Two core team places on the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series in 2015-16 are within touching distance for 12 teams taking part in the qualifier at UCD Bowl in Dublin, Ireland, this weekend.

Hosts Ireland, China and South Africa have previously enjoyed core team status on the series, but Brazil, Colombia, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Samoa and Wales are all hoping to secure one of those coveted places by reaching the final in Dublin.

Brazil played in five of the six rounds last season, finishing 10th overall, and Beatriz Muhlbauer hopes that experience will stand her team in good stead as they continue to count down towards the sport making its Olympic Games debut at Rio 2016.

“We are much more prepared than the last qualifier in Hong Kong, when I didn’t think we were sharp enough,” explained Muhlbauer, one of Brazil’s most experienced players with two RWC Sevens in Dubai and Moscow to her name.

“We have had a lot of time to prepare ourselves and we are really looking forward to it.

“It will be good preparation for the Olympics. Qualifying is important to us, because two legs is not enough to prepare. We have been working hard over the last two and a half years since centralisation (of the programme) when we received more structure and support.”

Since the series finished in May, Brazil have continued working hard and claimed the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Canada, an achievement which has helped raise the profile of the sport back home once again.

Raising the profile

“The Pan Am Games was a huge tournament for us,” she admitted. “As a team it gave us more exposure to the level of play required of us and for rugby in Brazil in general it raised awareness. I think a lot of people were introduced to rugby for the first time.

“Women’s rugby is growing in Brazil and I think it will increase even more after the Olympics.

“The Pan Am Games has definitely helped raise awareness and we get more media coverage and people talking about us. It is good for the NOC to see we are doing well and working hard. We’ve come a long way since I first started playing.”

Securing a core team place on the series would provide another boost for Brazil, who will face Wales, Samoa and Japan in Pool A on Saturday.

“We lost the last time out against Japan but we beat them twice before that. We haven’t played the other two teams before but we’ve done quite a bit of analysis on them and Samoa are very Fijian like in their approach – unstructured and ‘crazy’.

Fine margins the difference

“It looks like Wales have brought in quite a few new girls so they will be a bit of an unknown quantity. We know that no games will be easy, we’re all roughly the same standard so it is going to be tough. But we’ve got a plan and we intend to go for it.

“We want to prove to ourselves that we have improved a lot and we are able to beat these teams, we know sevens can be down to fine margins though, sometimes one conversion is all there is between the sides.

“But I think we are more mature and more prepared and ready to put in good performances.”

Colombia, who like their South American rivals Brazil are already among the teams who will compete at Rio 2016, will face China, the Netherlands and Kenya in Pool B during the qualifier.

Pool C comprises hosts Ireland, South Africa, Mexico and a Hong Kong side coached by former Black Fern Anna Richards, a four-time winner of Women’s Rugby World Cup between 1998 and 2010.

Ireland and Mexico have already confirmed their places in next year’s global repechage, which will determine the 12th and final qualifier for the women’s event at Rio 2016, with this weekend’s hosts hoping to put on a show to give the women’s game more exposure in the country.

Number one goal for Ireland

“It’s massively important to get onto the World Series circuit, it’s our number one goal – that way we are playing against the best teams in the world,” explained Anthony Eddy, the IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens. “If we are going to have a shot at the world Olympic repechage, we are going to have to play at the best level.

“In our pool we face South Africa, who are a team that have been on the world circuit for a couple of years now, and are one of the teams that have been relegated from last season. They will be desperate to perform at this event and get back on the series circuit.

“We are definitely up for the challenge and it’s great to have the tournament at home. With 12 countries competing in this event from all over the world, this is a great opportunity to give the game more exposure in Ireland.”

Springbok Women's Sevens coach Renfred Dazel added: “This occasion is as big as it gets, and the players know what is expected of them. We played on the World Series last season and although we did not achieve the desired results, we learned important lessons and it allowed us to build character as a team.

“That said, we are expecting tough competition, as we face the hosts Ireland in the pool stages, while China and Brazil also played on the World Series. The Netherlands also secured a victory against us in the final leg of the World Series in May, so the two teams that qualify for the World Series next season will have to work hard for that honour.

“From a South African perspective it is vital that we qualify for the World Series because apart from boosting our confidence for the Africa Olympic qualifier next month, it will also serve as the perfect preparation for the Olympic Games if we were to qualify. We were exposed to the high quality of the rugby in the World Series regularly in the last season and I believe that if we continue to compete at that level, our standard of play will continue to lift as well.”

The matches from the UCD Bowl in Dublin will be streamed live at www.irishrugby.ie. The action kicks off with China facing Kenya at 11:00 (GMT +1) on Saturday with a 10.30 start-time on Sunday.

