GEMMELL ISSUES FINAL CALL FOR FANS TO JOIN THE PARTY
Friday, 28 May 2010

The party atmosphere that encapsulates the IRB Sevens World Series will samba into Edinburgh tomorrow when the Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s, the final leg of the World Series, gets underway at Murrayfield.Image

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 purchase in advance 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 (until 5pm on Friday). Tickets are also available to buy from the Murrayfield Ticket Centre on match days - from 8.30am on Saturday and 9am on Sunday. The Ticket Centre closes at 7pm on Saturday and 6pm on Sunday.

Scotland 7s coach Stephen Gemmell today spoke of the intense anticipation of the event which he believes is staged in one of the world's best venues.

"You come in here and look round about and it's a magnificent stadium," he said. "There is something special as a coach and a player to come into your own changing room.


Stephen Gemmell speaks to www.scottishrugby.org

"If you can't get enthused about playing and performing in this stadium for your country and your home tournament then you're never going to do it. I don't have any worries about our players being able to do that this weekend.

"We've got an experienced group, some of whom have performed at the highest level in XVs, we just need to make sure that when they come out that tunnel that they are ready to go."

Gemmell's squad, which despite losing influential captain Scott Forrest through injury earlier in the week, has been bolstered by the return of sevens experience and further international nous in Ally Hogg and Ben Cairns.

The task of preparing the players for the weekend is now all but over and both the spirit of the squad and the want to impress in front of a home support continues to shine through.

Gemmell continued: "There's a real desire within the group to improve on last weekend. When you see the players out training, you can see there's a good balance of a laugh and a joke but when its time to train, we are sharp.

"All we can ask them to do tomorrow is transfer how they've trained this week into the pressured environment that is international sevens."

Not only are the Scotland squad ready for the weekend's competition, but Gemmell believes that yet another loud and proud Scotland crowd can lift his team to the success they have enjoyed in Edinburgh in previous seasons.

"The last three years the crowd has been magnificent. They've cheered us from game one until the very last game that we've played in.

"We need to make sure that the crowd are behind us because of how we are performing. When games are tight, the public help us.

"The atmosphere last year was unbelievable. If we can replicate that in terms of the public support this year, and we can replicate those types of performances, then this will be a special weekend for everyone involved in Scotland 7s."

Those fans can come to Murrayfield and spend the weekend consumed in costume as the fancy-dress frolics bring the national stadium to life.

The great value ticket prices have left Gemmell feeling even more passionate about the event and hopeful that sports fans from all over Scotland will descend on the national stadium no matter who they will be supporting during the weekend.

"I can't think of any other way to spend £15, or £20 on the day, in terms of value for money," he said.

"You can come here from half nine in the morning until seven o'clock at night and you can watch 16, and I mean 16 world class, rugby teams.

"Some of them, people are well aware of, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, England, but then you've got Italy, Russia and USA, Kenya, Portugal, Canada who are all capable of beating each other.

"You throw Scotland into the mix with undoubtedly our strongest squad of the season and I get excited just thinking about it.

"I urge everybody to come out this weekend and show their support for all the teams. You can come along and enjoy the day, hopefully the sun will be shining, you can have a party, you can have a drink, watch some great rugby - and all that for less than £20 - it's unbelievable."

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DAY ONE - 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.

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 would be kept apart until the final (should they reach it) where runner-up points would be enough for Samoa to win the Series - though they could of course meet in the 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).

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.

 
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