Sevens fever has well and truly gripped Edinburgh ahead of the final leg of the IRB Sevens World Series this weekend - the Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s - which take place at Murrayfield on Saturday (29 May) and Sunday (30 May).

The Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s is the eighth and final leg of the IRB Sevens World Series. It will be held at Murrayfield on 29 and 30 May 2010. Tickets are available to by logging onto www.edinburgh7s.com by calling the 24-hour Ticket Hotline - 0844 335 3933 or in person from the Murrayfield Ticket Centre, Gate A, Roseburn Street, Edinburgh (open 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday).

The coaches and players of all 16 competing teams today got their hands on the Ned Haig Cup, named after the Borders butcher who invented the abbreviated game, and proceeded to set out their stalls as they bid for glory in the Scottish capital.

Meanwhile, as the Edinburgh tournament is the eighth and final leg of the IRB Sevens World Series, Samoa and New Zealand will battle it out for the overall World Series crown.

All Black Sevens captain DJ Forbes will be hoping that he is the man to lift the World Series silverware for a third time at Murrayfield, but is very much aware of the challenge posed by the Samoans.

"They are the competition leaders and they have been beating us all year," he said, "so the pressure will be on them.

"I would like to say we haven't given it our best shot, we haven't played perfect rugby against them and the boys are waiting for that time when we do play the perfect game."

Meanwhile, Australia are on the up and lifted their first Cup title since 2002 in London last weekend. Now the Aussies are tipped as the team to beat on the world sevens stage.

On his side's new status, Australia coach Michael O'Connor said: "We have probably flown under the radar a bit so we are now the hunted. That is a different situation to be in and it brings extra pressure which isn't necessarily bad, I think it is good for the players."

This weekend, Murrayfield will be consumed in a carnival atmosphere that is so synonymous with international rugby sevens. Not only will sports fans from across the country be donning fancy dress as part of the party-fuelled festivities, but those competing on the field will be looking to bring the national stadium to life through their high-tempo flare-filled rugby.

Portugal coach Pedro Fernandes is one of those looking forward to showcasing the increasing quality of rugby sevens in his country.

"Playing at Twickenham and now at Murrayfield is immense, they are cathedrals of world rugby and we really want to prove ourselves and show that we have a lot of pride and quality in our game."

The home side, Scotland, have had a tough season. But with their return to home soil this weekend and a passionate crowd behind them, coach Stephen Gemmell knows that there is everything to play for.

"This season has been difficult and disappointing, but from our point of view there is no better place to revive it than on home soil at Murrayfield this weekend.

"Australia winning the tournament (in London last weekend) should give all teams hope as it wasn't one of the so-called big hitters that have been around all season."

Lining up against the Scots in Pool D are Fiji, USA and World Cup champions Wales.

The decision to include rugby sevens in the Olympics from 2016 when the Games roll into Rio, has made a massive impact around the globe. But although the USA have continued to perform on the World Series to date, coach Al Cravelli has had some other issues to deal with in the UK.

"We trained with eight players, they had what the doctors suspects is a flu virus. Of course because we are in Scotland they said that it must have been the English food and not the Scottish food. But in all seriousness we have lost our entire forward pack, but we should have three back tomorrow."

World champions Wales, have acknowledged the difficulty of their Pool opponents, but just as Scotland are preparing for success this weekend, the Welsh know that anyone in the tournament has the opportunity for success.

Coach Paul John commented: "The pool is dangerous in many ways. We have got our first game against America, traditionally very difficult games against one another. Fiji can beat anybody and then we have Scotland in Scotland in the last game of the day.

"The group can go anywhere, but we have a chance."

Ticket prices
Adult one day advance ticket - £15 (£20 on the day)
One day student and under-18 - £10 and £5
Senior citizen one day - £10
Family one day advance ticket - £35 (two adults & two children)
All tickets are ANY DAY tickets - valid for either day of the event.

Tickets for the Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s are available to buy on match day.

DAY ONE (Saturday 29 May) – THE POOLS
On day one each side goes head to head in the pools with the teams’ pool position at the end of day one (Saturday) determining which competition they progress to on day two (Sunday). First and second place go into the cup, third to the Bowl and fourth to the Shield (beaten cup quarter-finalists form the second-tier Plate competition).

Pool A – Samoa, Argentina, Kenya, France
Series leaders Samoa will fancy their chances of topping this group while keeping a close eye on the progress of series rivals New Zealand in the neighbouring pool. The tournament’s opening match between Samoa and the lightning quick Kenya (buoyed by their London 7s Shield win) will undoubtedly be a cracker while London 7s cup semi-finalists Argentina have proven that they are capable of beating any team in the pool.

Pool B – New Zealand, South Africa, Russia, Italy
Second in the Series, New Zealand, will first and foremost want to top this group though series holders and London 7s runners-up South Africa are unlikely to make that an easy task. If Samoa and New Zealand both top their respective tables they’ll be kept apart until the final (if they both make it) where runners-up points would be enough for Samoa to win the Series – though they could of course meet in a crucial quarter-final if one finishes top and the other second. Look out for the increasingly impressive and incredibly physical Russians.

Pool C – Australia, England, Canada, Portugal
Pool C is a group packed with talent. The London 7s cup winning Ozzies were electric at Twickenham and would gladly run that form into and through “the Poms” for the second successive week. By their own high standards, London was a disappointing tournament for England who exited the competition without a day-two win. They will look to redress their form in Edinburgh but will have their hands full in a pool that also features London 7s Bowl winners and Bowl runners-up, Canada and Portugal.

Pool D – USA, Fiji, Wales, Scotland
Currently placed third in the Series, defending Edinburgh 7s champions Fiji provide a fantastic start to Scotland 7s’ Pool D action on Saturday as the hosts bid to continue their run of consecutive successes on British soil over the south-sea islanders – having beaten them 19-14 at Murrayfield in 2008, and 12-7 in London in 2009. In a very tough group, Scotland will then face the USA (London 7s Bowl semi-finalists), before finishing day one against Wales (London 7s Plate semi-finalists).

Go to www.edinburgh7s.com for a full fixture list...