http://www.americanrugbynews.com/artman/publish/sevens/Dubai_Pools_and_Schedule.shtml Dubai Pools and Schedule The pools and match schedule have been announced for the first event of the 2010/11 HSBC Sevens World Series, on 3-4 December 2010 in Dubai. Once again, the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens kicks off the eight-event World Series, which also visits South Africa, New Zealand, USA, Hong Kong, Australia, England and Scotland, climaxing at Murrayfield on 28-29 May 2011. Reigning World Series champions Samoa kick off their defense at Dubai's purpose-built complex 'The Sevens' in Pool A with opening matches on day one against Kenya, last year's Dubai Bowl winners Wales and the hosts, Arabian Gulf. Defending Dubai champions New Zealand will travel as favorites, having recently scooped a fourth successive Commonwealth Games gold medal. Gordon Tietjens again coaches the New Zealanders, who face Pool B matches against Argentina, USA and Zimbabwe. As the third-placed team in last year's World Series standings, Australia top Pool C and face South Africa, whom they beat in the recent Commonwealth Games semi finals in Delhi and also in the 2009 Dubai Plate final. The Australian and South African Sevens outfits also face Scotland and the 2009 Dubai Shield winners, Russia. Fiji top Pool D and face a tough trio of matches against European sides, firstly Portugal in the opening match of the tournament and then unpredictable France and crowd favorites England. "The unique, desert atmosphere of Dubai is a superb venue to kick off the World Series and last year’s event was another fantastic advertisement for Sevens," said the IRB’s Series Tournament Director, Beth Coalter. “We expect even better this year and also look forward to kicking off the World Series’ new title sponsorship with HSBC in the best possible style.”
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/usa-men-7s/caravelli-readies-camp-for-irb-season.aspx Caravelli Readies Camp for IRB Season By Alex Goff (The versatile Marco Barnard is back on the squad. Ian Muir photo) USA 7s Head Coach Al Caravelli has invited his selections to his next camp. Players will assemble on the weekend of November 20 at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., during which time Caravelli will whittle his squad of 20 down to 12. The team will then leave on Thanksgiving Day for Dubai, where they will scrimmage with some top teams before competing in the HSBC IRB World Series opening tournament. Caravelli will go into camp with several of his previous regulars on tour with the USA 15s team. Of those, Kevin Swiryn and Paul Emerick now have pro contracts and won’t be with the team anymore. Colin Hawley, Zack Test and Nese Malifa are on the November 15s tour, but could well join the team in Dubai, depending on how the camp goes. The USA 7s camp squad is: James Aldridge (Spearhead Academy) Marco Barnard (Unattached) Gerson Blaise (Spearhead Academy) Mark Bokhoven (Denver Barbarians) Justin Boyd (Unattached) Miles Craigwell (NYAC/Spearhead Academy) Matt Degutes (Chicago Lions) Dmitri Efthimiou (Mystic River) Matt Hawkins (Belmont Shore) Colin Hawley (Sacramento) PJ Komongnan (NOVA) Ata Malifa (Glendale) Nese Malifa (Glendale) Kyle Marshall (Boston) Taylor Mokate (Oklahoma) Zach Pangelinan (OMBAC) Mile Pulu (SFGG) Nu’u Punimata (Old Puget Sound Beach) Jason Pye(Provo) Alex Ross (OMBAC) Roland Suniula (Unattached) Shalom Suniula (Brisbane) Zack Test (Loughborough) Also absent from this group: Thretton Palamo is in school at Utah, Leonard Peters, who is in Hawaii for a private family matter, and Rocco Mauer is having shoulder surgery.
http://www.americanrugbynews.com/artman/publish/eagles/Caravelli_picks_Dubai_dozen.shtml Caravelli picks Dubai dozen Defense, fitness, and mental toughness were the three chief characteristics that Eagle Sevens coach Al Caravelli was looking for while nailing down the 12-man squad he will take to Dubai and South Africa for the first two stops in the HSBC Sevens World Series. Caravelli and his staff have been hard at work since May, when the 2009-2010 Sevens World Series ended, scouting, evaluating and developing talent for this World Series season. Several intensive camps have been hosted at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista over the last four months. These camps gave Caravelli an opportunity to look closely at over 50 outstanding athletes and also gave him the difficult task of paring it down to 12 who will travel and represent the USA for the World Series. The squad Caravelli has selected for the first two events in Dubai and George reflects a special emphasis on fitness and defense. Mental toughness is also key and is a trait that Caravelli’s squad cultivated as they visited a Navy SEAL training center. The Eagles were drilled by the center’s training staff and by all accounts was a grueling but invaluable experience. Three newcomers in total are in the squad. Miles Craigwell and Nu’u Punimata, of the Miami Dolphins and UEPT respectively, are two hard-hitting football converts. Craigwell was a defensive back and Punimata was an outside linebacker. Both were Sevens All-Stars this summer and can certainly be intimidating in defense. The third newcomer to Eagle Sevens is Kyle Marshall. Marshall was the fittest player at camp and smashed all previous Eagle Sevens fitness records (even the Navy SEALs were impressed). The squad’s nucleus is made up of power forwards Mark Bokhoven and captain Matt Hawkins. At pivot Caravelli selected two crafty playmakers in Nese Malifa and Shalom Suniula. Mile Pulu will be an offensive threat in the midfield - he was named the MVP of the USA Rugby Emirates Airline New York All-Star Sevens last August. He brings speed, power, and skills to the crucial center position. Ronald Suniula is another option Caravelli has at center. Out wide, speed merchant Zach Test, the powerful Marco Barnard, and veteran Jason Pye will be potent forces on the wings. Pye returns to the squad after a year away. There is a very nice mixture of talent across the board and will certainly be a dynamic squad on both sides of the ball. “I’m very pleased with the squad. This has to be the most difficult camp we have ever had as far as putting something in front of the players that challenged them; not only physically but mentally as well. The mental strength that these young men showed while training with the SEALs was inspiring," said Caravelli. “What we did in March was nothing compared to what they did yesterday. It was great for me as a coach to see which athletes used what they learned to take it further than they ever had." The squad will depart for Dubai on Thursday where they will acclimate and train ahead of the World Series opener on December 3. The Eagles will face Argentina, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe in Pool B. Following the Dubai tournament, the squad will fly to George, South Africa and prepare for the second stage of the Series where they will take on Samoa, Fiji, and Namibia. “Our goal is to be a consistent team this year,” Caravelli said. “With that said, we want to be a team that plays in the cup rounds. We know we are a bit behind the other teams as far as game time, but the only way to get that is by playing. One thing for sure is we are very prepared.” USA Eagle Sevens squad: Matt Hawkins (captain, Belmont Shore), Marco Barnard (KU), Mark Bokhoven (Denver Barbarians), Shalom Suniula (Brisbane), Zach Test (Loughborough University), Miles Craigwell (NYAC / Spearhead Academy), Nese Malifa (Glendale Raptors), Nuese Punimata (Old Puget Sound Beach), Mile Pulu (East Palo Alto), Kyle Marshall (Boston Rugby Club), Jason Pye (Provo), Roland Suniula (Unattached)
http://www.rugbymag.com/features/opinions/caravelli-lessons-from-the-past.aspx Caravelli: Lessons from the Past USA 7s Coach Al Caravelli's Column for the IRB website As I write this article we are less than two weeks away from the start of the new HSBC Sevens World Series and the excitement is building. Our team has traditionally not done too well in Dubai, the first tournament of the season, since we haven’t been able to attend any warm-up tournaments, but that doesn’t dampen our spirits or affect our planning. Not having the benefit of a hit-out in a warm-up event puts a little pressure on the players and staff to go beyond what we’ve achieved before and that is the only way we can really be competitive since all of our competition are able to play tournaments before arriving in Dubai. That gets us to our camp and its participants. While we may not have had the tune-up tournaments, we do have one similarity with many of the other teams - Sevens continues to provide players with a direct route into the full Eagles team, and full time professional contracts overseas. The Eagles are currently in Europe and recently they played and defeated Portugal. In that side there were six backs and one back row forward who had all come through the Sevens ranks, plus three more on the bench. We are fortunate that we will have two of those players joining our team in Dubai after they conclude their European tour. The remaining 10 players have been selected from this week's camp. Of the 20 there, only three were in our selection camp for Dubai last year so to say the least we have a lot of new players coming in. The very good news is that we are anchored by Matt Hawkins