4 days to go till @dubai7s and Cherry picking Australia to mount a strong Series challenge this season

New Zealand might well be the pre-tournament favourites, but Australia are heading to Dubai for round one of the IRB Women’s World Series upbeat, and ready for the challenge, following some encouraging performances in warm-up tournaments.

The Australians were semi-finalists at last year’s Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens, as they were in the USA round, and finished fifth overall in the augural World Series.

And with the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 very much on the mind of both players and coaches, the competition promises to become much tougher this season – with Emilee Cherry, one of the Australians’ key players, saying the standards are rising all the time.

"I look back at videos of two years ago and the game has changed so much, it's become more physical," she said. "Then it was very much about individual skill and that passing game, and now the physicality has also come into it.

"As a team one thing that I think we lacked last Series was that physical edge and it really cost us."

With new coach Tim Walsh guiding his team to regional success at the Oceania Sevens recently, and with a good performance at the Coral Coast Sevens, there is a spring in the heel of the squad heading to Dubai.

And one of the factors to the Australians' increasing 'tough' edge is captain Sharni Williams.

Said Cherry: "Sharni is a great leader on and off the field – she’s the ultimate Sevens player, and to have someone like that in our team, we can really look up to her and aspire."

Australia will feature in the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series Pool C at 7he Sevens on Thursday, up against Canada, Brazil and France. And the captain herself is looking forward to the challenge: "We're on the up and looking to do better than last year (lost the third place play-off to Spain) and I'm sure we will,” said Williams.

"It can be rough and tough but it's a wonderful game to be involved in. Dubai is our first round but we've played there before and it's going to be great. They're hot conditions, a bit like back home in Australia."

Walsh, meanwhile, believes the team is ready for the challenge of the opening round. He said: "The first round of a World Series is always an eye opener. New players, coaches, referees, teams and opportunities all result in an exciting battle on and off the field."

IRB Women’s Sevens World Series, Pool C
Fixtures, November 28, 2013
13.22 v Brazil
16.20 v France
19.18 v Canada

The Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens takes place between November 28 and 30, to include the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series, the HSBC Sevens World Series and the Invitational Tournament, which this year has over 200 teams and more than 3,000 players taking part.