Portia Woodman (main picture) is back to wreak havoc on opposing defence's at RWC Sevens 2018 after being named in New Zealand's squad. We take a look at the latest squad news from the competing 16 nations.

New Zealand (Seeded 1)

New Zealand include four members of their gold medal-winning team from the 2013 tournament in Kelly Brazier, Sarah Goss, Tyla Nathan-Wong and Portia Woodman. Woodman top scored in Moscow with an incredible 12 tries and heads to San Francisco bang in form after touching down 43 times in the HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series 2018.

“We have had a good year, but this group is strict on themselves, we think we have room to improve and those last bits we need to get right are the toughest,” said coach Allan Bunting. “Our players are incredibly motivated, playing in an amazing stadium and having the chance to leave mana there, to inspire other women, this is another great opportunity for our team.”

Squad: Shakira Baker, Michaela Blyde, Kelly Brazier, Gayle Broughton, Theresa Fitzpatrick, Sarah Goss (captain), Tyla Nathan-Wong, Ruby Tui, Stacey Waaka, Niall Williams, Tenika Willison, Portia Woodman.

Australia (Seeded 2)

Eight of Australia’s Olympic heroes have been named in John Manenti’s squad, including co-captains Shannon Parry and Sharni Williams. Charlotte Caslick, Emilee Cherry, Chloe Dalton, Ellia Green, Evania Pelite, Alicia Quirk and Emma Tonegato are the other survivors from Rio 2016.

Only Parry, Williams, who has fully recovered from the ankle injury that has kept her sidelined since the Commonwealth Games, Caslick and Cherry have appeared at a Rugby World Cup Sevens before, at Moscow in 2013 when the team finished fifth. Australia were the inaugural winners of the competition back in 2009.

"You can’t buy experience and the fact that most of the squad have been through it and done it over the years, and more recently in Paris last month, that will put them in good stead. There is sure to be close games in the World Cup and I think experience will help us through that when they come,” said Manenti.

Squad: Lauren Brown, Charlotte Caslick, Emilee Cherry, Ellia Green, Demi Hayes, Page McGregor, Yasmin Meakes, Shannon Parry (co-captain), Evania Pelite, Alicia Quirk, Cassie Staples. Emma Tonegato, Sharni Williams (co-captain).

Canada (Seeded 3)

Canada will once again be led by Ghislaine Landry, whose 984 points make her the all-time leading points scorer in HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series history. Landry, Kayla Moleschi and Bianca Farella are the only remaining members of Canada’s squad that were beaten finalists at RWC Sevens in Moscow in 2013. 

Olivia Apps, Brittany  Benn, Pam Buisa, Caroline Crossley, Julia Greenshields, Sara Kaljuvee, Breanne Nicholas, Natasha Watcham-Roy and Charity Williams are all set to make their tournament debut after impressing on the series.

Squad: Olivia Apps, Britt Benn, Guelph Redcoats, Pam Buisa, Caroline Crossley, Bianca Farella, Julia Greenshields, Sara Kaljuvee, Ghislaine Landry (captain), Kayla Moleschi, Breanne Nicholas, Natasha Watcham-Roy, 
Charity Williams.

USA (Seeded 5)

Of the 12 players selected by coach Richie Walker, nine appeared at Women's Rugby World Cup 2017 and four – Joanne Fa’avesi Lauren Doyle Ryan Carlyle and Alev Kelter – also competed at the Olympic Games in 2016. Meanwhile, newcomer Ilona Maher will look to build on her successful two-try tournament debut at the HSBC Paris Sevens in June.

Prolific duo, Naya Tapper (26 tries) and Alev Kelter (138 points), will look to shine once again having finished the 2018 series ranked joint-third for most tries and fourth for most points scored categories. No stranger to points herself, Lauren Doyle returns having scored in all but one of the Women's Sevens Eagles' matches in Paris, while Kris Thomas will attempt to surpass her own benchmark of 50 career tries.

"We've really spent the last several weeks evaluating where our focus and our mindset needs to be in order to perform to the best of our abilities," said Walker. "Our players have been building towards this tournament for years and to represent their country at home is remarkable in and of itself. We look forward to sharing our journey with home fans in San Francisco."

Squad: Ryan Carlyle, Lauren Doyle, Cheta Emba, Joanne Fa'avesi, Jordan Gray, Abby Gustaitis, Nicole Heavirland (captain), Alev Kelter, Ilona Maher, Naya Tapper, Kris Thomas, Kate Zackary.