and Mark Bokhoven, both injury-free and healthy and two of the best forwards on the entire circuit. Also returning from injury is winger Justin Boyd and Ata Malifa [who are not in the squad for this tournament but are coming back]. We have been very busy this summer during our domestic Sevens season. We had a selection camp in September and those that performed well will be here this week. We have several players that were in our national club championships and three ‘cross-over’ athletes from college (American) football, two of whom were in the Miami Dolphins' training camp this summer. Positive misunderstandings Everyone outside the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) and its sports members seems to think that there is an abundance of cash for all athletes and sports that are in the Olympics. Once Rugby became an Olympic sport everyone was expecting a windfall of money to hit USA Rugby, but the reality is that everything works on quadrennial cycles. As you all know, rugby won’t be in the Olympics until 2016 and since we are not in the current quad cycle, priority has to go towards funding sports that are in medal contention for 2012. Another fact that people don’t know is that the USOC is the only NOC that gets no government funding. It raises money from donations. While that is the reality, we have some intelligent and visionary leaders at the USOC who know that for us to be able to medal in the Pan American Games (October 2011) and qualify for the Olympics they need to start investing in the team today. Some of that investment may not come in direct monetary funds, but in resources, which of course cost money. This summer the USOC voted USA Rugby in as a Sports Member and the result of that membership is increased resources in the High Performance area. The team now has a sports nutritionist working with us. She has reviewed everyone’s training program and has given them menu suggestions for pre-camp, pre-tournament, during tournament play and post recovery. It’s a real change. Even in the area of travel: what to eat when we are travelling to help us overcome jet lag. We now also have a sports physiologist who has worked with the athletes on their first workshop focusing on communication and concentration. We will continue that at the next camp in a series of workshops. Finally there’s also a sport psychologist. He is working with our staff as well as the athletes on all aspects, from becoming a better athlete to strength work, speed, hand-eye co-ordination, cognitive thinking - to name just a few things. So, while you don’t actually see dollars, these services are not cheap and we are working with top professionals who have several Olympic Games under their belts. That experience is invaluable and we hope to leverage that in the long run. There is always a first time. Looking at Dubai, one of the teams we have never beaten is New Zealand. We face them first up. On paper they are the lead dog: Dubai defending champions, recent Commonwealth Games gold medalists, second in the World Series last year. We, on the other hand, have a lot of new players but we don’t mind the underdog tag. There is always a first time and we would like it to be this time around. Our goal is to be in the quarter finals after day one. Also in our pool is Argentina, who we have been fortunate enough to get the better of the last two times we played. On the other hand, we’ve never beaten Zimbabwe so, as my Dad used to say: “learn from the past, prepare for the future and perform in the present.” That is what we expect to do.
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/usa-7s-tournament/nbc-to-broacast-usa-7s-live.aspx NBC To Broacast USA 7s Live November 30, 2010 –New York, NY - NBC Sports and Universal Sports will broadcast eight hours of live coverage of the 2011 HSBC Sevens World Series event in Las Vegas the weekend of February 12-13. This marks the first time that the tournament has had live television coverage in the United States. The HSBC Sevens World Series is played throughout the world at seven other venues: Dubai, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, London and Scotland. “Rugby Sevens is an exciting, fast-paced sport that is growing in global popularity, participation, and interest,” said NBC Sports executive vice president Jon Miller. “NBC had the privilege of broadcasting the inaugural 2010 Rugby Sevens Collegiate Championship and is excited to expand its coverage of rugby by bringing the HSBC Sevens World Series to live network television for the first time.” Broadcast Schedule: • NBC Sports: Live coverage, 3:30-6:00pm ET on February 12; 4:30-6:00pm ET on February 13 • Universal Sports: Live coverage, 2:00-3:30pm ET on February 12; 2:00-4:30pm ET on February 13 • NBC Mobile: Live simulcast, 3:30-6:00pm ET on February 12; 4:30-6:00pm ET on February 13 • Hulu.com: Full-event coverage available on-demand in HD quality video Rugby Sevens features seven players per team playing on the same size pitch as a 15’s match and offers non-stop action where speed, high scoring and athleticism dominate the competition. The format allows for constant entertainment with each match split into two seven-minute halves and a new match starting about every 20 minutes. Rugby Sevens will be an Olympic sport starting in 2016. “The global appeal of rugby is undeniable and this tournament is known for featuring the best-of-the-best in the rugby world,” said Dan Lyle, Tournament Director of USA 7’s Rugby. “We look forward to sharing the electric atmosphere of the HSBC Sevens World Series with millions of viewers as we take this exciting step for the sport.” Last year’s tournament saw a championship battle of the tournament’s two undefeated teams, Samoa and New Zealand, with Samoa ultimately winning, 33-12. Samoa will return to defend its title in 2011, along with teams from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, England, France, Canada, South Africa and Kenya to name a few. The Cosmopolitan has been confirmed as the official hotel partner for the event, with additional hotel partners including the Palms, Tropicana, Hard Rock and the Boyd Gaming Corporation. The USA7s is the fourth stop on the eight-event HSBC Sevens World Series. It begins on Saturday, February 12 and will conclude with the championship game on Sunday, February 13 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will feature teams from 16 countries competing in the fourth leg of the Series. To purchase tickets for the event visit www.usasevens.com. About USA Sevens: USA Sevens LLC owns and operates America’s premier rugby events, the Las Vegas HSBC Sevens World Series and the USA 7’s Collegiate Rugby Championship Invitational. Held annually, the Las Vegas HSBC Sevens World Series is one of the eight international stops in the HSBC Sevens World Series. The Series sponsor is HSBC bank. With an attendance of over 50,000 during the two day event, it is the largest annual rugby event in North America and one of the fastest growing rugby events in the world. On Thursday and Friday prior to the event there will be the Las Vegas Invitational Rugby Tournament with over 120 colleges, highs schools, clubs and international teams competing for both trophies and cash rewards. << Back Reader Comments manley66 @ Tuesday, November 30 2010 12:52 PM Flag Inappropriate Ref: Agreed! USA needs to cultivate "The Voice of American Rugby" I think they should start by looking at current play-by-play guys and see if any of them played rugby. I close my eyes an think of Keith Jackson... ktrain @ Tuesday, November 30 2010 12:12 PM Flag Inappropriate With any luck at least championship segments of the women's competition will be involved in the telecast. theref @ Tuesday, November 30 2010 10:53 AM Flag Inappropriate Can we PLEASE have some real commentators? Not someone spending the entire broadcast trying to compare rugby to gridiron. There should be a way to make the broadcast accessible without making it a special needs class. griffsrugby @ Tuesday, November 30 2010 10:10 AM Flag Inappropriate Great news on the TV front! A concern on the Official Hotel front...this is slated as a "soft-open" only for Dec 2010, with official Grand opening 1/1/11...but not slated to be complete until June or July...and we know how these things typically work.As of this AM, online reservation system was down mullane @ Tuesday, November 30 2010 9:31 AM Flag Inappropriate fantastic
