There will be no ‘Pool of Death’ for Americas teams when the HSBC Sevens Series resumes in Wellington on January 28. After a rough start to the 2016-17 season, all three Americas teams at the tournament will be looking for a lift in fortunes, and the draw has certainly offered an opportunity to do so for each.
Currently ranked 11th, Argentina find themselves in Pool A along with Cape Town champions England, Kenya, and invitational side Papua New Guinea. The USA have a challenging but not overly intimidating Pool C to deal with. Included are New Zealand, France, and Samoa.
Canada meanwhile have by far the easiest draw of the season with Scotland, Wales, and Russia together in Pool D. Things did not go so well for poor Japan, who must face Series leaders South Africa, Olympic champions Fiji, and Australia in a stacked Pool B.