Once again the Series as a whole set a new attendance record with just over 547,500 fans supporting the nine events played across five continents, outstripping the previous best of 500,100.

As well as expanding to nine events with the addition of Japan, there were four new venues in total on the 2011/12 Series, all of which proved an instant hit with supporters.

Australia’s move to the Gold Coast was well supported at the start of the season; Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium provided a cauldron of atmosphere in South Africa; Scotland’s switch from Edinburgh to Glasgow attracted new fans to the game and a return to Tokyo was significant for Asian Rugby as Japan prepares to host Rugby World Cup 2019.

At three of the nine venues spectators were also treated to top women’s action, with the IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup underscoring the global and competitive nature of the Women’s Game, acting as a pre-cursor to a new IRB Women’s Sevens Series, to be announced in due course.

"This has been a magnificent season of achievement for Rugby Sevens both on and off the field," said IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset.

"The action has been more competitive than ever before in the HSBC Sevens World Series, with five different Cup winners and no fewer than thirteen teams reaching the Cup quarter finals, including the likes of Spain, Canada, Tonga and Kenya, while our Women’s and Regional events are going from strength to strength."

"In the stands and around the venues the carnival atmosphere of a Sevens tournament continues to provide a unique appeal to Rugby fans all around the world. Together these factors combine to make the sport an incredibly enticing prospect as we move ever closer to Sevens’ Olympic Games debut in 2016."

New Zealand won a 10th World Series crown at Twickenham. On arriving home in Auckland their coach Gordon Tietjens, freshly inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame, was quick to stress his players’ achievements given the wider backdrop of Sevens’ unprecedented competiveness and an expanded Series.

"It just keeps growing, the crowds keep getting bigger, the competition’s getting tougher, seven or eight teams now could win a tournament. There is no doubt that we are seeing the enormous benefits of Olympic inclusion and I am sure that the Olympics will see the benefits of Rugby Sevens’ inclusion."

Andrea de Vincentiis, Head of Rugby Sponsorship for World Series title sponsor HSBC, also paid tribute to the players and fans.

"When HSBC decided to invest in the World Series it was because the bank saw the potential of the already popular and successful international competition. Since then it has continued to thrive and all nine venues this year hosted successful tournaments which attracted fans from all countries," he said.

"The continued growth in attendance and broadcast coverage illustrates just how popular the Series has become, with Sevens set to have a bright future over the coming four years in the build-up to the Olympic Games in 2016."

Scarratt, 22, has done just that in the XVs game, running out an impressive 39 times for England, scoring 65 international points and competing in the 2010 Rugby World Cup where England finished second, but this weekend’s international sevens tournament will represent a new chapter in her rugby career.

“I’m very excited that this is going to be my first international Sevens tournament,” said the Lichfield player. “With it being at Twickenham hopefully it will be a great occasion, with lots of rugby fans coming to watch a great weekend of international rugby. As long as I can find my lungs and keep my legs with me then hopefully I can successfully transfer my skills over from XVs to Sevens. It will be a challenge but one that I am really looking forward to.”

Scarratt joins the England Sevens squad on the back of victory at the IRB Women’s Challenge Cup in Hong Kong in March whilst the team also reached the final of the Dubai leg of the tournament in December, narrowly losing out to a strong Canadian outfit.

“This England team has already set the bar very high, winning in Hong Kong and finishing second in Dubai,” added Scarratt. “Our Sevens programme is really developing at speed and that is now starting to show in our results. This tournament is even bigger for us as it’s on home turf and obviously we want to win the final Challenge Cup of this season. I’ve played at Twickenham before so I know first-hand how the atmosphere can lift you and hopefully with the crowd behind us again at the weekend we can repeat the success we have enjoyed at Twickenham in XVs.”

The Challenge Cup in London is the third IRB-sanctioned tournament of the season, running alongside the HSBC Sevens World Series, and it will see 12 teams from six continents compete for the prized Cup. Joining England in Pool A are South Africa, Kazakhstan and Olympic Games 2016 hosts Brazil.All the pool games will be played on the neighbouring Cardinal Vaughan pitches, with the semi-finals and final on the famous Twickenham pitch.

“We have got a tough pool but so have our rivals,” added Scarratt. “This is also France’s first IRB Challenge Cup tournament and I think they are a side to watch out for. They are an awesome XVs rugby nation and I’m sure they will be in Sevens too. Australia and Canada, who have been in the mix all season, will also be big rivals so there are going to be some really big tests and we are going to have to be at our best to beat them.”

