Club players dust off boots for sevens

The Dunedin men's and women's club sevens tournaments will kick off this weekend as club players come out of mothballs for the coming sevens season.

The men have a tournament at Kettle Park tomorrow while the women's tournament is at Logan Park tonight.

All nine premier clubs are represented in the men's tournament, which will kick off at 11am tomorrow when Zingari-Richmond takes on Southern.

In the men's competition, clubs can have squads of up to 15 players, including two loan players.

Games will be sevens minutes each way, including the finals.

There are three pools of three. Pool winners go through to the semifinals along with the top team in second position among the three pools

If the second-placed teams have equal points it will go to points differential.

University, Southern and Zingari-Richmond are in pool A. Harbour, Dunedin and Alhambra-Union are in pool B while Taieri, Kaikorai and Green Island are in pool C.

It is three points for a win and one for a draw in pool play.

There are rolling substitutions and no limit on how often substitutions can be made, although they have to be made when stoppages in play occur.

Semifinals will be played at 2.40pm and the final will be played an hour later.

Another tournament has been scheduled for Miller Park next weekend.

The national sevens season has been shortened with the national tournament set for Tauranga in the middle of December. It used to be played in mid January.

The Otago men's team will be coached by Roy Hawker and Craig Sneddon.

The women's tournament will begin with six games tonight on the back field at Logan Park.

Six clubs have entered teams and there is a halls team consisting of players from university halls of residence.

There will not be a final tonight; further games are to be played over the next couple of weeks.

The Otago women's team will be coached by Dave Latta and Marty Hurring.

Regional qualifiers for both the men and women are set for Timaru in early December.

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