http://rugbyamerica.net/2010/11/30/dubai-7s-preview/ Rugby America Rugby News & Views From an American Perspective Dubai 7′s Preview Posted on November 30, 2010 by RugbyAmerica This coming weekend the IRB, now in conjunction with HSBC, kicks off the 12th year of the IRB Sevens World Series. The immensely popular series has grown each year in terms of fan base and competition and this coming season is about to explode and continue the surge. The series, once again, starts off in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at their sevens specific stadium, aptly named “7he Sevens”. The tournament features sixteen of the top sevens teams in the World facing off in a weekend of fast and hard-hitting action. The IRB World Series consists of eight tournament stops played over the course of six months. Teams competing on the series battle for points at each stop. Points are accumulated by how the teams finish at each tournament. At the end of the season, the team with the most points claims the crown. The reigning IRB World Series Champion is Samoa and repeating is not going to be an easy task for the powerful group. The USA has had a tough time in Dubai over the years, a conundrum that Head Coach Al Caravelli looks to erase. The team is bigger, faster, and stronger than ever before, but their lack of significant game time in the lead up to the tournament is the major issue. Most of the other major sevens teams (and some of the minor ones) have already notched at least one pre-series warmup tournament to work out the kinks. The USA hoped to play in Singapore in preparation, but in the end lacked the funding to make it happen. “Our team has traditionally not done too well in Dubai, the first tournament of the season, since we haven’t been able to attend any warm-up tournaments, but that doesn’t dampen our spirits or affect our planning,” said Caravelli in a recent article he wrote for IRB.com. “Not having the benefit of a hit-out in a warm-up event puts a little pressure on the players and staff to go beyond what we’ve achieved before and that is the only way we can really be competitive since all of our competition are able to play tournaments before arriving in Dubai.” The Eagles are in Pool B, where the USA face off against perennial series favorites, New Zealand as well as Argentina and Zimbabwe. The USA has never defeated New Zealand and have the unenviable task of facing the them first. While the USA is out to win every game, this one may be a bit more about preparing for their other two pool matches. New Zealand is fresh of a Gold medal at the Commonwealth games, but brings some fresh faces to Dubai with six newcomers in their squad including 19-year-old Declan O’Donnell from Waikato. Next up for the USA is Argentina, a team that the USA defeated three times last season. Argentina is a crafty squad that has become a heated rival of the Eagles. This game may very well determine which of the two teams makes it to the Cup round. Up last in pool play for the USA is Zimbabwe. While they only participate in a handful of tournaments each season, they are not to be taken lightly. Zimbabwe has the ability to play and expansive game and strike quick. The USA needs to be clinical in order to win this one. However, anything less than a win is going to be a bitter pill for the USA to swallow. This is an excellent pool for the USA in the first tournament of the season. They are plenty capable of winning two of the three games, getting into the Cup round, and collecting some IRB points right out of the gate. Erasing the demons of Dubai’s past is paramount for the USA as is building momentum for next weekend in South Africa where they face an even tougher pool of opponents. Pool A may be the toughest pool in Dubai as it includes Samoa, Kenya, Wales, and the Arabian Gulf. Samoa has plenty of questions to answer as they begin their title defense. They are missing a handful of contributors from last season. Kenya is always dangerous as they are a talented and powerful sevens side. Wales is the wild card in the pool and has shown in the past that they can knock off anyone on any given day. Arabian Gulf rounds out the pool in their final tournament before the nations, that make up the squad, disband into their own individual unions. Unfortunately, they probably has some rough games coming their way on Day 1 of the tournament. 7th Sevens Rugby Stadium in Dubai As mentioned before, Pool B includes the USA, New Zealand, Argentina, and Zimbabwe and is previewed above. Pool C is headed by Australia, an up and coming sevens side that is in the running for the title this season. Also in the pool are South Africa, Scotland, and Russia. South Africa is always in contention for a spot in the Cup round, but wants more after a disappointing 2009/2010 season. Scotland had an atrocious run out last season and barely retained their status as a “core” team. Russia is the dark horse in Pool C and might serve up some surprises. They are in a similar position as the USA faced a couple of years ago. They are a budding side in 15′s, but still has plenty of catching up to do. However, they have proven to be competitive in sevens and should make a run at core status in the coming years. Rounding out the tournament field in Pool D are Fiji, England, Portugal, and France. Fiji and England finished 4th and 5th on the series last season. Both squads have the ability to win the title this season and come into Dubai as favorites in Pool D. Portugal and France round out the pool as two teams headed in opposite directions. Portugal has played well in their limited appearances on the IRB Series. The two teams met in Dubai last season with Portugal prevailing 24-14. France struggled mightily last season and their return as a “core” member was up in the air. The question to be asked is this a team that’s going to challenge to be in the Top 10 or are they going to go struggle as they did last season? As with all IRB World Series tournaments, its too close to call. Four incredibly tough pools, each with 2-3 teams that can challenge for the Cup round. It is going to be an exciting weekend of rugby in Dubai. Stay tuned to Rugby America for results and coverage of the tournament.
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/usa-men-7s/us-7s-team-addresses-flyhalf-void.aspx US 7s Team Addresses Flyhalf Void By Alex Goff (Above, Roland Suniula shakes and bakes against Australia in a scrimmage Tuesday. Ian Muir photo) The USA 7s team had a busy Tuesday, scrimmaging with Australia and Wales and working hard on defense and continuity. The team itself is still a little rocked by the news that Valenese Malifa will not be with them, as he is being evaluated on an injury that will keep him out of the next two tournaments at least. Above, Shalom Suniula during scrimmage time Tuesday. Ian Muir photo “Losing Nese is big,” said USA Head Coach Al Caravelli. “But I told the guys, Nese is irreplaceable, just as every player on the team is irreplaceable. We have to move on and it’s an opportunity for younger players to step up.” Caravelli remembers in 2007 when Malifa had to step in for an injured Jone Naqica at short notice. “When I told him he was starting at flyhalf he just about died,” the coach recalled. The move now will be for Shalom Suniula and his brother Roland Suniula to play flyhalf. Both impressed in scrimmage time on Tuesday. Shalom has already logged plenty of practice time on restarts (something Malifa was especially good at), and will be getting extra time in the next few days on conversions. Roland was outstanding against Australia, and then Jason Pye and even Colin Hawley can also step in at flyhalf. Marco Barnard looks to be the first-choice scrumhalf now.
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/usa-men-7s/big-opponent-starts-dubai-for-usa.aspx Big Opponent Starts Dubai for USA By Alex Goff (Ian Muir photos. Zack Test and Matt Hawkins will be expected to provide experience and leadership.) Looking ahead to the Emirates Airline Dubai 7s, the USA has some work to do. The USA faces New Zealand in the fifth game of the first day in Dubai. Here is their Day One schedule. Stay with RUGBYMag.com for breaking reports, videos and interviews. USA v New Zealand 10:48pm Thursday night PST, 1:48am Friday morning EST USA v Argentina 2:46am Friday morning PST, 5:46am EST USA v Zimbabwe 5:16am PST, 7:16am EST The Eagles have some players completely new to the IRB circuit, and they play New Zealand in their first game. So there’s no easing into it. “Having a good first seven minutes is important,” USA Head Coach Al Caravelli said, referring in part to his earlier observation that USA teams can psyche themselves out of a good performance against the likes of New Zealand. “The first thing we want to take care of is, make those tackles. We’ve been doing a good job running our defense, we just need to make sure we make those tackles. We want a 100 percent tackle rate.” The team went through a weight training session and some analysis work Wednesday, and Caravelli discussed a list of team goals he wants them to think about: keep the tackle rate high, communicate, attack in threes, have more possession than the opposition, reduce the turnovers, and keep penalties less than the opposition. Will they do all of that against New Zealand? Perhaps the frightening thing is they could do all of that and still not win. It’s easier to dominate possession in minutes if the opposition can hit a gap at light speed and score in 15 seconds. For the Eagles, everything will begin and end in the forwards. Mark Bokhoven and Matt Hawkins are Caravelli’s most experienced players, and the Eagles will need those two to control a good portion of the game. But Caravelli didn’t want to downplay his backs. Mile Pulu is playing some excellent rugby, and Zack Test (who can play both in the forwards and backs) took one day to get into 7s mode and now looks like he was never away. “And don’t forget, Shalom Suniula was the first player we’ve ever had to play in all eight IRB Series games in a season,” Caravelli said. Working their way into the systems are the likes of Nu’u’ Punimata, an unassuming, but bruising rugby player in his first assembly with the national team. Caravelli’s advice – just have some fun and play. With New Zealand on the horizon, it sounds like excellent advice.
