Ireland get tough group

Dubai Sevens: Ireland return to the World Sevens circuit for the first time since 2001 with a welcome appearance at the Dubai Sevens, the first tournament in this season's IRB Series, being staged today and tomorrow in the Gulf state.

"We're looking ahead to the 2005 Sevens World Cup in Hong Kong" said coach Ryan Constable, the former Ulster player, and himself an experienced exponent of rugby's abbreviated form, having competed at the Dubai tournament in past years.

Ireland showed their potential by finishing third in the European qualifying tournament held in Majorca last July.

But the international stage in Dubai represents a different level of sevens rugby, with the likes of title-holders New Zealand leading a clutch of top countries vying for the honours this season.

Such is the quality of the sevens rugby on offer at Dubai that no draw can be favourable. Ireland, because they are returning to international competition after a long absence are seeded in the last four and find themselves drawn against last season's Dubai winners, South Africa, and the former world champions, Fiji, as well as the fast improving Portugal side.

Ireland, of course, have a strong pedigree in sevens having come within a whisker of reaching the final of the inaugural World Cup at Murrayfield in 1993 after losing in extra-time to Australia.

The hope is the same spirit can be recreated but with so many other countries investing heavily in the sevens game it has become much more serious business than the end of season fun it once was.

South Africa were yesterday robbed of their star player, Fabian Juries, who has scored an impressive 99 tries on the IRB circuit.

The speedy winger twisted his ankle in the warm-up and had to be flown home, the second blow in a week for the Springboks after the withdrawal of Marius Schoeman through injury on Sunday.

England face a relatively easy pool against Scotland, France and Uganda in Pool B.

Pool A sees a contest for the top spot between the All Blacks and Wallabies, with Canada and the Arabian Gulf filling the other spots in the group.

The most entertaining group is likely to be Group C, which will see Argentina, Samoa and Kenya fight it out for the two quarter-final spots, with Tunisia making up the group.

IRELAND (squad): Gary Brown (Ulster, Belfast Harlequins), Mark Bruce (Loughborough University), John Hearty (Leinster, Blackrock), David Hewitt (Leinster, Clontarf), Ian Humphreys (Belfast Harlequins), Seamus Mallon (Ulster, Dungannon), Mike McComish (Ballymena), Martin McPhail (Munster, Bohemians), James Norton (Leinster, UCD), Niall O'Brien (Connacht), Tom O'Leary (Dolphin), Naill Ronan (Leinster, Lansdowne).