@dubai7s Come and join the party! The Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens is underway today

The Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens 2013 is underway today!

This year’s festival of rugby sevens kicked off with matches in the Invitation Tournament on what promises to be a terrific day of action – and free admission!

Matches in the invitation tournament will be taking place on pitches two to seven throughout the day, with the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series getting underway on Pitch One at 1pm, when Canada face France in Pool C.

Also in Pool C is Brazil, the South American flag wavers in the women’s event, who open against Australia. Beatriz Muhlbauer, who is sidelined this weekend through injury, says it is for Brazil to perform well in Dubai so fans will come and support them when the country hosts a round of the Series for the first time in February.

“We need to show we are continuing to improve and increasing our level of rugby because we want to stay on the Women’s Sevens World Series,” she said. “We’re hosting a leg for the first time in February so we need to do well in Dubai as that will encourage people to come and watch, and cheer for, us.

“We need to improve our position in the rankings too because we have slipped from 10th to 13th in the period between the two Rugby World Cup Sevens. We need to fight against teams in and around us in the rankings, sides like China and France.”

There are 18 Pool Matches on Pitch One throughout the afternoon and evening, with defending Dubai, and overall World Series champions New Zealand, making their first appearance of the weekend in a Pool A game against Fiji at 1.44pm. USA and Ireland complete this Pool.

England, who were runners up in the overall standings after the first season of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series, open against Tunisia in Pool B, before facing Spain and Russia – the side that stunned them in the pool stages of Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow back in June.

“There are very few ‘easy’ games in Sevens now so each game requires a performance,” said England’s captain Michaela Staniford. “Russia obviously stick out as a challenge, they performed well at the Sevens World Cup and have grown with their core squad over the past few years.

“Spain are also a smart rugby nation and a team that have become more and more threatening with the ball.

“We really need to focus on performance game to game, gelling as a team and getting the best possible start to the Series.”

Other than the world class action of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series, one of the most intriguing clashes of the day comes in the Invitation Tournament’s International Veteran’s section, when Joining Jack face J9 Legends.

That match is on Pitch Four at 11.20am this morning, with Joining Jack represented by legends of English rugby league, including Andy Farrell, Dennis Betts and Martin Offiah.

They are playing in Dubai for the second year running, to raise funds for, and awareness of, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, an incurable illness from which former England player Andy Johnson's five-year-old son Jack was diagnosed with two years ago.

Up against them will be some of the most famous names in recent rugby union history representing The J9 Foundation.

This is a charity set up to raise awareness of the debilitating motor neurone disease, set up by the South African legend Joost van der Westhuizen, who was diagnosed with it two years ago.

And wearing the J9 colours will be a team of former internationals - including Carlos Spencer of New Zealand, Stephen Larkham of Australia and Colin Charvis of Wales – with a combined 500 international caps between them.

For all Thursday’s fixtures, visit the tournament website: http://www.dubairugby7s.com/teams-and-results/2013/2013fixtures.aspx?code=wsws