http://rugbyamerica.net/2010/12/03/universal-sports-beefs-up-world-series-coverage/ Universal Sports Beefs Up World Series Coverage Posted on December 3, 2010 by RugbyAmerica 0 It appears that Universal Sports is just beginning to scratch the surface of their coverage of the IRB HSBC Sevens World Series. As reported on Rugby America a couple days ago, Universal Sports has added a World Series package to their online offerings. The pacakge includes Live and On Demand coverage of the semifinals and finals of all eight tournaments on the World Series. They have now announced expanded coverage of the World Series to their other platforms including television and mobile networks. Universal Sports and USA Sevens LLC announced today that the network will be the exclusive broadcaster and distributor of VOD coverage of the 2010-2011 HSBC Sevens World Series of rugby. The partnership marks the first time the series will be available on “free-to-air” and will bring an international quality feed with English commentary to the properties’ widest-ever audience. “It is great that Universal Sports is on board to help us take rugby sevens to the next level in the US and we are confident that having Universal’s world-class production and reach will deliver huge value to the American audience and the growth of the sport,” said Jonathan First, President of USA Sevens. “With the addition of the HSBC Rugby Sevens World Series, our network continues to provide fans the most extensive rugby coverage in the United States,” said Perkins Miller, COO of Universal Sports. “We look forward to broadcasting these great events across all of our platforms –TV, Online and Mobile.” The Series opens in Dubai on December 3-4 and South Africa on December 10-11 and coverage will be streamed LIVE on universalsports.com beginning December 4th. The remainder of the series, including events in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Australia, England and Scotland, will be broadcast on Universal Sports cable network, LIVE on universalsports.com and other Universal Sports platforms, including mobile feeds. It was also recently announced that NBC Sports and Universal Sports will broadcast 8 hours of the HSBC Sevens World Series from Las Vegas on February 12-13th, 2011. Universal Sports Broadcast Schedule Dubai, December 4th, 2010 - 9am EST Live on Universalsports.com South Africa, December 11th, 2010 - 11am EST Live on Universalsports.com New Zealand, February 5th, 2011 - 7pm EST on Universal Sports TV Hong Kong, March 27th, 2011 - 10pm EST on Universal Sports TV Australia, April 3rd, 2011 - 9pm EST on Universal Sports TV England, May 22nd, 2011 - 10pm EST on Universal Sports TV Scotland, May 29th, 2011 - 10pm EST on Universal Sports TV Team USA just kicked-off the 2010-2011 HSBC Sevens World Series in Dubai against 8 time Series champion and defending Dubai Cup winner New Zealand. The Eagles are coming off a tenth place finish overall in last year’s Sevens World Series and are looking to improve this season behind coach Al Caravelli and team captain Matt Hawkins. About Universal Sports: Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, LP, serves as the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related sports programming on television and online. Universal Sports is available in more than 63 million homes, including all of the nation’s top 10 DMAs: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. Recent expansion includes launches in Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Denver, Portland, and Jacksonville. Go to UniversalSports.com for a complete list of TV markets. Major world championship and Olympic qualifying events found on Universal Sports include track and field, figure skating, skiing, swimming, gymnastics, rugby, marathons cycling and triathlons. UniversalSports.com delivers an immersive experience via live and on-demand competition coverage, interaction with top athletes through blogs and in-depth access to Olympic sports news and information year round. For more information on the availability of the Universal Sports 24-hour television channel, please visit UniversalSports.com. About USA Sevens: USA Sevens LLC owns and operates America’s premier rugby events, the Las Vegas HSBC Sevens World Series and the USA 7’s Collegiate Rugby Championship Invitational. Held annually, the Las Vegas HSBC Sevens World Series is one of the eight international stops in the HSBC Sevens World Series. The Series sponsor is HSBC bank. With an attendance of over 50,000 during the two day event, it is the largest annual rugby event in North America and one of the fastest growing rugby events in the world.
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/usa-men-7s/dubai-7s-usa-day-two-wrapup.aspx Dubai 7s: USA Day Two Wrapup By Frankie Deges Special for RUGBYMag.com (First try for Craigwell. Ian Muir photo) It didn’t happen for USA Sevens as Samoa were back to the style of Emrugby sevens that brought them their first IRB Sevens Series in 2009/10. The Pacific Islanders totally overwhelmed their quarter final opponents, beating them 38-5 in the second day of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens. Having only once beaten Samoa in thirteen previous encounters, it was always going to be hard to compete against a team full of talent. Amongst them Mikaele Pesamino, IRB Sevens Player of the Year 2009/10, was in the thick of all the action, creating a lot of play for the Samoans, despite only contributing two of Samoa’s 38 points. The first try had his stamp all over it. Running for 60 yards, he attracted two defenders before passing to his support who scored. With ball control and retention, they tired the USA Eagle defense that despite trying to close down the gaps that Samoa was generating, could not hold them. It was three converted tries in the opening half to lead 21-0. Whilst the Eagles tried to correct some of their lapses, it was more to the ability of the Samoans that they scored again before USA got their points on the board. Pesamino was heavily tackled by Colin Halwey and Mark Bokhoven and when the ball spilled back for their team, it was Shalom Suniula who ran parallel to the left touch side to score 60 metres down the field. He missed the angled conversion. Despite this, Samoa did not relent their attacking and two more tries were scored before the final hooter went with the winners advancing to the semis (against Fiji) and USA will tackle South Africa. Samoa 38 USA 5 Two losses on the second day of action for the USA Sevens should not dampen their spirits as they first lost to Samoa (38-5) and to South Africa 24-10 to finish their participation 2-3. In playing against the top ranked team in Samoa and the sixth in South Africa, USA that finished 10th in the IRB Sevens Series in 2009/10 found the standard higher. Notwithstanding this and the fact that in George next weekend they will play against Samoa and Fiji (4th), the new goal will be to again finish in the top two after pool play. “We have to aim for consistency and that will mean qualifying for quarter-finals at every tournament,” said Al Caravelli, USA coach. “The difference with the top teams is noticeable, but when the player can work on the fundamentals, bring down their mistakes, I know we can be competitive.” When consulted about how he viewed the team’s performance in the first of eight tournaments in the HSBC Sevens World Series, “I have to take into account our history in Dubai. We hadn’t really performed here before so I am happy. I give it a pass. The team raised my expectations.” Even against South Africa there were a few moments that allows being positive about the team. One of which was Miles Craigwell’s first ever Sevens Series try. He got the ball with three defenders on him and he did a spin move and pushed another one off to score. Having first played rugby in June, he was one of the good stories to come out of this Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens. While South Africa ran a 17-0 lead with six minutes to play, Matt Hawkins’ side did not give in and scored twice, the second required physical strength of the scorer: passing into the tackle, Roland Suniula managed to back up Hawkins and take his inside pass to score. USA Sevens will travel on Sunday to George where they face a daunting pool, including matches against Samoa, Fiji and Namibia. They now know they can play good rugby.
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/standings/hsbc-irb-world-7s-series-standings-2010-2011.aspx HSBC IRB World 7s Series Standings 2010-2011 2010-2011 HSBC IRB 7s World Series Standings Team Dubai Total 1 England 24 24 2 Samoa 20 20 3 Fiji 16 16 4 New Zealand 16 16 5 South Africa 12 12 6 Australia 8 8 7 USA 6 6 8 Wales 6 6 9 Argentina 4 4 << Back Reader Comments william adam a. @ Saturday, December 04 2010 1:17 PM Flag Inappropriate Neeeed that video of the Craigwell hit. cant wait to see that AndyR @ Saturday, December 04 2010 1:05 PM Flag Inappropriate Wow - England sure did it the hard way. Lost to Portugal then had to beat Fiji, Australia, New Zealand and Samoa to win it! Nice one!
