Defending HSBC World Sevens Series champions Australia have been drawn in Pool A alongside New Zealand, Samoa and invitational team Hong Kong.

South Africa, France, and Great Britain are joined by Series debutants Uruguay in Pool B.

Defending Rugby World Cup Sevens champions Fiji are in Pool C, aiming for a sixth straight title in Hong Kong. They face the USA, Spain and Japan.

Argentina and Ireland, who qualified for the World Series on their last outing in Hong Kong in 2019, are joined by Kenya and Canada in Pool D.

What The Captains Say:

Premier Tournament

“It’s great to be back. This is one of the premier tournaments and everyone knows the history of Hong Kong with a fantastic crowd so it’s great to be back here and we can’t wait to get out on the field on Friday.

“We’ve been able to keep pretty much the whole of the squad from last year and we’ve had a good pre-season so we can’t wait to get back out on the pitch.

“There’s a bit of extra pressure with the Olympic qualification and all the teams are going to be doing their best to get in the top four and secure their spot in Paris so with that pressure I’m sure everyone’s going to be stepping up an extra gear and it’s going to be a great Series.”

• Australia captain Nick Malouf

Ready To Rip It

“We had a few injuries at the end of last season so it’s been good to have a bit of time off, get the boys back fresh and we’re ready to rip it.

“We’ve got a strong squad and we’re really looking forward to this season so there’ll be no excuses.

“Hong Kong will be a ripper to start with, they always put on a good show here and the crowd love their sevens so we can’t wait.”

• New Zealand captain Sam Dickson

Lifetime Experience

“We are delighted to be here and be part of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. It will be the experience of a lifetime. We have been preparing in a great way and we are ready for this challenge.

“We expect to make a good performance and an evolution from now until the end of the Series. We have some goals and objectives and we are looking forward to it.”

• Uruguay captain Diego Ardao

Long Wait Over

“We’ve got that buzz back this week, there’s a lot of excitement in the city and people have been waiting for a long time for this. It’s really exciting for us as players too, especially with a new squad and a lot of guys who have never played a Hong Kong sevens.”

• Hong Kong captain Max Woodward

Source: World Rugby Sevens