Reigning World Series champions and Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 winners New Zealand head the list of 12 nations that will take to the field over two days of action at 7he Dubai Rugby Sevens stadium on November 28 and 29.

The All Blacks are the defending Dubai champions also and have been drawn in a tough looking Pool A along with Oceania rivals Fiji, new core team Ireland and a United States side who finished fourth in the overall standings during the inaugural Women's Sevens World Series last season.

Pool C looks to be an equally competitive section, containing Canada, Australia, France and Rio 2016 hosts Brazil.

Canada followed up their third place finish last season with a strong showing at the Rugby Sevens World Cup in Moscow, where they eventually lost out to the all conquering All Blacks in the final at the Luzhniki Stadium back in June.

The Australian squad will be going to Dubai full of confidence after winning the recent Oceania Women's Sevens title

Australia will be coming into the competition in Dubai brimming with confidence after claiming the Oceania Women's Sevens title on home soil in Noosa earlier this month.

Tim Walsh's team overcame Fiji 22-10 with an impressive final performance and will be looking to build on that momentum as they look to get their second World Series campaign off to a flying start to try and better their semi-final defeat to great rivals New Zealand in Dubai last year.

Last season's runners-up England are in Pool B along with Tunisia, Spain and Russia.

England were the only other side to win a World Series event last season apart from New Zealand, when they triumphed over hosts US in Houston in February, while Russia and Spain put in impressive performances in Moscow with the hosts reaching the quarter-finals and Spain going all the way to the semi-final stage.

"Last season's inaugural IRB Women's Sevens World Series was a great success and we're very excited about building on that solid foundation after a Rugby World Cup Sevens which was also extremely hard-fought," said IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset.

"The women's series gives these nations the rigorous and regular international competition they need to build their programmes as they countdown towards rugby sevens' Olympic debut in 2016.

"Having hosted the first Rugby World Cup Sevens for women back in 2009, Dubai has been a ground-breaking venue for women's rugby in recent times and we are delighted that the same wonderful venue gives us the opportunity to have the finest men's and women's players in the world playing alongside each other.

"For the players as well as the fans it is an enticing prospect."

Will anyone challenge the All Blacks side this season as they seek to win back-to-back World Series titles?

























The 2013-2014 women's season will contain six tournaments compared to four last time out, illustrating the growing popularity of the women's game.

Following Dubai, the World Series tour moves onto Atlanta, São Paulo, Guangzhou and Amsterdam, while the venue for the sixth and final leg has yet to be announced.

To view the pools and match schedule for the women's Dubai Rugby Sevens competition click here.

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