http://rugbyamerica.net/2010/12/07/george-7s-preview/ George 7′s Preview Posted on December 7, 2010 by RugbyAmerica 0 The term “Pool of Death” is often bandied about in regards to the IRB HSBC World Series. In a series of events with increasing competition, its inevitable that some teams get the short end of the stick. That’s not to say that there are easy brackets. With competition at an all-time high on the series, easy routes to the Quarterfinals are all but nonexistent. This weekend’s stop on the HSBC Sevens World Series is George, South Africa and Team USA has the challenge of being placed in arguably the toughest pool in the tournament… AKA “The Pool of Death”. The USA is pooled with Samoa (in 2nd place on the series), Fiji (3rd), and Namibia. Throw in USA (7th) place and this is going to be a tough pool for all teams involved. Needless to say, it is going to be a mighty challenge for the USA to reach the quarterfinals in George. This may also be the last time the World Series stops in George. Outeniqua Park in George, that serves as the venue, has a capacity of a mere 10,000 and is not in line with where the series is headed in terms of stature and growth. The contract with George ends this year and the South Africa stop on the World Series is likely to find a new home starting in 2011 to accommodate the boom in popularity of the series. If this is going to be the last hurrah for George, then it is going to go out with a bang. First up for the USA in Pool B is Samoa. The two teams met last week in the Quarterfinals where Samoa unloaded to the tune of 38-5 on the USA. All-time the USA is 1-13 against Samoa with their lone win coming in… you guessed it… George. That win came in 2007. Samoa can strike fast or they can bludgeon their way through a defense, so it becomes a “pick your poison” situation. The USA is capable of fronting up to the mighty Samoans, if they can keep up their tackle rate and starve Samoa of possession, history could repeat itself. Next in line is Fiji. Similar to Samoa in power and strike rate, Fiji can light up a scoreboard. They’re a bit, just a bit, more manageable than Samoa right now and will break down from time to time. The USA last played Fiji in Edinburgh last season losing 24-12. The USA last defeated Fiji in Wellington in 2009 by a score of 15-10 and have an all-time record of 2-12 against the islanders. The USA’s final pool opponent is Namibia. The two teams have only met once ever with Namibia winning 35-10 over the USA in Hong Kong in 2003. That was light years ago in terms of where the USA is now. This is a team that the USA should put to the sword quickly. The Namibia game should be a good test for the USA to see how clinical they can perform when they won’t need to play their best to secure a victory. This is a very tough pool for the USA and they will have to pull off an upset to have a shot of reaching the quarterfinals. No doubt about it. To make the task a bit harder, the USA no longer has the luxury of “sneaking up” on teams. They are now a legitimate quarterfinal contender and Dark Horse in every tournament. Here’s a look at the other pools. Pool A is one that may produce some surprises. Australia heads the pool and are off to a good start this season. Scotland, Wales, and France round out the pool. Wales reached the quarterfinals in Dubai and appears to be loaded up this season. Scotland and France are the wild cards. Both teams were disappointing last season and look to be on their way towards healing. Both played tough in Dubai and could be in line for an upset (or two) this weekend. Pool C has perennial favorites New Zealand, Dubai Champions England, Kenya, and Russia. No offense to Samoa, Fiji, and the USA, but this may actually be the toughest pool in George. New Zealand is… well, New Zealand. They are always in the mix to win a title and come in as the reigning George 7′s champs. England is fresh off an amazing run in Dubai. They recovered from a Day 1 upset loss against Portugal to knock off Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, and Samoa to win the title in Dubai. No small feat. Kenya is capable of knocking off both New Zealand and England. They had a rough start to their season, although they bounced back to win the Shield in Dubai. Russia rounds out the pool and is an up-and-coming team on the series. They played tough against South Africa and Australia in Dubai and beat Portugal on Day 2. They’re also due for an upset of one of the top dogs. Pool D is led by the home-town favorite South Africa, with Argentina, Portugal, and Zimbabwe filling out the pool. South Africa is always a quarterfinal contender, but wants to get over that hump and start reaching the finals. Argentina won the Bowl in Dubai collecting IRB points and seem to run hot and cold. When they’re on and their into their game plan… look out because they can beat anyone. Other times, they are very vulnerable. Especially against physical teams. Portugal was unlucky not to reach the quarterfinals last week and head to George bubbling with confidence. They will push for the quarterfinals again this weekend. Zimbabwe is a solid team that cannot be overlooked. They beat Argentina in Dubai on Day 1 and then reached the Bowl final on Day 2. Pool D is going to be a fun one to keep your eye on. There are some fun matchups on tap. Games at the 2010 George 7′s stop on the HSBC Seven World Series kick off December 10th. Stay tuned to Rugby America for updates on the action.
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/international/irb-7s-world-series/late-penalty-wins-george-for-nz.aspx Late Penalty Wins George for NZ New Zealand retained their Emirates Airline South Africa Sevens title, beating England in the tightest of finals with a last-gasp penalty kick, 22-19. In defending the title they won last year in George, the New Zealanders have closed England's early lead in the 2010/11 HSBC Sevens World Series to just four points. After the first two events in Dubai and South Africa, England lead the World Series with 44 points from New Zealand (40), Samoa (36) and Fiji (32) with South Africa lying fifth on 24. South Africa recovered from the disappointment of losing in the Cup quarters to beat Argentina to the Plate. Scotland won the Bowl and Zimbabwe the Shield. "The first two legs have been great, outstanding," said New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens. "It is really important, otherwise you are on the back foot all the time, so starting well in the first two tournaments, you have to be there or thereabouts to do well in the Series." "We've had two different Cup champions to start the new season in Dubai and South Africa and so many teams have been competitive, so many matches have been well contested," said the IRB's Sevens Tournament Director, Beth Coalter. "I think we can all look forward to Wellington and Las Vegas in the new year in the knowledge that the HSBC Sevens World Series has kicked off in the best possible way and is wide open." Giles Morgan, HSBC's Group Head of Sponsorship added: "I think it's been a wonderful 10 days of sport. You just couldn't get more different places in the world in terms of how Sevens is celebrated, but it is celebrated. Every single tournament is going to have its own local feel to it and it's going very well so far. What I'm most excited about is that we also see a lot of opportunity for growth, and for the whole game that's perhaps the most exciting thing of all. It's not maximum level yet, but you can see the path to get there."
http://www.rugbymag.com/features/goffonrugby/goffonrugby-step-one-for-usa-7s-team.aspx GoffonRugby: Step One for USA 7s Team A GoffonRugby Opinion Collumn by Alex Goff The USA won one game in George. Going 1-4 is no fun, and losing in the Shield semifinals likewise. But despite the poor record, the Eagles weren’t that far away from a much prettier picture of success. Consider first of all that the USA almost beat Samoa, losing 24-22 on Day One. In that game, the USA led 10-0 at five minutes, 10-5 at halftime, and were within striking distance at (behind 12-10) with five minutes to go. They finished strong. Down 24-10 they scored two tries in the final minutes, but only kicked one conversion, making the comeback just a little short. Had the Eagles been able to tie that game, they still would not have made the quarters. But two conversions would have won that game and they would then have made the Top Eight. In the Bowl Quarters, they gave up a try to France two minutes past full time to lose 19-17. Had they managed to control the ball at the end of the game, or had a controversial disallowed try to Mile Pulu been given, they would have won that game. Against Zimbabwe it was something like the same issue as the previous two games. An extra conversion would have meant overtime. Controlling the ball late would have prevented the winning try for Zimbabwe. The point of all this? To show that the difference between 1-4 and 4-1 can be very small. One turnover in each of those close losses, and one conversion, means wins, not losses. This isn’t to single out Shalom Suniula, who was 7-16 on conversions at the tournament, because overall he played very well. But the goalkicking could have been better (Suniula was 4-5 against Namibia, when he didn’t need to be so accurate because the Eagles won easily regardless), and when you lose by two points, conversions become noticeable. Does it matter that the losses are close? Yes, it does. In 2009-2010 the Eagles started 2-8, but lost four matches by five points or fewer (average losing margin 3.25). They earned no IRB points, but in Wellington they finished 3-3 and won the Shield, and followed that up with a three-tournament run of Bowl Win, Cup Final, Plate Semis. This year, they started 3-7, with three matches lost by two points. They earned six IRB points and then followed that up with … well that’s the question. It seems the USA team could use this knowledge of being competitive, if not wholly successful, to build some more success. The team in 2009-2010 followed up on their first two tournaments by going 13-10 in the next four. Could this year’s team use this start to similar effect? Yes they could. The big variable, though, is the warmup tournament. Last January the USA held their training camp in Fiji, played a tournament there, and then moved on to Wellington. This time around they want to go to Durban in Australia, play in a tournament there and train with the Australian team. It’s unlikely the program has the money for it (no money for the All Americans 7s team to go to the World University Games, no money for a warmup tournament in November … I’m just extrapolating here). And that could be the biggest hurdle to overcome – more than personal or team-wide disappointment. Experience, confidence and points gained these past two weeks will be invaluable going forward. A little competitive boost in-between tournaments will make it even better.
