Alicia Steer (L) and Gemma MacLean pose on "The Big G" 3-D structure at George Square in Glasgow, Scotland, July 22, 2014. The opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games takes place on July 23.
Alicia Steer (L) and Gemma MacLean pose on "The Big G" 3-D structure at George Square in Glasgow, Scotland, July 22, 2014. The opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games takes place on July 23. REUTERS

Commonwealth Games - the Sevens Rugby competition is about to kick off on Saturday with favorites New Zealand, England, South Africa and Australia raring to dive into the competition at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.

New Zealand is all pumped up to defend their title and sustain their dominance in sevens rugby competition at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, but rivals (Australia, South Africa and England) and darkhorses (Scotland, Canada and Samoa) will be there to make the road to the crown tougher than ever.

For the Kiwis, the Commonwealth Games is just a platform to prove they still dominate the sport, as sevens rugby debuts at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. Still, New Zealand sevens rugby head coach Sir Gordon Tietjens believed players interested to play at Rio must make sacrifices by regularly competing at the World Series.

"There will be some new players, perhaps from the All Blacks. But once they have indicated their availability for Rio they will have to put the All Blacks aside and play in World Series competitions. If they want a crack at the Olympics they will have to prove they are good enough," Tietjens told the Telegraph.

They've Got Competition

The quest for fifth Commonwealth Games gold won't be a walk in the park for the kiwis as eight other teams in the IRB's annual world series will also compete in the tournament. Canada, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Kenya, England, Samoa and Australia will also test their mettle for two action-packed days with three glittering medals at stake.

With a star-studded field, International Rugby Board Chairman Bernard Lapasset is looking for top-notch sevens rugby games, rewriting history anew at the legendary Ibrox stadium.

"With Ibrox the stage for some of the biggest names in Rugby Sevens to showcase their talent, Glasgow 2014 has all the ingredients to write another unforgettable chapter in the Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens success story. I am sure it will be a spectacular event," Lapasset told IRB.

Live Stream Information

New Zealand vs. Canada will kick off the tourney at 10:32 p.m (BST), while New Zealand takes on host nation Scotland at 1:56 p.m (BST). Later in the day, a mouthwatering clash between England and Australia will take place at 9:48 p.m (BST). After a day of group-stages games, the top-two teams from each pool (four groups) will head into the second days for the knockout stages.

Sevens Rugby group stages live stream is available on Youtube (below), while results and schedule is available on Glasgow 2014 official site.

(Glasgow 2014/ Youtube)

For more Sevens Rugby and Commonwealth Games update, read more at IBT Sports