DUBAI — The stage is set for the annual good-natured invasion of Dubai by up to 100,000 fans for the Emirates Airlines Rugby 7s, the most popular sporting event in the Emirates.



England, after its shock defeat by Spain in the Gold Coast sevens in Australia a month ago, is out to complete its hat trick of wins in Dubai, but it is up against determined opposition from the usual suspects from the Southern Hemisphere and Europe.



Whatever the result, the event will be one of the most exciting yet as the way forward to the 2016 Olympics is open and new teams are appearing to take an interest in gold medals.



On Wednesday, the news came from Mohammed AR Falkanaz, Chairman of the UAE Rugby Federation, that the Emirates has been accepted as the 100th member of the International Rugby Federation, a move that allows it to enter a national team in international tournaments.



The acceptance coincides with the Emirates National Day week of celebrations and adds spice to what is always and exuberant atmosphere at the tournament.



Add to that, the news that women’s rugby has been officially recognized by the International Rugby Board. This is seen as an extremely popular move among the aficionados of the sport as the women’s game, only marginally less physical than the men’s, is popular for its fluidity and continuity to a level sometimes not achieved by the men. All in all, the scene is set for an exceptional weekend of international sevens rugby.



England coach Ben Ryan was upbeat but giving nothing away at the pre-tournament briefing Wednesday. “We are desperate to make sure that we do everything we can to make it three titles in a row,” he said. “We’ve got an excellent record in Dubai, better than any other team in the world over the last five years and now we need to use that to our advantage.”



However, the power and determination of the New Zealanders, the series champion, is always a force to be reckoned with. Lying second behind an enormously powerful Fiji team, the All Blacks would dearly love to upset England’s apple cart.



“Dubai is a climate we like playing in and a tournament we want to win again,” said coach Gordon Tietjens. “England has won it over the last couple of years, but there are six or seven teams that could win it.”



The Fijians are most definitely in that group. Their extremely physical style of play, apparent indestructability and un-dentable determination always produce exciting and bruising contests and the All Blacks have been on the receiving end of it many times. They are definitely a team to watch out for.



Always tense with the anticipation of the unexpected, such as the Spanish overturning of England, Tietjens distilled the essence of the seven-aside game and the one of the main reasons it achieved Olympic status.



Thursday was club and amateur day and the matches were seriously contested.



Teams from the Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia, competed for honors with varying levels of success.



The event will be beamed to over 150 countries. Last year it was watched in 324 million homes. This year again the tournament seems set to repeat the success and put the game firmly in the mainstream of sports broadcasting. — SG