England’s Women top seeds for RWC Sevens


By RFU Julia Hutton
February 7 2013

England’s victory in round two of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series in Houston, Texas last weekend has secured their position as number-one seeds for the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013, which takes place from 28-30 June in the iconic Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

Fisher celebrates being named Player of the Tournament in Houston

England ran out 29-12 winners in the final after an excellent weekend where they had to beat the champions from Dubai, New Zealand, twice on the way to lifting the title. This victory puts England top of the seedings, with seedings based on the combined results from the 2011/12 Challenge Cup series and 2012/13 World Series. England will be joined in the first band by RWC Sevens 2009 winners Australia, Canada and USA.

Band Two will be populated by New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and Russia while the third tier will include Netherlands, China, France and Japan.

The RWC Sevens 2013 Pool Allocation Draw takes place in Moscow on 28 February.

England’s powerhouse Heather Fisher, who was named player of the tournament in Houston, said England are delighted with their recent victory but  RWC Sevens is going to be an immensely competitive tournament.   “Women’s Rugby Sevens is really competitive these days and I think that bodes well for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in June,” said Fisher, who also played in the 2009 RWC Sevens, where England lifted the Plate. “The final in Houston could have involved any one of the top eight sides because there was very little between everyone. This is a fantastic result for us and a platform for us to build on for the next few months heading into the World Cup.”

Women's RWC Sevens rankings' after Sevens World Series Round 2

  1. England                     48
  2. Australia                    46
  3. Canada                      36
  4. USA                            36

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  1. New Zealand            34
  2. South Africa              30
  3. Spain                         28
  4. Russia                       28

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  1. Netherlands              26
  2. China                         10
  3. France                       6
  4. Japan                         5

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  1. Tunisia                       0
  2. Ireland                        0
  3. Fiji                               0
  4. S America qualifier  0

The four bands of four for the women are as follows:

Band 1: Australia, England, Canada, USA

Band 2: New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Russia

Band 3: Netherlands, China, France, Japan

Band 4: Tunisia, Ireland, Fiji, (S American Qualifier).

Note: Bands 3 and 4 may change depending on the result of the South American qualifying tournament.