Australia up first for Scotland at Glasgow 7s

Sheer delight for South Africa after they won last year's event. Picture: SNS/SRU

The Scots – who won the Bowl at the most recent tournament, Hong Kong, last month – will face Australia at 12:42pm, then USA at 4:10pm and then close day one with their final Pool D match against Spain at 7:21pm.

Scotland head coach Stephen Gemmell said: “The timings at the Glasgow 7s work well for us, playing in the early afternoon will give plenty of time for the stadium to fill up. Also, opening against Australia will be exciting. We’ve beaten them this year, drawn with them and lost to them, so it will be a very competitive match.

“We’ve always had a big support at Scotstoun and it is our job to give them something to cheer about in all three games on day one.

“It’s always a huge honour closing the first day in front of your home support and it gives us a massive boost.”

The opening match of the eighth leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series will be played between Fiji, who are currently placed third in the circuit rankings and Argentina, who sit in eighth. This game kicks off at 10:30am. Current Series leaders, New Zealand and defending Emirates Airline Glasgow 7s champions, South Africa, will face-off at 6:37pm.

Newly qualified Japan, who will compete as a core team in the 2014/15 HSBC Sevens World Series, will have a taste of World Series event action as they compete against Canada (11:36am), England (2:20pm) and France (5:53pm) in Group B. Matches on day two will begin at 10:30am with the Shield, Bowl, Plate and Cup finals kicking-off at 4:52pm, 5:20pm, 5:48pm and 6:50pm, respectively.

Meanwhile, Otago Highlanders winger Kurt Baker has been slapped with a six-week suspension for a dangerous tackle on Melbourne Rebels’ scrum-half Nick Stirzaker during a Super Rugby match on Friday.

The 25-year-old Baker, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist with New Zealand’s sevens team, drove Stirzaker away from a ruck early in the Highlanders’ 33-30 win in Dunedin before lifting him and dumping him quickly into the ground.

“I considered that the potential for harm was significant as the tackled player was lifted high off the ground and tipped quickly so that . . . his neck made contact with the ground,” SANZAR’s judicial officer said in his ruling.

“The tackler has the responsibility not to place the tackled player at such risk and in this case, the player was placed in a very vulnerable position and was fortunate to not be injured.”

Governing body SANZAR has in recent years doled out heavy punishments to try to rid Super Rugby of lifting tackles, also known as tip or spear tackles, that often have players landing forcefully on their heads.

SCHEDULE

3 May 2014

10:30, Pool C: Fiji v Argentina

10:52, Pool C: Wales v Kenya

11:14, Pool B: England v France

11:36, Pool B: Canada v Japan

11:58, Pool A: New Zealand v Samoa

12:20, Pool A: South Africa v Portugal

12:42, Pool D: Australia v Scotland

13:04, Pool D: United States v Spain

13:36, Pool C: Fiji v Kenya

13:58, Pool C: Wales v Argentina

14:20, Pool B: England v Japan

14:42, Pool B: Canada v France

15:04, Pool A: New Zealand v Portugal

15:26, Pool A: South Africa v Samoa

15:48, Pool D: Australia v Spain

16:10, Pool D: United States v Scotland

16:47, Pool C: Fiji v Wales

17:09, Pool C: Argentina v Kenya

17:31, Pool B: England v Canada

17:53, Pool B: France v Japan

18:15, Pool A: Samoa v Portugal

18:37, Pool A: New Zealand v South Africa

18:59, Pool D: Australia v United States

19:21, Pool D: Scotland v Spain

4 May 2014

10:30, Bowl QF: 3rd Pool A v 4th Pool D

10:52, Bowl QF: 3rd Pool c v 4th Pool B

11: 14, Bowl QF: 3rd Pool D v 4th Pool A

11:36, Bowl QF, 3rd Pool B v 4th Pool C

11:58, Cup QF: 1st Pool A v 2nd Pool D

12:20, Cup QF: 1st Pool C v 2nd Pool B

12:42, Cup QF: 1st Pool D v 2nd PoolA

13:04, Cup QF: 1st Pool B v 2nd Pool C

13:46, Shield semi-final

14:08, Shield semi-final

14:30, Bowl semi-final

14:52, Bowl semi-final

15:14, Plate semi-final

15:36, Plate semi-final

15:58, Cup semi-final

16:20, Cup semi-final

16:52, Shield final

17:20, Bowl final

17:48, Plate final

18:16, Cup third place play-off

18:50, Cup final