Tickets are available for the Marriott London Sevens weekend with weekend passes starting from £30, single day tickets from £18 and children’s tickets at £5 each day.Visit www.rfu.com/tickets or call 0844 847 2492.(Tickets are subject to availability and booking fees apply).

England Sevens Squad for Marriott London Sevens

Rachael Burford (Richmond)

Abigail Chamberlain (Richmond)

Heather Fisher (Worcester)

Sonia Green(Saracens)

Natasha Hunt (Lichfield)

SarahMcKenna (Wasps)

Katherine Merchant (Worcester)

Alice Richardson (Richmond)

Emily Scarratt(Lichfield)

Michaela Staniford (C)(Wasps)

Joanne Watmore(Worcester)

Kay Wilson(Bristol)

Barry Maddocks has been appointed to the newly created position of full time England Women’s Sevens Head Coach.

Maddocks, who has been coaching the England Women’s Sevens team on a sessional basis, will now join Gary Street and Graham Smith as part of the England Women’s coaching team which is overseen by RFUW Head of Performance Nicola Ponsford.

45 applicants from around the world applied for the position, which will see the England Head Coach lead England into the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Russia, participate in an IRB Women’s World Sevens Series next season and help build towards Rugby Sevens’ inclusion in the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The shortlisted candidates underwent a rigorous interview process with Gary Street, England Women’s Head Coach, Nigel Redman, RFU Elite Coach Development Manager and Ben Ryan, England Men’s Sevens Head Coach on the interview panel.

“Following a very thorough and competitive interview process I am pleased to announce that Barry Maddocks has been appointed as the full time England Women’s Sevens Head Coach,” said Ponsford. “The level of applicants for this role was very high and we are delighted that Barry has agreed to join us. Barry was outstanding in the interview process and was the stand out candidate for us, demonstrating his excellent in depth knowledge of Sevens.

“This fulltime appointment underlines our commitment to Sevens as well as XVs Rugby. Barry will be joining a well-established EPS team and his specific in depth knowledge in Sevens will certainly help shape our team.”

Ryan added: “Barry was an outstanding candidate in a very competitive field and I’d like to wish him and the England Women’s sevens team every success in the coming years. They’ve made great progress this season and their performances in Dubai and in Hong Kong were outstanding. There’s a strong bond between our two teams and we look forward to continuing to work closely with Barry, his staff and players.”

Maddocks has already tasted success with the England Women’s Sevens team, leading them to two finals in the IRB Women’s Challenge Cup Sevens in Dubai and Hong Kong. In Dubai, a young England side finished second to Canada, but in Hong Kong in March England lifted the title when they saw off world champions Australia 15-10.

Maddocks, who is currently in camp with the England Women’s team ahead of this weekend’s Marriott London Sevens and the final round of the IRB Women’s Challenge Cup, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for me. Women’s international Sevens is gathering at a great pace following the introduction of the IRB Women’s Challenge Cup programme and then the World Cup next year, and looking further ahead with the sport’s inclusion in the Olympics in 2016.

“I am delighted to be joining a well-established and extremely talented coaching team and looking forward to getting the best out of all our England players in both Sevens and XVs. We already have a talented pool of players, but we are constantly looking to develop our players, including our future stars of tomorrow, and by boosting our coaching set-up we can continue to do that.”

England Women’s Sevens captain Michaela Staniford says England will be looking to make it two wins from two at this weekend’s IRB Women’s Challenge Cup at the Marriott London Sevens (May 12-13), Twickenham.

England head into the tournament on the back of a thrilling 15-10 victory over world champions Australia in the final of Hong Kong, and with Head Coach Barry Maddocks naming a strong squad, boosted with a handful of Six Nations winners, the home side will be amongst the favourites to lift the crown again.

“We have reached the last two Challenge Cup finals but have only won one of them so the girls are not fully satisfied,” said the England skipper. “Without a doubt this squad, which has been further strengthened after Hong Kong, have the ability to get to the final and win but we all know Sevens can be a brutal game. What may seem like a small error can easily be capitalised on by the opposition. We need to focus on our game and have the ability to perform game after game. Good teams win games, world class teams repeatedly win finals and that’s what we are aiming for.”

The third IRB-sanctioned tournament, which runs alongside the HSBC Sevens World Series, will see 12 invited teams from six continents compete for the prized Cup.

Joining England in Pool A are South Africa, Kazakhstan and Olympic Games 2016 hosts Brazil.  The pool games of the IRB Challenge Cup will be played on the neighbouring Cardinal Vaughan pitches, with the semi-finals and final on the famous Twickenham pitch.

