Pools and schedule announced for the 17th Safaricom Sevens
The draw for the 17th Safaricom Sevens was released on Wednesday 19 September 2012.
The sixteen teams were banded into four pools of four teams each. All pool matches will be played on Saturday with straight knock out matches played on Sunday.
The Kenya Sevens team at the 2011 Safaricom Sevens/Photo/Billy Mugambi
Samurai, with several New Zealand Sevens internationals in their ranks, hosts Kenya, Spain and Portugal were drawn as the top seeds in the four pools.
Samurai, beaten main cup finalists at the 2011 event have been drawn into Pool A alongside South African side Western Province, Kenya’s second representative side Shujaa and the Uganda Kobs.
Fans enjoying the 2011 tournament
Pool B sees Kenya, losing semi finalists last year grouped together with returning French side Grenoble, Uganda Cranes and Rwanda.
Spain, recently awarded core status ahead of the 2012/13 HSBC Sevens World Series are top seeds in Pool C where they will face opposition from the Bristol Barracudas from England, South Africa’s Hamilton Raiders and the third Kenyan side, Chairman’s Select.
Another core sevens side, Portugal, making their Safaricom Sevens debut headline Pool D where they have been group alongside the South Africa Sevens Elite Player Development squad (formerly the Emerging Boks), Zambia and the Kenya Universities Select.
Safaricom Sevens
Pool A: Samurai, Western Province, Shujaa, Uganda Kobs
Pool B: Kenya, Grenoble, Uganda Cranes, Rwanda
Pool C : Spain, Bristol Barracudas, Hamilton Raiders, Chairman’s Select
Pool D: Portugal, SA Sevens EPD, Zambia, Universities Select
