The 2019 Bluesky Women’s National Sevens Series which starts next Saturday will feature three more teams than the last edition of the tournament.

The first leg at the High Performance Unit grounds at Tuana’imato will feature Lepea, Lupe ole Soaga and No Idea, along with Apia Maroons, Taga-Savai’i, Aleipata, A’ana Blues and Marist Angels.

Assistant Tournament Director Avi’i Fa’alupega said that she was awaiting one more club from Savai'i to decide if they were playing this year. 

“It’s good to see an increased number of teams registered because it means more women are taking to the field to play rugby and most of them are schoolgirls which is good for future development," she said. 

The men’s series is due to begin on August 31st, with 24 teams playing over three legs.

“We are also exploring the idea of inviting the National Team from American Samoa to join us as part of our sevens series which should assist them with their development,” said Samoa Rugby Union Chief Executive Officer Faleomavaega Vincent Fepulea’i. 

He added that this is just an idea at the moment as there are a lot of logistics and costs involved that have to be ironed out. 

Taga-Savai’i won the previous women’s series in March, while the defending men’s champions are Frankie Tama-Uli Salelologa.