Kenya captain looks to the sun to enlighten Murrayfield experience

Weather reports across the board are billing a sun-kissed Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s this weekend and with less than 24 hours before the start of this year's tournament, supporters are encouraged to take advantage of the great money-saving offers available until 5pm today.

The eight-leg IRB World 7s comes to a climax at the birth-place of rugby sevens, Scotland, on 30 and 31 May where the London 7s Cup semi-finalists, Scotland, will host 15 countries from around the world at Murrayfield Stadium.

Supporters are encouraged to take advantage of the ADVANCE purchase ticket offer which includes a £35 family ticket offer for two adults and two children (£15 saving per day!)

Tickets purchased in advance for each day are priced at £15 for adults (£20 on the day), £10 for students and senior citizens and £5 for under 18s. Tickets are available to purchase from www.scottishrugbytickets.com, the 24-hour Ticket Centre Hotline on 0131 346 5100 or in person from the Murrayfield Ticket Centre (8.30am-7.15pm Saturday and 9am-6.45pm Sunday).

The rugby extravaganza combines an elite 16-team tournament with a back-pitch festival of rugby involving over 1000 participants on Murrayfield’s expansive playing fields, creating the perfect festive finale to the IRB Sevens World Series and winning international praise from participating teams.

Kenya sevens captain, Humphrey Kayange, said: “The weather’s good, we’ve seen the sun today and yesterday so we’re trying as much as possible to enjoy our stay here and of course pick up our game and have a good tournament.

 “We’re taking advantage of our time here and enjoying Edinburgh. We’re very much looking forward to going out sight-seeing and enjoying the whole tour in Edinburgh

“Being the last leg of the tournament makes it like a final lap so everyone comes out here to enjoy themselves and put in the best performance ever. It’s a leg that gets everyone really psyched up and looking to put in a performance to remember.

“Edinburgh is really well suited to this event. It’s feels good in your heart to be playing the last leg of the tournament here.”

Scotland 7s will open their Pool C account against Wellington and London winners England, in a rematch of last weekend’s Cup semi-final encounter at 12.09pm.

The Scots will then take on Kenya (3.13pm) and Canada (6.56pm) to complete the group and determine permutations for the following day’s finals.

The abbreviated game has seen some of Scotland’s most exciting young talent come through the ranks in seasons past including Thom and Max Evans, Ben Cairns and Ross Rennie. Those who saw Scotland power their way to their first ever Cup semi-final in London will know this weekend’s team have every chance to repeating and surpassing that success.

The International Rugby Board has announced a shortlist of six nominees for IRB Sevens Player of the Year, the first of the IRB Awards in association with Emirates Airline to be presented this year.

The announcement follows the introduction of an exciting new format for the IRB Awards. Starting this year, the winner of each of the 13 coveted categories of awards will be named at different stages throughout the year, culminating in the announcement of the prestigious IRB Player, Coach and Team of the Year in November.
 
The IRB Sevens Player of the Year will be announced at a function in Murrayfield Stadium at the conclusion of the Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens on 31 May, the final event of the 2008/09 IRB Sevens World Series.

The list comprises one Englishman, one Fijian, two Kenyans and two South Africans. All six players, nominated and voted on by the team management of the 12 core teams in the IRB Sevens World Series, are due to play at Murrayfield this weekend.

Scotland 7s squad to compete at the final tournament in the IRB Sevens World Series in Edinburgh (30 and 31 May): Scott Forrest (Ayr)* CAPTAIN, Mike Adamson (Glasgow Warriors), Roddy Grant (West of Scotland)*, Colin Gregor (Glasgow Warriors), Allister Hogg (Edinburgh), John Houston (Edinburgh), Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh), Sean Lamont (Northampton), Hefin O’Hare (Glasgow Warriors), Colin Shaw (Glasgow Warriors), Jim Thompson (Edinburgh), Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh)

* = Member of Scottish Rugby’s Contracted National Academy

Edinburgh Pool C: Kenya, England, Canada, Scotland

Scotland 7s’ Pool C fixtures on day one (Saturday 30 May) of the Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens Festival: England v Scotland (kick-off 12.09pm), Kenya v Scotland (3.13pm), Canada v Scotland (6.56pm)

Ticket prices

Adult one day advance ticket - £15 (£20 on the day)
Family one day advance ticket - £35 (two adults & two children) - £50 on the day
Senior one day citizen - £10
One day student and under-18 - £10 and £5

Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s Festival broadcast schedule
A live ten-hour broadcast on day one begins at 9.30am, with coverage on a combination of Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports Xtra and via the interactive service (activated by pressing the red button). 

BBC RADIO SCOTLAND (810MW)
Saturday:  Interviews throughout the day with a round up on the evening’s Sports Report (6.50pm)
Sunday:  1-7pm

RADIO BORDERS

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 0871 200 1511 (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 the last major event 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.
Our picture shows community interaction from last year's Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s Festival