When the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens kicks off on Thursday, the skills will not be confined to Pitch 1.
There may be a greater quantity of recognisable faces on the outside fields than ever before. Some, like Owen Farrell, Richard Wigglesworth, and Andrew Mehrtens will have a watching brief — while others will be rolling back the years as players.
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Waisale Serevi (J9 Legends)
Widely regarded as the greatest of all sevens players, Waisale Serevi is back this year for another tilt at an elusive trophy win, this time in the International Vets.
The Fijian great, who now coaches in the Unites States, has rejoined J9 Legends, a charity side supporting Joost van der Westhuizen’s battle with motor neuron disease, after missing last year.
Pio Tuwai (Fiji)
The ultimate Flying Fijian is basically a walking highlights reel. No-look, out-the-back, one-handed offloads are his stock in trade. Ridiculous skills, given he is a forward.
Pio Tuwai lost none of his panache during a spell playing club rugby in Sri Lanka, and he is back with the world series champions for another shot at the Emirates International Trophy they won two years ago.
Rico Gear (Bali Legends)
Bali Legends, the powerful International Vets regulars, have added some firepower on the wing to help their title bid this year, in the form of the former All Blacks wing Rico Gear.
Gear was the Super Rugby player of the year in 2005, and scored 11 tries in 19 Test matches for New Zealand. He also won Commonwealth Gold with their sevens side in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur. Now 37, he was still playing professionally in Japan up until last year.
Francois Hougaard (South Africa)
After five tries in 35 Test matches for the Springboks, Francois Hougaard opted for a switch to sevens this season in a bid to make the Blitzboks squad for the Olympic Games.
Hougaard, who can play scrum-half or wing, will be vying with a number of other established stars of the XVs game for the trip to Rio de Janeiro. Juan de Jongh is also in the Dubai squad, while Damian de Allende and Bryan Habana, who both starred at the World Cup, also intend to compete for Olympic gold.
Mark Cueto (Joining Jack)
Joining Jack must mean business this year. The muscular dystrophy charity side, made up of the great and good of rugby league, have won many fans here over the past three years, but have yet to claim the International Vets trophy.
As such, they have enlisted the help of some union stars this time around. England World Cup players Owen Farrell and Richard Wigglesworth will be pitch-side mascots. Mark Cueto, the former England wing who has scored more tries than anyone else in English Premiership history, is the headline addition to the playing ranks.
Henry Speight (Australia)
Unlike the likes of Sonny Bill Williams, Liam Messam, Bryan Habana and Damian de Allende, Henry Speight has managed the turnaround from playing in last month’s World Cup to playing in the first leg of the Sevens World Series.
The wing scored a try for the Wallabies in the group match win over Uruguay, and has been called into their squad for Dubai in the abbreviated format.
Orene Ai’i (Christina Noble Children’s Foundation)
Christina Noble have enjoyed more success than any other side in the various competitions down the years in Dubai.
Two blank years, though, prompted them into a recruitment drive 12 months ago. Orene Ai’i might not be of the ilk of household names CNCF used to call on — such as Will Greenwood or Percy Montgomery.
But he is one of the all-time greats in the abridged game. They duly regained their title, and Ai’i is back for more of the same this time around.
Steve Thompson (Gulf Legends)
It is not often you get to see a World Cup winner rumbling around the outside fields at The Sevens, but Steve Thompson is back for another go with Gulf Legends in the International Vets competition.
Now a resident of Dubai, the former England and British & Irish Lions hooker is teaming up to play with the mates he has made since living in the UAE in the 10-a-side competition.
Thom Evans (UR7s Wanderers)
Five years go, Thom Evans narrowly avoiding being paralysed following a neck injury suffered while playing for Scotland against Wales in the Six Nations.
After two operations, he was advised to give up playing. Despite being five years into retirement, the 30-year-old former wing is set for a return to the playing field for a richly-talented UR7s Wanderers side in the International Open.
Niall Williams (New Zealand women)
Sonny Bill Williams, pictured, may only have a watching brief at this Dubai Rugby Sevens, after his World Cup exertions with the All Blacks. Cousin Tim Nanai-Williams is also missing from the Samoa squad.
Sister Niall, though, has been named in the New Zealand women’s side. Renown for fast-footwork, she represented New Zealand at the Touch World Cup earlier this year.
