The Rugby 7s series returns to South-East Asia as Singapore hosts the eighth leg of the 2017/2018 series. It will be played at the National Stadium in Singapore this Saturday April 28 until the final on Sunday. Fiji is the current favourites in the betting and they’ll be looking for their third straight series win.
2018 Rugby Sevens - Singapore Preview
Fiji are chasing down South Africa in the standings as they’re now just 3 points behind. With only 3 series left, the Fijians will be confident coming into this series. They’ve won back to back titles in Vancouver and Hong Kong. They also haven’t finished outside the top three in the last 4 series. So they figure to be in the running once again. As a result of their performances, they’ve been placed in arguably the easiest Pool. They’ll get matches against Spain, Russia and Japan. They should easily finish first and reach the next stage undefeated.
The South African side is consistent even though they haven’t won a series since Dubai last year. They’ve finished third in back to back series and lead the Rugby 7s standings with 126 points. They’re in Pool C for this series which will see them play Argentina, Canada and Samoa. It’s not an overly tough draw and they would be disappointed if they don’t finish first in Pool C.
New Zealand should come into this series with confidence after knocking off Fiji in the Commonwealth Games Gold Medal matchup. They haven’t had much success over the last few series but I’m tipping they’ll change that in Singapore. They have a fairly easy draw against Australia, Scotland and Wales in Pool D. So they should easily win that group and advance further in the tournament.
The USA has been pretty quiet since winning in Las Vegas. But they did finish runner-up to Canada last year in Singapore. Their last match in Pool B will likely be the key as they face Kenya. If they can win that match, I would say the USA are good value to at least reach the semi finals.
The Aussies were poor in Hong Kong as they couldn’t get past the group stages. They’re missing captain James Stannard and it’s unknown whether he’ll play in this series as well. They have a few tough matches in the group stages, highlighted by the rivalry matchup against New Zealand. It’s hard to see Australia getting near the finals in this one.
England performed well in the Commonwealth Games Rugby 7s as they took the Bronze medal in a 21-14 win over South Africa. It was a pleasing sign after a woeful performance in Hong Kong as they earned just 1 point in the standings. They finished third in Singapore last year so they should be one of the outsiders to watch. Especially if they can beat the USA and Kenya in Pool B.
Argentina has been held fairly quiet since reaching the final in Las Vegas. They earned just 3 points in the last series in Singapore and they face a tough challenge against South Africa in Pool C. A first up matchup against Canada will be the key if they want to get near the final again.
Kenya is proving to be a team to watch in the last few series. They’ve finished second to Fiji in both Vancouver and Hong Kong. They have some tough matches against the USA and England in Pool B. But this side is looking confident and should at least reach the Quarter-Finals. I’m just still not sure if they can beat the likes of Fiji yet.
Canada are the surprising defending champions in Singapore after winning in 2017. So they could be a team to watch. However, matches against South Africa and Argentina in the group stage will be tough. They also haven’t got near the final in the last 5 series and didn’t perform well at the recent Commonwealth Games.
Prediction
I like the form of New Zealand after beating Fiji 14-0 in the Commonwealth Games. They should be confident in this series, have a pretty easy draw and offer good value in the betting.
TIP: New Zealand WIN - $3.20 at Sportsbet
