Forty teams have descended on Cape Town as sevens fever grips the Mother City in anticipation of the first Rugby World Cup to be held on South African soil since 1995.

The event kicks off at Cape Town Stadium at 8:45am on Friday morning – when Ireland’s men take on Portugal – and tickets are still available for all three days.

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The Springbok Sevens and Springbok Women’s Sevens teams are in action on all three days and kick off their campaigns in Friday’s evening session. The SA women meet France at 6:35pm while the Blitzboks close day one in a match-up with the winners of a qualification match between Germany and Chile at 7:03pm.

“We’ve been waiting a long time to host a World Cup and it’s now almost upon us,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby.

“The excitement is really building with all the teams arriving over the last few days and the stage really is set for an amazing event.

“We have been planning for a long time for the event and all the preparations are in place to show off South Africa and Cape Town at its best. There are still tickets available for all days – even Saturday and Sunday – and I’d urge all rugby fans to get along early to be party of a very special occasion.”

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Play begins at 8:15am on Saturday and 8:30am on Sunday, so there is plenty of action throughout all three days.

The winners will be crowned on Sunday evening with the women’s championship final at 8:17pm and the men’s at 8:54pm.

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Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix