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The Australian Rugby Sevens will test their Commonwealth Games medal credentials when they take on world champions Samoa for tournament honours at the 2010 Oceania Sevens Championship in Darwin next month. Two of the IRB Sevens World Series top three performers headline the eight Pacific Island nations which will converge on Australia's Top End from 1-2 October for the Australian Rugby Union hosted event at Austar Rugby Park.

World No.1 Samoa top Pool A which also features Papua New Guinea, Adelaide Sevens favourites Niue and Vanuatu.

Coach Michael O'Connor's side have been drawn as the No.1 seed in Pool B after recording Australia's best result since 2002 of third overall at the recent World Series. Tonga, Cook Islands and Tahiti will also compete in Pool B.

The seedings were determined based on the current IRB Sevens World Series standings or the final standings at the 2009 Oceania Sevens Tournament in Tahiti.

"The Oceania region is the most competitive Sevens environment in the world and the Oceania Sevens Championship will showcase not only the excitement of Sevens Rugby, but the skill and class of the nations from this region that are world famous exponents of the game," said William Glenwright, Tournament Director and IRB General Manager, Oceania.

"With two of the top three teams in the world competing, together with other world class Pacific Island nations, many of whom have experienced success on the IRB Sevens World Series circuit, this will be an outstanding tournament."

The Australians will use the Oceania Sevens tournament as key preparation in their bid to claim a first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in India on 11-12 October.

Captain Patrick McCutcheon's team will base themselves in Darwin for a training camp from 27 September - 5 October to acclimatise to the conditions they are expecting to encounter in New Delhi.

Pool A: Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Niue, Vanuatu
Pool B: Australia, Tonga, Cook Islands, Tahiti