SEVEN-TIME Hongkong champions Fiji, the fallen giants of sevens rugby, have been installed as 7-4 favourites to lift the inaugural Rugby World Cup Sevens, which kicks off at Murrayfield in Edinburgh today.
Bookmakers William Hill have construed their defeat in the Hongkong Sevens final as a minor aberration, although they have not ignored Hongkong winners Western Samoa's emergence as a potent force by making them second favourites at 11-4.
Australia and New Zealand, semi-finalists at Hongkong, are joint third favourites at 5-1, while home advantage has shortened Scotland's odds to 7-1 as fifth favourites.
Hongkong join South Korea and Romania as 250-1 outsiders to win the Melrose Cup, only ahead of 300-1 Spain and Taiwan and 500-1 Latvia and the Netherlands.
Hongkong Sevens quarter-finalists South Africa are 11-1 and England are 14-1.
A key factor in whether Fiji will live up to their favourites tag is their outstanding fly-half Waisale Serevi, who in Hongkong proved beyond doubt that he is the best sevens player in the world.