England (Seeded 8)

Abbie Brown captains an experienced England side that includes six Olympians and nine members of the squad that won bronze at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in April. Emily Scarratt is named as vice-captain and alongside Brown will be joined by fellow Commonwealth Games medallists Claire Allan, Jess Breach, Heather Fisher, Deborah Fleming, Natasha Hunt, Alex Matthews and Amy Wilson-Hardy.

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 finalist Vicky Fleetwood also joins James Bailey’s set-up as do Holly Aitchison, who made her HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series debut in Las Vegas in March 2017, and Sarah McKenna who has been involved with England since 2011.

“We have a very tight squad and the players’ willingness to work exceptionally hard for each other has been demonstrated consistently throughout the season,” said Bailey. “The Commonwealth Games illustrated what we are capable of which gives us confidence for the World Cup.”

Squad: Holly Aitchison, Claire Allan, Jess Breach, Abbie Brown (captain), Heather Fisher, Vicky Fleetwood, Deborah Fleming, Natasha Hunt, Alex Matthews, Sarah McKenna, Emily Scarratt, Amy Wilson-Hardy.

Ireland (Seeded 9)

Ireland include their top try-scorer Amee-Leigh Murphy-Crowe and most-capped sevens international Ashleigh Baxter in a squad captained by Lucy Mulhall. Influential forward Baxter is set to feature in her fourth Rugby World Cup tournament, having played in RWC Sevens 2013 in Moscow and two 15s World Cups in France in 2014 and Ireland in 2017. Katie Fitzhenry, Louise Galvin and Hannah Tyrrell also appeared at WRWC 2017, while Stacey Flood is another with plenty of experience. The scrum-half has featured at every senior tournament Ireland have been involved in since the summer of 2015 – a run of 22 consecutive games.

Talented youngsters Kathy Baker, Eve Higgins and Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird, who all made their Ireland debuts this season, are also selected for San Francisco along with Claire Boles, Aoife Doyle and Audrey O'Flynn.

"The team put in a number of good performances at the Rugby Europe Grand Prix Series in Marcoussis in France recently and they'll be looking to build on that going into the first game of the World Cup on Friday week,” said IRFU Director of Sevens and Women’s Rugby Anthony Eddy. "We have had several close games with England this season, so it is set to be a challenging way to start the tournament, but the players are very focused and know what's needed of them to get a result."

Squad: Kathy Baker, Ashleigh Baxter, Claire Boles, Aoife Doyle, Katie Fitzhenry, Stacey Flood, Louise Galvin, Eve Higgins, Lucy Mulhall (captain), Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird, Audrey O'Flynn, Hannah Tyrrell. 

Japan (Seeded 11)

Captain Chiharu Nakamura is one of four survivors from the Japan team that reached the Bowl quarter-final a the last Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow. The 30-year-old, a veteran of five seasons on the world series, is joined by Raichel Bativakalolo, Noriko Taniguchi and Yume Okuroda in featuring at a second tournament.

The remainder of the squad is made up of university students with Yume Hirano the youngest at just 18 years of age. Bativakalolo heads to San Francisco as Japan’s main strike weapon having bagged seven tries in the concluding round of the 2018 series in Paris.

Squad: Yuma Ohkuroda, Fumiko Ohtake, Tomomi Kozasa, Ano Kuwai, Sayaka Suzuki, Yukari Tateyama, Emii Tanaka, Noriko Taniguchi, Honoka Tsutsumi, Chiharu Nakamura, Iroha Nagata, Raichel Bativakalolo, Yume Hirano.

South Africa (Seeded 13)

Coach Paul Delport has included four uncapped players alongside the experienced duo of Zenay Jordaan and Mathrin Simmers. Playmaker Jordaan will be appearing in a third Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament, while Simmers returns for her second stint having played at Moscow 2013. The rest of the squad, including captain Zintle Mpupha, will be making their tournament debuts.  

Mpupha, a former provincial cricketer, was handed the captaincy earlier this year by Delport and led the team in Brisbane and Hong Kong, where they suffered heart-break in the final of the series qualifier against China, as well as the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April.

“There will be little sense in counting our chickens before they hatched, but I am quietly confident in the potential of this squad,” said Delport, who played himself for South Africa at RWC Sevens 2009 in Dubai. “We take on a highly regarded and capable team in women's sevens (Russia), but the one thing we are not going to do is to accept any result without us having a say in that.” 

Squad: Marithy Pienaar, Christelene Steinhobel, Buhle Sonomzi, Babalwa Latsha, Zinhle Ndawonde, Mathrin Simmers, Zenay Jordaan, Zintle Mpupha (captain), Eloise Webb, Nadine Roos, Snenhlanhla Shozi, Kimico Manuel.

Squads will continue to be added as squads are announced by participating unions.