“This is another tough pool for England,” added Staniford, who plays her club rugby for Wasps. “South Africa are the team that jump out at me. They have been developing at an impressive rate over the past few years and definitely our toughest opponents in Dubai, where we only won by two points.

“Kazakhstan have a very athletic side with a fantastic work rate and a never die attitude which they demonstrated in the XVs World Cup in 2010. Sevens is certainly the perfect game for these girls who love to run with the ball. Like Kazakhstan, Brazil and England have not met on the Sevens circuit yet so we need to expect a very competitive pool stage for England.”

With the London Sevens last year attracting a record crowd of 100,000 people and this year’s 70s disco themed event set to be even  bigger and better, Staniford is confident rugby fans will be in for another bumper weekend of high octane Sevens action.

She added: “We learnt very quickly in Dubai last year that the women’s international Sevens circuit is as competitive as the men’s World Series. Because of the increasing standard of skill and the ever growing conditioning focus, there will never be an ‘easy’ game. This was underlined in Hong Kong where the final came down to the last minute. I am expecting London to be just as close and thrilling to watch!”

England Head Coach Barry Maddocks has made a late change to his squad for London calling up Richmond’s Abigail Chamberlain in place of the injured Isabelle Noel Smith. Chamberlain was involved in England’s victory in Hong Kong.

Tickets are now available for the Marriott London Sevens weekend with weekend passes starting from £30, single day tickets from £18 and children’s tickets at £5 each day.  Visit www.rfu.com/tickets or call 0844 847 2492.  (Tickets are subject to availability and booking fees apply).

England Sevens Squad for Marriott London Sevens

Rachael         Burford           (Richmond)

Abigail Chamberlain (Richmond)

Heather          Fisher (Worcester)

Sonia             Green(Saracens)

Natasha         Hunt   (Lichfield)

Sarah McKenna       (Wasps)

Katherine      Merchant       (Worcester)

Alice   Richardson   (Richmond)

Emily  Scarratt          (Lichfield)

Michaela        Staniford (C)(Wasps)

Joanne          Watmore        (Worcester)

Kay     Wilson            (Bristol)

That’s according to England Sevens coach Ben Ryan who will be glued to the Sevens Series when it kicks off on 13 July at the Twickenham Stoop.

“The tournament has grown ever year in line with the global exposure that 7’s is now getting as we look to Rio 2016,” said Ryan.

“The J.P. Morgan Premiership 7s Series allows the cream of English talent to get their first taste of playing for their club on a big stage, in front of a crowd and on live TV.

“Not only that, it also offers them the opportunity to showcase their ability in front of national selectors and you can see from the likes of Owen Farrell, who starred for Saracens in the tournament two years ago, it is a great starting platform for international development”.

In just four short years Rugby Sevens will return to the Olympics and with a gold medal on offer now is the chance for England’s top players to start putting down a marker for Great Britain selection in the J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s Series.

This year’s Series, the third, is split into three qualifying legs, contested by all 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs, with the final at The Recreation Ground on 3rd August. This is the only Sevens event where you can watch Aviva Premiership Rugby sides battle against one another.

Pool A sees Harlequins take on, London Irish, London Wasps and Saracens on Friday 13th July at The Twickenham Stoop. Pool B features Leicester Tigers, Newcastle Falcons, Northampton Saints and Sale Sharks at Edgeley Park, Stockport on Friday 20th July, an event which is likely to see the last top-flight rugby played at the ground after Sale Sharks’ decision to move to the Salford City Stadium next season.

Pool C has Bath Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester Rugby and Worcester Warriors up against each other on Thursday 26th July at Kingsholm, Gloucester.

The top two seeds from each of the Pool events go through to the Series Final at The Recreation Ground in Bath.

This year Tom Williams was part of a group of Harlequins players, including Luke Wallace, Miles Mantella and George Lowe, to take part in a series of challenges ahead of this year’s Sevens Series the first of which is launched today and can be viewed at www.premiershiprugby.com/jpmsevens

The second film will be launched at 9am next Thursday, 19 April and the final one a week later at the same time, Thursday 26 April.

Williams, who believes that Sevens is “ten times more taxing” that the 15-a-side game added: “The J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s Series is such an exciting and enjoyable format and the tournament itself creates a bit of a party atmosphere. It is a great occasion to be involved in.

“But while it is a lot of fun, Sevens is also a tough game. It is ten times as taxing as the XV code but on the flip side it is a good indicator of where you stand ahead of the season kicking off.

“A number of guys have come through and shown what they can do and gone on to win starting spots because of it, so if I am involved again I will be doing exactly the same as I don’t want to have someone steal my spot.”

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)