With only a day to go until the third women's edition of Rugby World Cup Sevens kicks off in San Francisco, we've picked seven players to light up AT&T Park.
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PORTIA WOODMAN (NEW ZEALAND)
The top female try-scorer in RWC Sevens history after scoring 12 as the Black Ferns stormed to the glory in Moscow five years ago, Portia Woodman is just one of the many lethal finishers her side boast in San Francisco, with a strike rate of 6.61 tries per tournament in HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series history – better than any current player on the men's series. The 27-year-old, who has been named World Rugby Women's Player of the Year in both sevens and 15s, used her electric pace and dancing feet honed in years of netball to top the try charts with 43 in the 2018 series and will be a threat from anywhere at AT&T Park. She is also one of only seven men's or women's players to have won World Cups in both 15s and sevens.
CHIHARU NAKAMURA (JAPAN)
The Japan captain has a tireless work ethic and inspires those around her by never giving anything less than 100 per cent commitment to the Sakura Sevens' cause. The most experienced member of a Japanese squad featuring eight players aged 21 or under, Chiharu Nakamura is a former basketball player who turned to rugby after university in a quest for a contact sport and she certainly doesn't shirk a tackle! The 30-year-old was second in the DHL Performance Tracker for the 2018 series – making the most offloads – to highlight her importance to a side who will be looking to end the season on a high after losing their core team status for 2019.
ELLIA GREEN (AUSTRALIA)
Fans haven't seen much of Australia's speedster on the series this year with injury ruling her out of all bar their record-breaking victory on home soil in Sydney in January, a scenario that will make her even more dangerous in San Francisco as she looks to make up for lost time and help the Olympic champions secure a second RWC Sevens title. A former sprinter who hadn't planned to try out when she attended a 'Pathway to Gold' talent identification camp in Melbourne with her cousin, but hasn't regretted that decision and her pace and power make her one of the most dangerous finishers in women's sevens.
ALENA MIKHALTSOVA (RUSSIA)
Captain Alena Mikhaltsova is the heartbeat of a Russian side that are a shadow of themselves when she isn't pulling the strings and popping up out wide to finish off tries from anywhere. Determined in defence and blessed with pace and vision to turn nothing into vital points for herself or her team-mates, Mikhaltsova will need to be on top of her game if Russia are to recapture their form of earlier in the season and challenge for a first global title in San Francisco this weekend. The 24-year-old was named DHL Impact Player in both Dubai and Kitakyushu, scoring 11 tries – including a record-equalling five against England – in the latter in April, showcasing the value of her work-rate to the European champions.
NAYA TAPPER (USA)
If USA are to delight the home fans and win a first major global title then Naya Tapper will be running in tries for fun, adding to the 26 she scored across the 2018 series. A former athlete blessed with power, strength and no shortage of pace, the 23-year-old is not a player opponents should give room to because once she gets the ball in space she is very hard to stop and many an attempted tackler have found themselves bounced off or left behind.
CHEN KEYI (CHINA)
China are the round of 16 opponents for the host nation and one player capable of inspiring the Asian side to a shock win is Chen Keyi, who turns 23 on Monday and has the pace, power and skill-set to create opportunities for herself and her team-mates. Chen was a key factor in China's success at the series qualifier in Hong Kong in April that secured their return to the 2019 series as a core team and then showed she can do it against the world's best teams when they played as the invitational team in Kitakyushu two weeks later. One of the most experienced players in a squad that has the youngest average age (21.6 years) at RWC Sevens 2018, Chen will be at the heart of everything China do at AT&T Park this weekend.
GHISLAINE LANDRY (CANADA)
Canada captain Ghislaine Landry was told by many coaches in her early career that she was too small to play rugby at the highest level, but coach John Tait recognised the tenacity and determination that have helped her become one of the best sevens players in the world. The 'pocket-rocket' is the all-time leading point scorer in women's series history with 984 points and put simply makes Canada tick, providing not only a calming presence on the field but also the vision and pace that are a lethal combination for any sevens player – especially one as hungry for success as this 30-year-old former World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year nominee.
Who do you think will shine brightest at RWC Sevens 2018? Join the conversation @WorldRugby7s using #RWC7s, play the Rugby7Stars fantasy game and see the action unfold on rwcsevens.com or via the official App.