Norway, the Bulletin staff's forecast to retain their title, took the lead for the first time after Round 6 having scored 24.5-3.5 against Iceland. The top two teams, Norway and Israel, then met in Round 7.

Israel won 16-14 but it was not enough to remove Norway from the lead. Italy had the best day, dropping only one point, moving them into third place. They beat the Dutch 24-6 and Russia 25-5.

The top three have opened a 10 victory point gap above fourth place which is shared by three nations. With one third of the competition complete the list is beginning to provide a clue to the final placings, but any of the teams in top half could still reach one of the top four spots which will qualify for the next World Junior Championships.