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AUSTRALIA skipper Ed Jenkins is demanding a fast Saturday start at the Gold Coast Sevens try-fest to avoid a "Pool of Death" wipeout at Skilled Park.
Traditionally, top nations can enjoy a first-day frolic against a minnow to shake off the rust but the home nation has no such luxury.
Scotland (1.04pm), Argentina (4.20pm) and sevens powerhouse Samoa (7.46pm) are queued up as Pool D rivals to upset the Aussies.
A slip-up against the unpredictable Scots or Argentinians would leave Jenkins's outfit having to beat the Samoans just to stay alive in Sunday's Cup competition.
No team wants that pressure because only the top two sides go through from each pool.
"Back a few years, you'd be able to red-pen a few sides in your pool and almost guarantee a path straight into the Cup quarter-finals, but these days it's almost impossible to do that,” Jenkins said.
"There's a Pool of Death every tournament. Nothing's easy which is the way sevens has gone with the sport now in the Olympics for 2016.
"We have three tough games first up."
Read more: http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/ed...#ixzz2hHdZJjdY