Can Kiwis retain their crown?

But the race for the London title is still alive

Defending Sevens champions New Zealand are set to retain their IRB World Series Sevens crown for the third year running after qualifying for the quarter-finals of the final leg of the 2004 Series in London on Saturday. Hosts England - although out of the running for the overall title - will now be desperate to repeat their London triumph of 2003.

New Zealand - strengthened with the arrival of Super 12 stars such as Hurricanes flanker Chris Masoe and Blues utility back Orene Ai'i - were seldom troubled in the opening rounds of the London tournament with wins over Georgia, Portugal and Australia al coming with relative ease.

The Kiwis will next face Scotland in the quarter-finals on Day Two of the tournament and while the Scots did well against England in the opening round - Scotland eventually succumbed 12-7 to the defending champions - it is unlikely New Zealand will struggle to move into the semi-finals.

England, meanwhile, stepped up a gear following their scare against the Scots with an emphatic 40-0 win over Italy followed by a 40-7 victory over France. England will face an inexperienced Australian outfit in the knockout stages, where the hosts will also be expected to progress with relative ease.

South Africa, who will be left with a bitter taste in their mouths after a 32-point penalty against them was upheld, put a slow start against Kenya behind them. The Boks struggled to a 10-5 wins over their African counterparts, but bounced back with more convincing wins over Russia and finally Samoa. The Springboks will come up against Sevens specialists Fiji in the quarter-finals after the Pacific Islanders failed to see off the rapidly improving Argentina team.

Argentina, meanwhile, will face Samoa in the quarter-finals after finishing top of their Pool and the South Americans, who now stand in third place overall, will be looking to continue their strong run in the 2004 series with a convincing win over the Islanders.

DAY 1 - Results:

Match 1: Argentina 22-12 Canada
Match 2: Fiji 33-5 Spain
Match 3: South Africa 10-5 Kenya
Match 4: Samoa 17-12 Russia
Match 5: New Zealand 43-5 Georgia
Match 6: Australia 17-14 Portugal
Match 7: England 12-7 Scotland
Match 8: France 5-19 Italy
Match 9: 13.34: Argentina 40-0 Spain
Match 10: Fiji 40-5 Canada
Match 11: South Africa 36-7 Russia
Match 12: Samoa 32-5 Kenya
Match 13: New Zealand 26-5 Portugal
Match 14: Australia 31-0 Georgia
Match 15: England 40-0 Italy
Match 16: France 5-31 Scotland
Match 17: Canada 24-7 Spain
Match 18: Kenya 12-14 Russia
Match 19: Georgia 5-28 Portugal
Match 20: Scotland 33-12 Italy
Match 21: Argentina 31-21 Fiji
Match 22: South Africa 17-5 Samoa
Match 23: New Zealand 29-5 Australia
Match 24: England 40-7 France

PLAYING SCHEDULE - DAY 2:
(All times local: GMT plus 1)

11.30: Match 25: Bowl QF - Portugal v France
11.52: Match 26: Bowl QF - Canada v Kenya
12.14: Match 27: Bowl QF - Russia v Spain
12.36: Match 28: Bowl QF - Italy v Georgia
12.58: Match 29: Cup QF - New Zealand v Scotland
13.20: Match 30: Cup QF - Argentina v Samoa
13.42: Match 31: Cup QF - South Africa v Fiji
14.04: Match 32: Cup QF - England v Australia

14.34: Match 33: Shield SF -  Loser Match 25 v Loser Match 26
14.56: Match 34: Shield SF - Loser Match 27 v Loser Match 28
15.18: Match 35: SF Bowl - Winner Match 25 v Winner Match 26
15.40: Match 36: SF Bowl - Winner Match 27 v Winner Match 28
16.02: Match 37: SF Plate - Loser Match 29 v Loser Match 30
16.24: Match 38: SF Plate - Loser Match 31 v Loser Match 32

17.02: Match 39: SF Cup - Winner Match 29 v Winner Match 30
17.24: Match 40: SF Cup - Winner Match 31  v Winner Match 32
17.46: Match 41: Shield Final - Winner Match 33 v Winner Match 34
18.14: Match 42: Bowl Final - Winner Match 35 v Winner Match 36
18.42: Match 43: Plate Final - Winner Match 37 v Winner Match 38
19.10: Match 44: Cup Final - Winner Match 39 v Winner Match 40

CURRENT STANDINGS:

1: New Zealand - 112
2: England - 102
3: Argentina - 86
4: Fiji - 72
5: South Africa - 66
6: Samoa - 56
7: France - 35
8: Australia - 30
9: Canada - 22
10: Tonga - 8
11: Kenya - 8
12: Scotland - 6
13: Korea - 2

POINTS ALLOCATION:

Cup winner: 20 points
Cup runner-up: 16
Cup semi-finalists: 12

Plate winner: 8
Plate runner-up: 6
Plate semi-finalists: 4

Bowl winner: 2