England handed tricky pool for their defence of the Dubai Sevens crown
Last Updated: October 15, 2012 4:37am
Mat Turner: Broke his ankle in the opening leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series
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England's failure to reach the cup quarter-finals in Australia means they have been handed a tough draw for their defence of the Dubai Sevens title.
England endured a weekend to forget at the Gold Coast Sevens - the opening leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series - as a 14-14 draw against Kenya and a 19-17 loss to Samoa meant they finished third in their pool.
Dubai Sevens
Pool A: Fiji, Kenya, Spain, Scotland
Pool B: New Zealand, Argentina, Wales, Russia
Pool C: South Africa, Samoa, England, Portugal
Pool D: France, Australia, Canada, USA
As a result Ben Ryan's men - who went on to lose to Spain in the Bowl final at Skilled Park - will now face South Africa, Samoa and Portugal in Dubai on November 30.
England's challenge will not be helped by the loss of Mat Turner and Chris Cracknell through injury - with the duo having both suffered serious injuries in the pool win over Spain.
Turner, who topped the try-scoring charts last season, broke his right ankle, while Cracknell has damaged the cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Meanwhile Scotland have been grouped with Fiji, Kenya and Spain in Dubai, while Wales will face New Zealand, Argentina and Russia.
The final pool will see France, Australia, Canada and USA clash.
