The Rugby Sevens series moves onto Las Vegas this Saturday night for the USA leg. It will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium from March 3rd to 5th. This series has extra significance as the Rugby World Cup Sevens (this year in San Francisco) seedings will be determined from this series.
2018 Rugby Sevens - Las Vegas Favourites Preview
The early favourites are the South Africans and they’ll look to build on their lead atop the standings. South Africa has’t won since Dubai but they are building form after two straight silver medals. They also won this tournament last year, beating Fiji in the final. Their draw in Las Vegas looks fairly comfortable with matches against England, Canada and Wales. England will be their toughest match as Canada and Wales have been inconsistent. But they will be missing arguably their best player - Seabelo Senatla. He will be returning to Super Rugby to play for the Stormers. He currently leads Rugby Sevens with 150 points scored and is comfortably the leading try scorer with 30 tries. So it’s going to leave a large void in the South African squad.
For Fiji, they are one of the teams to watch in Las Vegas. They beat South Africa in the final in Hamilton and as mentioned, they finished second here last year. So they’ll be looking to avenge that loss against South Africa. Their pool draw looks comfortable with Kenya their toughest opponent. Eroni Sau is their player to watch with 18 tries so far, including the winner against South Africa in New Zealand. In the end, Fiji is a danger to South Africa and they should be able to make the final against them once again.
New Zealand is second on the standings and will be looking to close gap on South Africa. They have a tough matchup against Argentina and improving Scotland. But an invitational team Uruguay should be a walkover for the Kiwis. They rank 3rd in Rugby Sevens for points scored. They’ll be looking to improve on their efforts from Sydney and Hamilton. I think they’ll go close to the final.
Australia is another team to watch in Las Vegas. They won the Rugby 7s at home in Sydney and then followed with a bronze medal in Hamilton. In addition, the Aussies are currently ranked 2nd in Rugby Sevens for points scored. But their draw looks tough in this one. They play against the home side USA and improving Samoa. So this could be a tough series for Australia.
Since a bronze medal in Dubai, England has finished with 10 points in three straight Rugby Sevens series. Dan Norton is their key player as he’s ranked sixth in Rugby Sevens with 16 tries. But their depth will be tested once again in Las Vegas. They also have to play South Africa in their draw. As well as tough matches against Canada and Wales.
At home, the USA are one of the outsiders to watch. They finished with a bronze medal in Las Vegas last year and are ranked in the top 5 for points scored this season. Although, they were fairly poor in New Zealand, they performed well in Australia and in Cape Town. They do have a tough draw against Australia and Samoa. But the home crowd should give them an advantage throughout the weekend.
World Rugby Sevens - Las Vegas Outright Betting Tip
The Rugby Sevens has produced a different winner in all four series so far but this series should break that trend. In the last five years, the Las Vegas leg has been dominated by South Africa and Fiji. With South Africa winning 3 and Fiji twice. The missing link for South Africa is Seabelo Senatla so Fiji are a good value play. They have an easier draw and will be looking to build on their victory in New Zealand.
TIP: Fiji to win - $6 at Sportsbet