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/usa-men-7s/usa-7s-team-box-scores-2010-2011.aspx USA 7s Team Box Scores 2010-2011 Dubai Result: Plate Semis USA 7 New Zealand 31 Tries Pulu Convs S. Suniula USA 24 Argentina 19 Tries Test 2, Pulu, Hawkins Convs S. Suniula 2 USA 28 Zimbabwe 12 Tries Test, Pulu, Bokhoven, R. Suniula Convs S. Suniula 4 USA 5 Samoa 38 Tries: Pulu USA 10 South Africa 24 Tries: Craigwell, R. Suniula George Result Shield Semis USA 22 Samoa 24 Tries Hawkins, Punimata, Pulu, Craigwell Convs S. Suniula USA 5 Fiji 43 Tries Pulu USA 33 Namibia 7 Tries Hawley, Bokhoven, R. Suniula 2, Pulu Convs S. Suniula 4 USA 17 France Tries Bokhoven, Craigwell, R. Suniula Convs S. Suniula
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/standings/hsbc-irb-world-7s-series-standings-2010-2011.aspx 2010-2011 HSBC IRB 7s World Series Standings 1 England 44 2 New Zealan 40 3 Samoa 36 4 Fiji 32 5 South Africa 24 6 Australia 14 7 Wales 12 8 Argentina 12 9 USA 6 10 Scotland 4
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/usa-men-7s/whats-next-for-7s-team.aspx What's Next for 7s Team? By Alex Goff (Mile Pulu is starting to get that consistency. Ian Muir photo) Dragged somewhat down to earth the USA 7s tream flies home today to regroup for Wellington and Las Vegas in February. Head Coach Al Caravelli wants to take his team to Durban, Australia as preparation for those next tournaments. It seems unlikely that USA Rugby will suddenly get a financial windfall to pay for it, and it's not in the budget right now, so the idea remains just that, an idea. Regardless Caravelli is looking for some changes. "We talked about searching for consistency," Caravelli said Saturday evening. "The theme going forward has to be consistency. We can't be a team that is in the Cup Quarters one week and the Shield semis another." Caravelli said the key thing is to raise the team's tackle rate, and reduce the turnover rate and handling errors. Losses can be traced directly to those problems. Against France, their set defense didn't waiver, but on turnover ball the missed tackles exacerbated the problems (leading to a 19-17 loss). Caravelli wants 100% ball-retention in scrums, lineouts and receiving restarts. He wants 60% ball retention when kicking off. And he wants the tackle rate over 90%. And finally ... mental toughness. "There are turning poitns or momentum shifts in games," Caravelli said. "What we need is to have the mental toughness to eliminate the times momentum shifts against us. We've been playing with peaks and valleys, and we need to fill in those valleys." When the team has lost momentum, they have started to force the game, making 50-50 passes or running away from support. That way lies disaster. So who will be implementing a more patient approach to their 7s rugby is the other question. Several of the USA players seem set in their positions. Matt Hawkins has been outstanding (speaking of momentum shifts, his tackle at the end of the first half against Namibia prevented a try, and a momentum shift in Namibia's favor), and Mark Bokhoven isn't far behind. Zack Test has been inconsistent, but is getting better. Nu-u Punimata has been a revelation as a forward sub. He's still learning what you can get away with on the international level, but for a player in his first IRB tournaments, he's been great. At halfback, Marco Barnard basically played in South Africa on one leg. He will have his injury looked at and, ideally, fixed in time for Wellington. PJ Komongnan might be more consistent if he'd been on the circuit on a regular basis. He's flashy, but has competition. Shalom Suniula has been moved from scrumhalf to flyhalf to scrumhalf back to flyhalf again. He has really stepped up, and the only aspect of his game that needs a large amount of work is his goalkicking. In the USA's four losses in George, he was 3-11. He needs to double that. Among the centers and wings, Pulu is getting better and better. He is not only quick, but powerful, while Roland Suniula has also improved dramatically. Mile Craigwell is another player new to the circuit who doesn't look like a rookie. He has made things happen. In Dubai, the USA recorded six dominat tackles (when you knock the ballcarrier straight back); Craigwell made five of them. Colin Hawley is still developing, but had several good moments. Kyle Marshall hardly played. So that appears to leave two or three spots available for someone to break in. Who might we see? Some possibilities: Paul Emerick. Brings an impact. Can play forward or back. HUgely physical, experienced, and a leader. If he hasn't signed with a pro team, he might be a possibility. Justin Boyd. Was close to coming back from his knee injury this fall. Could be ready in the New Year. Brings speed and experience as an outside back. Gerson Blaise or James Aldridge. Very green, but they both could bring impact minutes. Taylor Mokate. Almost made the team after the last camp. Would be a forward backup, putting Test in more of a backs role. Ata Malifa. Well if they want a flyhalf, he's the guy.
http://rugbyamerica.net/2010/12/13/breaking-down-the-usas-stats-from-george/ Breaking Down The USA’s Stats from George Posted on December 13, 2010 by RugbyAmerica The USA winning only one out of five games this past weekend at the George 7′s was a bit of a surprise for everyone. As a team striving to push towards the top of the circuit, a step backwards can be expected from time to time. That is, as long as the steps back aren’t too far back. The Day 1 draw for the USA was tough, no doubt about it. The results were not entirely unexpected, but after playing Samoa close a better result against Fiji was expected. They took out Namibia easily in a game that was setting up to become a trap for the USA. Day 2 of the tournament was a big surprise as the team struggled to put away two teams that they should have beaten. They essentially beat themselves and a few key areas of the tournament stats explain it perfectly. The two major areas where the USA struggled compared to last weekend is in their tackling and errors. Those are two of the most vitals areas in 7′s. With limited time and opportunities, errors and missed tackles can turn into points for the opposition real fast. The USA finished dead last in the tournament with 55 tackles made (11/game) which was down from 81 made in Dubai that was near the top of the leaderboard. The USA also missed 20 tackles which was almost nearly as many as they missed in Dubai with fewer attempts made in George. The USA’s tackle completion rate was down to 73% in George and still a long way off from the 90% Head Coach Al Caravelli longs for. Errors were also way up in comparison to Dubai and directly contributed to the USA 1-4 record this weekend. Team USA’s errors almost doubled from only 13 errors in Dubai to 29 in George. That was an average of 5.8 errors/game. Tackling issues aside, making that many errors alone is enough to bury a team. Surrendered possession was also an issue for the USA as they gave up possession 51 times (just over 10/game). With all of that in mind, the USA still did pretty well to compensate for their struggles and the tournament could have turned out quite differently had they made some more tackles and fewer errors. The USA was outscored 112-94 in George which is a much closer point margin than they surrendered in Dubai (124-74). The difference was exacerbated by Shalom Suniula’s struggles kicking conversions this weekend. Suniula went 7/16 on conversions this weekend. Take away the 4 of 5 he made in the blowout win over Namibia and that number drops to 3 for 11. There’s no telling how many of the conversions were difficult by any standard, so it is hard to hold Suniula responsible for the points left on the board. He’s also played extremely well covering flyhalf for the injured Nese Malifa. The USA scored 16 tries in George which was more than they scored in Dubai (12). Roland Suniula led the way for the USA with four tries in George. The team also gave up fewer tries (18 in George, 20 in Dubai). The squad’s strike rate (passes per try) was near the top of the tournament leaders with only 8.6 passes/try which was a huge improvement over their strike rate from Dubai. So, the defense clicked in Dubai and the offense came around in George. When the two get on the same page, then the USA will see far more consistency in their play. Just two tournaments into the season and it looks like Caravelli is settling in on a lineup. If this same group can play all the way through the season together, there is much success ahead of them. Team Captain Matt Hawkins, Mark Bokhoven, Shalom Suniula, and Zach Test started all five games for the USA in George. Miles Craigwell, Nu’u Punimata, Mile Pulu, and Roland Suniula appeared in all five games whether starting or coming off the bench. Marco Barnard also saw plenty of game time (4 starts) all while playing on an injured leg. Colin Hawley saw a share of action in George although he could become expendable if Paul Emerick becomes available for the rest of the season. PJ Komongnan saw limited activity after joining the squad to replace the injured Jason Pye and Kyle Marshall spent most of the tournament on the sidelines. He may have been squeezed out of the picture a bit by the quick emergence of Craigwell and Punimata. Craigwell and Punimata are the surprise players for the USA after the first tour of the season. While no one can deny their athletic ability, they were able to come out and make an impact on the World Series faster than any cross-overs before them. Both players saw significant playing time in both tournaments and contributed to the team on the field. To date, Leonard Peters was the most successful cross-over athlete to play for the USA 7′s team. It took a handful of tournaments before he saw significant playing time. In that time, he impressed outsiders with how quickly he took to rugby. These players have proved that with the proper training and dedication, cross-overs can be brought up to international level in a relatively short amount of time. The scary part for the rest of the world? They’re only going to get better and pave the way for more athletes to make the jump. All things told, George was disappointing from a win/loss standpoint. But, the areas that hurt the USA can all be fixed moving forward in preparation for Wellington and Las Vegas in February. This is a major difference from teams in the past that needed to play perfectly to have a sniff of a chance against most teams. This team has all of the athleticism, players, and tools to beat any team on the World Series. Once they put it all together, their opponents will long for the USA 7′s teams of the past.
