With berths at the 2016 Olympics up for grabs, the rugby sevens world series will take on an extra edge when competition gets underway with the opening round on the Gold Coast this weekend.
The top four at the end of nine rounds of the series are guaranteed qualification for the inaugural Olympic sevens tournament in Rio in just under two years – a prize that makes this the most important season ever.
While the lightning pace, dazzling ball skills and high scoring have long distinguished sevens from the more tactical, set piece dominated 15-man game, there remains at least one constant – the supre-macy of New Zealand.
If anything, the All Blacks have an even tighter grip on the no.1 status in the shorter game and travelled to Queensland as reigning champions having wrapped up a 12th title in 15 seasons of the IRB series in May.
However, after South Africa stunned the All Blacks by winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in July and Fiji edged them to win the Oceania title earlier this month, New Zealand will be keen to get back to winning ways this weekend.
“We’re here, like everyone else, to start with a bang,” New Zealand captain DJ Forbes said this week.
“Everyone knows how important it is going to be with so much at stake. There is nothing in it between ourselves and six or seven other countries so it comes down to consistency at each round.
“The Olympics is at the back of our mind, but we know we need to tick the boxes along the way and the Gold Coast is that first step and hopefully we can get our season off to strong start this weekend.”
Tight competition
New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji and England occupied the top four spots at the end of last season and Australia will also be looking for a bright start on home soil as they look to oust one of the quartet over the next eight months.
Australia have controversially recruited a foreigner in Geraint John to guide their heavily-funded programme for this season after his success in nine years with Canada.
The Welshman is well aware of what is expected.
“The expectation here is that you have to win and that you have to be no.1. That’s the whole drive in Australian sport,” he said.
“Hopefully we’ll get a lot of Australian people in to support the team this weekend, I think we need that.”
Fiji, who won the Dubai and Japan rounds last season, are proof that sevens success does not need to rely on pedigree in test rugby and the likes of Canada, Kenya and Samoa will also be gunning to break the stranglehold of the traditional powers.
Women’s Sevens will also debut in Rio and the top four teams in their six-stop world series, which starts in Dubai in December, will also qualify directly for the Olympic tournament.