The pools have been drawn for round five of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Las Vegas, with New Zealand heading Pool A after winning their home tournament in Wellington.World Rugby has confirmed the pool draw for the USA Sevens in Las Vegas, round five of the HSBC Sevens World Series 2014/15 on 13-15 February 2015.
After their first Cup win of the season and successful title defence at the fourth round of the Series in Wellington, New Zealand are top seeds and head Pool A, while runners-up England, third-placed South Africa and the fourth semi-finalist Scotland lead the remaining pools.
The 2014/15 season carries added significance because the top-ranked sides after the ninth and final round in London in May 2015 will qualify directly for the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.
Following the pool draw for round four of the Series, which was made before the Cup final at the Westpac Stadium, Sir Gordon Tietjens’ side were drawn alongside Fiji, Wales and Samoa in what looks the toughest of the pools.
Wellington runners-up England will play Kenya, Argentina and Canada in Pool B as Simon Amor’s side look to move back into the top four in the overall standings.
Current series leaders and defending USA Sevens champions South Africa head Pool C as the third-placed team in Wellington and await hosts USA, who topped a pool for the first time since 2001 in New Zealand, Portugal and Japan.
Scotland, meanwhile, will play Australia, France and the only non-core side Brazil.
Source:World Rugby.