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http://www.rugbymag.com/news/international/irb-7s-world-series/pools-for-2011-wellington-7s-set.aspx Pools for 2011 Wellington 7s Set By IRB and RUGBYMag.com Staff The pools and match schedule have been announced for the third event of the 2010/11 HSBC Sevens World Series, on 4-5 February 2011 in Wellington, New Zealand. Once again, the NZI Sevens kicks off the World Series action in the new year and will be played at the city's famous Westpac Stadium. Above, the Eagles won the Shield in last year's tournament. Below, the USA fans represent. After the first two events in Dubai and South Africa, England lead the World Series with 44 points from New Zealand (40), Samoa (36) and Fiji (32) with South Africa lying fifth on 24. As a result of their strong start, including winning the Cup title in Dubai and reaching the final in South Africa, England top the seeds in Wellington and start in Pool A with matches against Wales, USA and the Cook Islands. New Zealand's title defence in George has helped them to second in the standings and they top Pool B with matches against Argentina, Scotland and Papua New Guinea. Reigning World Series champions Samoa and defending NZI Sevens champions Fiji have both reached two Cup semi finals this season and top Pools C and D respectively. Samoa face three tough matches in Pool C against Commonwealth Games silver medallists Australia, Kenya and the ever dangerous Tongans, while Fiji will take on South Africa - twice Plate winners this season - France and Canada in Pool D. "We have enjoyed a superb start to the new HSBC Sevens World Series with two different winners, many teams competitive and sell-out crowds in both Dubai and George," said IRB Tournament Manager, Beth Coalter. "It all perfectly sets up the Wellington event, which is sure to be another packed stadium with the tickets having sold out so quickly again. "The core teams have a few weeks now to go home and recharge the batteries before meeting up again and also taking on the local qualifiers from Oceania, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Cook Islands, who are always strong." After the Wellington tournament, the eight-event HSBC Sevens World Series will travel on to Las Vegas in the USA before also visiting Hong Kong, Australia, England and Scotland, climaxing at Murrayfield on 28-29 May 2011. For the United States team, the pool is certainly a winnable one. The USA has beaten England, Wales and Cook Islands before ... and they've also lost to those teams as well. USA against Wales is always a battle and always close. Their last match was a 19-10 Welsh win in Edinburgh, and before that in Adelaide the Eagles won 12-10. The average score between the two is Wales 20 USA 17. The Eagles beat England in Adelaide 24-21, but lost handily to the Englsih 31-7 last year in Wellington. Cook Islands and the United States haven't met since 2009, when the Americans won 41-0. The upshot of all this is that the USA has a legitimate shot to win Pool A in Wellington. Certainly they are expected to beat Cook Islands (who are not pushovers), should play a close game with the always-tough Wales, and then see how things go against England. None are easy games, but the USA can win all of them.
http://www.universalsports.com/blogs/blog=thescrum/postid=508857.html#belief U.S. needs to harness the intangibles Belief is key for Eagles 7s squad to contend with big boys in World Series By Brian Hightower, Special to Universal Sports | Posted: Jan 7, 8:16p ET | Updated: Jan 7, 8:22p ET Video 2010 SAfrica Sevens: Top 5 scores Dec. 11, 2010: Watch the top five scores from the final day of action at the South Africa Sevens event of the World Series. Stats from the first leg of the IRB 7s World Series reveal what could already be deduced from watching Team USA's performance. The exact numbers aren't that important, but suffice it to say that it let its opponents score too often, turned the ball over too much, and had some trouble in the kicking department. At first glance, these seem easy enough to remedy. Stiffen the defense, work on the kicking, and protect the pill. But these are skills that players on the USA 7s team already have. They know how to tackle, pass and kick. There is a more pressing issue for this team than addressing its statistical shortfalls. What the U.S. team needs cannot be measured with numbers. Every great team on the tour has one essential quality, and if the Eagles really want to contend for the Cup at each tournament, they need to find it, too. Attitude. Coach Caravelli will assemble the team at the Olympic Training Center in two weeks, and will begin his battery of fitness tests on Day 1. Yet, as the camp continues and the Wellington 7s loom, he will focus less on what is in the legs of his players, and more on what is in their heads. The senior players are equally aware of the need to harness their intangibles. When I spoke with veteran prop Mark Bokhoven, I asked him what the difference was between the U.S. and the tour's most dominant teams. "We need to believe that we can win every game," he said. "Look at New Zealand. Even when they are down a couple of tries, they don't panic, ever." Team captain Matt Hawkins was frank about the confidence factor. "When you line up against your opposition, you have to say to yourself: I'm better than you," he said, adding, "Newer guys don't always take that to heart." Hawkins is optimistic about the next leg of the tour. "Winning is an overall attitude that begins at camp. The USA has the talent and the coaching, but we need the belief as well." Aye Aye, Captain. There is hope on the horizon. Even with their regrettable finish, the U.S. earned more points in the first leg of the 7s World Series than it ever has. Also, some of the players have taken it upon themselves to assemble before the camp to train together. Among the five players that will gather in Denver this month is Paul Emerick. If the 7s team needed an injection of attitude, they need look no further than the "Cactus", who earned his moniker by consistently getting under the skin of his opponents. Emerick, back from playing in Europe, is as prickly as ever, and will add not only a vital boost from the bench, but a dose of confidence to a team that needs it now. The U.S. faces England, Wales and the Cook Islands in its Wellington pool. The Eagles can win all three. If they do, it won't be because of increased attention to statistics like passing rates and kicking percentages. It won't happen because of clever strategizing. It will happen because of the intangibles like desire and grit... and attitude.