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Final squads

BRAZIL: 1. Juliana Silva 2. Angelica Gevaerd 3. Luiza Campos 4. Edna Santini 5. Paula Ishibashi (captain) 6. Isadora Cerullo 7. Haline Scatrut 8. Beatriz Muhlbauer 9. Claudia Teles 10. Raquel Kochhann 11. Mariana Ramalho 12. Thais Rocha.

CHINA: 1. Min Yang 2. Qishi Guan (captain) 3. Yuanyuan Lu 4. Yang Liu 5. Wen Qing Zhao 6. Rui Zhong 7. Xiaoming Yu 8. Jiaxin Zhou 9. Qianqian Jiang 10. Shichao Sun 11. Xueqin Tong 12. Keyi Chen.

COLOMBIA: 1. Carolina Naranjo 2. Catalina Arango 3. Alejandra Betancur (captain) 4. Nicole Acevedo 5. Ana Catalina Ramirez 6. Isabel Romero 7. Ruth Lozano 8. Solangie Delgado 9. Camilla Lopez 10. Katerine Medina 11. Estefania Ramirez 12. Laura Isabel Gonzalez.

HONG KONG: 1. Amelie Odile Marie Seure 2. Leon Sze Royce Chan (captain) 3. Christine Gordon 4. Ka Chi Christy Cheng 5. Sau Yan Kwon 6. Natasha Shangwe Olson-Thorne 7. Pou Fan Lai 8. Wai Sum Sham 9. Lindsay Varty 10. Tsz Ting Cheng 11. Ka Man Nam 12. Pak Yan Poon.

IRELAND: 1. Audrey O'Flynn 2. Jennifer Murphy 3. Stacey Flood 4. Hannah Tyrell 5. Amee Leigh Crowe 6. Ashleigh Baxter 7. Katie Fitzhenry 8. Claire Keohane 9. Lucy Mulhall (captain) 10. Claire Molloy 11. Louise Galvin 12. Alison Miller.

JAPAN: 1. Chiharu Nakamura (captain) 2. Makiko Tomita 3. Mifuyu Koide 4. Yoko Suzuki 5. Yuka Kanematsu 6. Chisato Yokoo 7. Noriko Taniguchi 9. Aye Takeuchi 10. Ano Kuwai 11. Yume Okuroda 12. Mateitoga Bogidraumainadave.

KENYA: 1. Camilyne Oyuayo 2. Janet Owino 3. Aura Sinaida 4. Sheila Chajira 5. Rachael Mbogo 6. Linet Arasa 7. Doreen Remour 8. Janet Okello 9. Irene Otieno 10. Catherina Abila (captain) 11. Celestine Masinde 12. Philadelphia Orlando.

MEXICO: 1. Michelle Farah (captain) 2. Wendy García 3. Alma Rivera 4. Gabriela García 5. Casandra Montero 6. Xiomara Piña 7. Fernanda Carrillo 8. Claudia Rendón 9. Carolina Sandoval 10. Rosa Rivera 11. Georgina Zenteno 12. Daniela Rosales.

NETHERLANDS: 1. Joyce van Altena 2. Sanne Klem 3. Nikki Weijers 4. Paula Christina Schouten 5. Elke van Meer 6. Pien Selbeck 7. Dorien Maria Eppink 8. Anne Simone Hielckert (captain) 9. Johanna Marije van Rossum 10. Pleuni Kievit 11. Marsha Alida Völker 12. Jannicke Jackelien Ijdens.

SAMOA: Jacinta Ausai 2. Taalili Iosefo 3. Apaula Kerisiano Enesi 4. Soteria Pulumu (captain) 5. Tafale Roma Malesi 6. Iunaite Falelua 7. Bernadette Josephine Robertson 8. Justine Manaia Iopu 9. Irene Siai Macarthur 10. Suititi Miczel Ailaoa 11. Filoi Fatima Eneliko 12. Toluiva Keneti.

SOUTH AFRICA: 1. Sinazo Nobele 2. Rachelle Geldenhuys 3. Zaandre Theron 4. Fundiswa Plaatjie 5. Zenay Jordaan (captain) 6. Veroeshka Grain 7. Phumeza Gadu 8. Nosiphiwo Goda 9. Lorinda Brown 10. Mathrin Simmers 11. Jacqueline Kriel 12. Marithy Pienaar.

WALES: 1. Jessica Kavanagh 2. Jasmine Joyce 3. Laurie Harries 4. Elinor Snowsill 5. Ffion Bowen 6. Sian Williams (captain) 7. Beth Dainton 8. Adi Taviner 9. Rhian Nokes 10. Elen Evens 11. Gemma Rowland 12. Shona Powell-Hughes.

Tickets for the qualifier in Dublin are still available here. For more information on the qualifier and the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series click here.