  Rees (Scarlets), Rhys Jones (Newport), Gareth Davies (Cardiff), Rhodri Gomer-Davies (Dragons), Ifan Evans (Llandovery), Rhys Shellard (Cardiff), Richie Pugh (Scarlets), Alex Cuthbert (Blues), Jevon Groves (capt, Dragons), Nicky Griffiths (Dragons), Adam Thomas (Pontypridd), Ricky Thomas (Aberavon)