LONDON DRAW ANNOUNCED

Former Scotland and British Lion, Jim Calder, joins Scotland 7s internationalists Rory Hutton and Mike Adamson

As the draw for the penultimate leg of the IRB Sevens World Series in London was announced, Scotland 7s internationalists Mike Adamson and Rory Hutton backed Scotland to reach new heights in advance of the Series finale in Edinburgh.

The Scotland duo were joined by former Scotland flanker and British and Irish Lion, Jim Calder, atop one of Edinburgh’s seven hills, Arthur’s Seat, to help promote the Edinburgh finale - which takes place at Murrayfield on 30 and 31 May - and backed the Scotland 7s squad to put on a performance that will surpass last season’s dramatic opening 33-7 defeat of Australia and extra-time Plate semi-final victory over Fiji.

In London, Scotland will open their account against one of the most consistent sides on the IRB Sevens World Series, Kenya.

In today’s draw, the Scots were announced in Pool C alongside World number three seeds Fiji and San Diego Cup semi-finalists USA.

Shortly after the draw was made, head coach Stephen Gemmell reflected on what is a challenging pool for Scotland: “We’ve played all three teams in the last two tournaments. There are no easy draws at this stage and our status in the draw reflects our results so far this season.”

Looking at the opposition, Gemmell also sees plenty of incentive for his squad to perform as the IRB Sevens World Series enters its penultimate tournament before the final leg of the Series at Murrayfield.

“All three countries have a very strong focus on rugby sevens. Fiji won the Hong Kong tournament less than four weeks ago and will be looking to maintain that momentum and finish high in the overall standings.

“Kenya reached the final in Adelaide and have been one of the most consistent sides over the year. They’ll be looking to build on that consistency and get over the final hurdle and win a final.

“USA were semi-finalists in San Diego and they’ll be looking to put out a statement to prove that it wasn’t just a one off.”

With such fierce competition lying in wait, Gemmell now feels that a strong squad selection and focus on the basics will improve their chances of progression to the Cup quarter-finals on day two.

“It’s the end of the season for us so we really need to manage the players in terms of how much rugby they’re playing. Discussions are ongoing with the two pro-teams in terms of the players we will have available.

“The main focus for us must be retaining possession. We have looked very dangerous with ball in hand but have made too many defensive errors.

“The likes of Fiji and Kenya are very good off turnovers and punish every mistake you make. They can go the length of the field so our best form of defence is retaining possession.”

Not only does Gemmell believe his charges are capable of some improved performances, but the shorter travel distances and familiarity with the final two legs will lend themselves to achieving their goal of winning on UK soil.

“The conditions in London and Edinburgh are much more suited to us than the rest of the Series. We don’t have to travel as far as the other tournaments and we are used to the surroundings. The European countries generally up their game for the final two tournaments of the season.

“London is important for us. Not only is it the penultimate leg of the IRB Sevens World Series, but it’s an opportunity for us to build some confidence and momentum going into the final leg in front of a home crowd in Edinburgh.”

Pool C: Fiji, Kenya, USA, Scotland

Scotland 7s Pool C fixtures on day one (Saturday 23 May) of the Emirates Airline London Sevens: Kenya v Scotland (kick-off 12:41pm), Fiji v Scotland (kick-off 3:25pm), USA v Scotland (6:21pm)

Scotland 7s internationalists Rory Hutton and mike Adamson backing Scotland to reach new heights

• The Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens Festival is the eighth and final leg of the IRB Sevens World Series. It will be held at Murrayfield on 30 and 31 May 2009.
• Tickets for each day of the Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens Festival - priced at £15 for adults, £10 for students and senior citizens and £5 for under 18s – are available to by logging onto www.scottishrugbytickets.com by calling the Ticket Hotline on 0131 346 5100 (open 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday) or in person from the Murrayfield Ticket Centre, Roseburn Street, Edinburgh (open 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday).
• Rugby Sevens will be one of the showpiece events of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
 
The Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s is just one of four major events happening at Murrayfield, the home of Scottish Rugby, in May
• Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 May: Rugby League’s Magic Weekend
• Sunday 10 May: Scottish Hydro Electric Cup Finals Day
• Saturday 23 May: The Heineken Cup Final
• Saturday 30 and Sunday 31: Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s Festival

Scottish Rugby has worked extensively with event partners Event Scotland, Visit Scotland and the City of Edinburgh Council, to fully promote the world-class events coming to Murrayfield to ensure that everybody attending is fully aware of what Edinburgh as a city has to offer both the resident and the visitor.
 
Event Scotland - www.eventscotland.org
• EventScotland is working to make Scotland one of the world’s leading event destinations. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors.

Visit Scotland – www.visitscotland.com
• VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
• The organisation has three key roles:
1. To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
2. To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
3. To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations

City of Edinburgh Council - www.edinburgh.gov.uk
A capital like no other
450,000 people. One city. Countless opportunities.
• Edinburgh is known across the world as Scotland’s festival capital, business capital, and culture capital. The city is home to the Scottish Parliament and some of the most iconic landmarks on the planet. Nearly half a million people call the city home, and we serve each and every one of them, making sure the city is a great place to live, work and enjoy.
Edinburgh is a unique city, a vibrant city, a growing city, an evolving city. It’s a city that’s at the heart of Europe and the heart of a nation.