Emirates brings Rugby Sevens to London

A total of 16 teams are flying in from all corners of the world to play 44 matches over the two days of the penultimate event in the series, which commenced in November 2007 in Dubai, the home of Emirates. The IRB Sevens World Series culminates the following weekend with the Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens at Murrayfield.

Gary Chapman, President Group Services and Dnata, Emirates Group, said:

"Emirates is a committed sponsor of rugby sevens across the globe, and is delighted to be involved in London as the IRB Sevens World Series nears another exciting conclusion. Rugby is a sport at the heart of our sponsorships and the spirit in which it is played mirrors the values of our airline. We look forward to an exciting weekend of rugby and a long association with Sevens."

The team to beat in London is certainly New Zealand, as they ride high at the top of the standings with a seemingly unassailable lead. With South Africa in second place and Fiji in third, both will be challenging hard for valuable points, and England down in eighth place will want to impress the home crowd, although the turnout is bound to have a highly international feel.

Emirates' sponsorship of the London Sevens is a further example of the airline's support of Rugby worldwide. Emirates, recently announced as Principal Partner of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 to be held in Dubai, sponsors three other tournaments in the annual IRB Sevens World Series: namely Dubai, South Africa and the series finale in Edinburgh.

Emirates is also the shirt sponsor of the England and Samoa sevens teams, as well as being the official sponsor of the IRB's international referees, the IRB Awards and IRB World Rugby Yearbook. In 2008, Emirates sponsored the 125th Melrose Sevens event and in Australia, the award winning airline sponsors the Emirates Western Force Super 14 squad.