Draw made for Middlesex Sevens

(GETTY IMAGES)

There are some tournament draws that throw up mouth-watering clashes early on, the fickle finger of fate decreeing that bitter rivals are to be paired in a winner takes all clash.

And then there is the draw for the Middlesex Sevens, taking place on 16 August, which has cunningly pitted last season’s Guinness Premiership finalists, Wasps and Leicester head to head in the first round.

Cynics among us would suggest this smacks of an organising committee keen to get bums on seats early on in proceedings of a tournament that usually sees the ground fill up later in the day.

Whatever the circumstances that conspired to produce the draw, it adds some spice to the competition, which this year reverts to a straight knockout with the addition of the Ospreys, Dragons, British Army and National One promotion contenders Leeds Carnegie to the 12 Premiership sides.

EDF Energy Cup holders Ospreys face Sale Sharks, while their compatriots the Dragons play last season’s Heineken Cup semi-finalists London Irish. Irish are the only one of the London ‘exiles’ not to have won the Middlesex Sevens.

Saracens, who also reached the semi-final of the Heineken Cup, face a tough first round match against the British Army, winners in 2001 and 2004.

In the remaining matches, two top three Guinness Premiership sides will meet as Gloucester Rugby play Bath Rugby in the first round.

Gloucester won the tournament in 2005 with young centre Anthony Allen bursting onto the scene and helping Gloucester to victory in the Sevens before going on to make his England debut against New Zealand just over a year later.

The draw:

Dragons v London Irish

Newcastle Falcons v Northampton Saints

Harlequins v Leeds Carnegie

Sale Sharks v Ospreys

Gloucester Rugby v Bath Rugby

Worcester Warriors v Bristol Rugby

Leicester Tigers v London Wasps

Saracens v British Army

Past winners

1997, Barbarians

1998, Barbarians,

1999, Penguins

2000, Penguins

2001, British Army

2002, Bradford RL

2003, Northampton Saints

2004, British Army

2005, Gloucester

2006, London Wasps

2007, Newcastle Falcons