New York City Sevens, who won the Plate competition at the inaugural event in London last year, will be joined by the winners of the new 12-team tournament which is scheduled to be held on June 6 and 7 in the build-up to the international test match between the US Eagles and Scotland in Houston.

A team from Houston will be one of the sides taking part along with the best players at all levels from regions surrounding the cities of Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle and Washington D.C.

San Francisco Golden Gate competed at Twickenham last year and they will also battle it out with the 11 other sides to book a return.

"This will be a tremendously exciting new event," USA Rugby chief executive Nigel Melville said.

"We'll be able to cast a wide net and, with the help of some incredibly dedicated coaches and administrators, get 144 of the best sevens players this country has to offer in one place to showcase themselves and vie for selection into the Olympic sevens pathway.

"We're hoping to see some of the best rugby of the year played out in Houston.

"Showcasing this tournament alongside a Tier One test match should make for a tremendous weekend of rugby."

USA Rugby hopes the new all-star tournament will help unearth young talent to go on and represent the national side ©Getty Images



With qualification for Rio 2016 looming large for all international sides, USA Rugby is keen to use the tournament as way of identifying new talent and providing players already recognised as international class, with a further opportunity to compete on a higher stage.

Head coach of the US Sevens, Matt Hawkins, and USA rugby national development director, Alex Magleby, will work closely with each of the 12 teams to help identify talent and select squads.

"This is an incredibly important development opportunity for players around the country who wish to get on the radar for sevens residency chances at the Olympic Training Centre," said USA Rugby club director Jim Snyder.

"This will be a first-of-its-kind event with players able to showcase themselves at a higher level while also pursuing qualification to a major international event."

The World Club 7s brings together some of the biggest names in club and provincial rugby from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and also provides opportunities for clubs from emerging nations to take part in a two-day tournament.

Action from last year's World Club 7s final between the Auckland Blues and the ACT Brumbies ©Getty Images



Twelve teams will travel to London on August 16 and 17 to compete for the title won by Australia's ACT Brumbies last year.

The Brumbies' rivals the New South Wales (NSW) Waratahs, the Auckland Blues from New Zealand, South Africa's Blue Bulls and a side from Buenos Aires have joined the New York City Sevens as teams already confirmed for this year's event.

England will be represented by the winners of the Premiership Rugby 7s while the rest of the field will be confirmed by organisers at a later date.

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