The official draw for the Hong Kong Sevens was held last night at the Rotunda in Exchange Square, Central, Hong Kong. The event will take place from March 18-20.
The 24 competing teams were drawn in four pools of six teams each.
The eight seeded teams, based on their performance in the last six events, are New Zealand, England, Fiji, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, Samoa and Scotland.
The current IRB Sevens leaders and defending Rugby World Cup Sevens 2001 champions New Zealand start as favourites of the Hong Kong event.
They are likely to face a stiff challenge from three-time defending Hong Kong Sevens champions England, who are seeded second.
The tournament will be played on a round robin format. Each team will play three matches on day one and two on day two.
Three points will be awarded for a win, two for a draw, one for a loss. No extra time will be played in the pool stages.
The winner and second placed team from each of the four pools will contest The Melrose Cup Competition.
The third and fourth placed teams from each pool will contest the Plate Competition while the fifth and sixth placed teams will contest the Bowl event.
The groupings: Pool A: New Zealand, Scotland, Tonga, Ireland, Korea and US.
Pool B: England, Samoa, France, Italy, Georgia and Chinese Taipei.
Pool C: Fiji, Australia, Canada, Portugal, Japan and Hong Kong.
Pool D: Argentina, South Africa, Kenya, Tunisia, Russia and Uruguay.
Gulf News
