Dubai Rugby Sevens 2009
credit: Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens
The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens is one of the key events in the Dubai sports and social calendar. This year you’ll get intense non-stop rugby action on six pitches from December 3 – 5. Last year saw record crowds at the inauguration of new Sevens ground off Al-Ain road with over 130,000 visitors.
More on the Dubai Rugby Sevens
The Dubai edition of Rugby Sevens is held since 2008 on the new purpose-built stadium called The Sevens, located off the Dubai–Al Ain Road (past the Dubai Outlet Mall).
There are 15,000 parking spaces available on site at The Sevens. A better way of transport, especially if you will be drinking are the free shuttle buses on all three days of the tournament which start at 5:00pm running a continuous loop to: Festival City, Chi @ The Lodge, The Irish Village, Media City (family drop-off) and Barasti.
There are several activities throughout the day during the tournament including a dedicated children’s area with a bouncing castle, face painting and other games. For the adults, there are the Rugby Rock concerts after the matches in Rugby Village: The Million Dollar Band on 4 December, and the Corporate Voice Experience (CVE) on 5 December.
For families there is a dedicated alcohol-free seating area.
There are also ATM and several food and beverage outlets.
Gates open at 7:30am and the matches run all day long so it’s best to come early.
Who’s playing?
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
 South Africa |
 Fiji |
 England |
 New Zealand |
 Australia |
 Samoa |
 Kenya |
 Argentina |
 Wales |
 Scotland |
 USA |
 Portugal |
| Arabian Gulf |  Zimbabwe |
 Russia |
 France |
You can view a list of the fixtures .
Rugby Sevens Tickets
Tickets to come and join the party are available through dubairugby7s.com and will also be on sale at the gate during the tournament.
Thursday 3 December: Free of charge
Friday 4 December: AED 170
Saturday 5 December: AED 230
Season Ticket (Friday and Saturday): AED 300
Children under 12 enter free, provided they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Reserved seating and Corporate Hospitality tickets are also available.
More information in tickets.
TV coverage
In the UAE, the Dubai Rugby Sevens Tournament will be screened on Showtime, as well as, Dubai Sports channels.
About the Rugby Sevens Tournament
Sixteen teams are set to take part at the Dubai Rugby Sevens tournament. Teams compete for the Sevens World Series title by accumulating points based on their finishing position in each tournament. The eight tournaments for this season are:
- Dubai (The Sevens): December 4-5, 2009
- South Africa, George (Outeniqua Park, George): December 11-12, 2009
- New Zealand (Westpac Stadium, Wellington): February 5-6, 2010
- USA (Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas): February 13-14, 2010
- Adelaide, Australia (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide): March 20-21, 2010
- Hong Kong (Hong Kong Stadium): March 26-28, 2010
- London (Twickenham): May 22-23, 2010
- Edinburgh, Scotland (Murrayfield, Edinburgh): May 29-30, 2010
Sevens is a stripped-down version of rugby union (like the 20-20 in cricket) with seven players on each side instead of the usual fifteen. The matches themselves are shorter too–22 minutes–which makes for more fast paced, higher-scoring and exciting play.
The Rugby World Cup is held every four years with the last one being held in Dubai in March, 2009. Both the Rugby Sevens and the Rugby World Cup are sanctioned by the International Rugby Board (IRB).
