They won three out of four rounds of the World Series last season - including the first ever round, in Dubai – and went on to win the inaugural overall title. They followed that up by winning the IRB Sevens World Cup in Moscow.
Now they are targeting more success in the coming campaign. And Horan says the close season break has refreshed his squad, and fired them up for the new season.
“We had a fantastic first year on the circuit, and the break after the World Cup has been good for us,” he said. “But players have come into our preparation camp in great nick, and everyone is amped and looking forward to the new season.
“We know that other teams will have gone away after World Cup and worked quite hard, so we are expecting them to come out hard in Dubai.
“We loved our Dubai experience last year, it’s a great tournament, and there’s always a great buzz about the place over all three days. We love how the crowds really get behind this event, and show their passion and support for teams and Sevens rugby.
“The crowds are great, the support is very passionate and the atmosphere always terrific. We are definitely looking forward to being back in Dubai – it’s a great place to kick off the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series and we’re itching to get our 2013/2014 campaign under way.”
Horan said his players had been able to keep up their fitness, and one of the aims during a three-day camp in Mount Maunganui in New Zealand this week was to work on their game plan.
The squad, who fly out of Auckland on Saturday, and the only disruption to Horan’s preparations are injuries to five players, including the prolific try-scorer Portia Woodman.
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.
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