http://boxscorenews.com/us-sevens-coach-nbc-is-a-very-big-deal-p13377-68.htm US Sevens Coach: "NBC is a very big deal" January 29, 2011 US Sevens coach Al Caravelli reflects on the groundbreaking announcement that Sevens Rugby is to be broadcast live across the States on NBC. So Sevens live in the States on NBC - what does it do for USA Rugby? What does it do for our team and our athletes? And what does it do for Rugby worldwide? This is a massive shot in the arm into the US mainstream. Rugby has never been on network TV before in the States. NBC is one of the top three broadcasting channels in the United States so it has access to over 300 million people. We'll be going out at prime time on both Saturday and Sunday so the viewing public is going to be able to see the Olympic sport of Rugby Sevens. Just incredible. When we had the collegiate championships in June, those went out on live TV. The level and the standard of play isn't what it's going to be on the HSBC Sevens World Series but here's a small example of what can come of live coverage: Miles Craigwell was sitting in a restaurant that night while the final was going on and he had just been cut by the Miami Dolphins. He picked up his phone, called his agent and said, 'I don't know who you need to talk with, but I just watched the Collegiate Sevens on NBC, and I can do that. Get me in touch'. And that's just one person, and he's currently in my US Sevens squad and played at the first two legs of the World Series before Christmas. The number of people who knew that I had something to do with this sport called 'rugby' but who weren't able to see what it was, who then could see it through that event, just propelled our sport and when they see the World Series live in Las Vegas, the best Sevens players on the planet, that exposure is going to be huge. Global market place And why would England or France care about Rugby in the United States? Well how many England rugby jerseys can you actually sell in England?.. Here's a market that can open up for you in America, so for the RFU, for New Zealand Rugby, Samoa, South Africa, Ireland, Kenya, you can go on and on, they all have hundreds of thousands, if not millions of ex-pats here in the United States to whom they can market themselves afresh. This has ramifications not only to the American public, but finally into the worldwide market. It also changes the mood in my camp a little, I must say. There's only a handful of these guys who have been to the USA Sevens, either in San Diego or Las Vegas, and they are busting a gut to make this team. Take Mark Bokohoven as a perfect example. Mark has been with the squad since I started coaching, and even before that but Mark has always got injured right before the tournament here and for him it's a massive shot. His parents have never seen him play live, neither have his brothers, so I'm pulling the reins back on him a little bit because he's training so hard, I don't want him to over-train! Miles Craigwell too, his family doesn't understand the international nature, the magnitude of the sport. His agent asks him why he'd stop pursuing the NFL for a sport that does currently pay to play. People will be able to watch and for somebody like that it's almost a validation to say 'Look at this sport, this isn't secondary, this is something I've chosen because I want to be an Olympian', and for the guys who have been here before, they realise that playing at home is our 13th man. Coming home to Vegas And what of the Las Vegas factor? I was sceptical at first about Vegas last year but I thought the way that the city embraced it and the fans came out really helped us go for four straight wins to win the Bowl. And the year before, in San Diego, we reached our first ever Cup semi final, so we're really excited to play at home and on NBC. What the public wants to see from my team is for them to leave everything out there. And that's how they've been playing and we haven't won the Cup yet here, but we will do everything we can in our control to do that. I know the public will not be disappointed in their team. . The next step has to be for these guys to earn something for playing Sevens for the US, and eventually working for four years to try and win an Olympic medal. We must give them something, both players and staff, especially if we want to compete on the Series, at the World Cup. Today that's one of the areas where we're lacking the most, to even fall in line because we are behind. People continue to say that the Olympics could have the greatest impact in a country like ours, but we need to do it quicker. We can't wait until 2015 because people are starting to get their ducks in a row. I love what Paul Treu has done with his full time set-up in South Africa and then also with his development squad the Vipers, who go to a lot of invitational tournaments. That's something I'd love to do. I love the way Ben Ryan sets up his England camps and uses technology. I like how Gordon Tietjens preaches and pushes fitness. We have to take pieces from each and then try and find some way to put our guys into a full-time environment and compensate them. To achieve that I believe we need more people to understand who we are and what we're doing. And what better way to do that than to perform live to the nation on NBC? Video: The season so far..
http://www.universalsports.com/blog...14636.html#who+will+chase+down+cup+wellington Squads resume World Series play after hiatus After a two-month hiatus, the HSBC Sevens World Series is back and heading for Wellington. For fans who didn't buy their tickets early, it's not too late. Oh wait, it is too late. This tournament, the biggest party in New Zealand, sold out last September ... in three minutes! In the eight weeks since the last tournament, the world's best 7s teams have taken drastically different paths in the build-up to the next quarter of the series. Many teams kept playing rugby tournaments The Darwin 7s, played in the land down under, included Australian coach Michael O'Connor's team playing as the Aussie Thunderbolts. Most of Fiji's national 7s team also played in Darwin under the famous alias, The South Sea Drifters. As a testament to the strength of 7s in the region, neither team made it to the final. Last year's World Champs, Samoa, crossed the water to feature in Fiji's Uprising 7s, but couldn't hang with the top Fijian teams in the Cup round. The local fans were the big winners, as home-grown 7s legend Waisale Serevi returned to lead the Matai Select team, who were coached by All Black 7s mastermind Gordon Tietjens. Meanwhile, the New Zealand Provincial 7s Championships were staged in Queenstown in early January. In this all-star tournament, players competed not only for a national title but a chance to catch the eye of the All Black 7s selector/coach/guru, Tietjens. Some teams opted to stay put At first thought, it may seem beneficial to continue competing at a high level to prepare for the next leg of the series as the aforementioned teams did. But those that stayed in-house were able to monitor player intake and output closely, while providing opportunities for rehab and conditioning. Among those teams that opted for the comforts of home were England, Kenya, South Africa and USA. So who has the edge, the battle-tested or the well-rested? The answer is a mere two days away.
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/usa-7s-tournament/usa-sevens-tv-guide.aspx USA Sevens TV Guide By RUGBYMag.com staff With the USA Sevens schedule finalized and released, let’s take a look at what games you’ll be able to view from your couch. (Of course, you should get off the couch and make the trip to Sin City if at all possible.) If you’re lucky enough to get Universal Sports in your area (find out if you are) you’ll get to watch the Eagles twice on Saturday, firstly against South Africa on Universal and secondly against Samoa on NBC. Having access to Universal Sports means you’ll have a pretty good shot at catching the Eagles on Sunday as well. In parentheses next to the Sunday games are what you would have seen if NBC aired the same games live last year. All games shown on NBC will be simulcast on NBC Mobile. All coverage will eventually be available on demand via Hulu, as well. Saturday, February 12 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET – Universal Sports 3:30-6:00 PM ET- NBC 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Universal Sports 9:30 PM – 1:00 AM – Universal Sports Sunday, February 13 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM ET – Universal Sports 4:30-6:00 PM ET - NBC 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET – Universal Sports << Back Reader Comments BGM92 @ Tuesday, February 08 2011 3:53 PM Flag Inappropriate Don't get discouraged if it isn't carried by your cable provider. Many local NBC affiliates broadcast it for free over the air. I know they do in Chicago (channel 5-3) and New York. Just plug directly into a cable line or use and an antenna to receive it. runnerguy48 @ Tuesday, February 08 2011 8:36 AM Flag Inappropriate Direct TV does not offer Universal where I live. That has got to change.
http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens...ifinalists-set-for-magic-sunday-in-vegas.aspx Semifinalists Set for Magic Sunday in Vegas By RUGBYMag.com Staff So who didn't like playing four games on Saturday? Easy, see who lost. The four semifinalists are set for Sunday's Day Two of the USA 7s. Two of those teams will play in the first ever IRB Sevens World Series match shown live on American network TV. In the first matchup England and Kenya battled hard. Kenya have had England's number, to a certain extent, in the USA, but this time England prevailed, Humphrey Kayange staked Kenya to a 7-0 lead with an early try, but England were powerful, dogged in defense, and patient. James Rodwell scored a long breakaway try that certainly stung the Kenyans, and then after a long period of play after the first half hooter, Nat Turner made it 14-7 at the break. That was a crucial play, and Turner made it two in a row halfway through the second half. Up 21-7, England didn't look back and won 28-14. In the second QF, New Zealand were unstoppable. After a less-than-stellar pool play, they exploded against Argentina with Declan O'Donnell once again the beneficiary of his teammates' ball play and his own amazing pace. New Zealand 47 Argentina 7. And then the rivalry match everyone was waiting for. Samoa and Fiji beat the tar out of each other, but it was the smoother play of Fiji, highlighted by two risky kicks that paid off, that saw them through. With the game tied 12-12 Fiji attacked down the left sideline. Ofisa Treviranus stopped the attack with a monstrous tackle, but Fiji retained, kicked the ball at what seemed the wrong time, and then forced the ball to squirt back into in-goal where Peni Gaunimeke, on the pitch for about a minute, dove on it. Samoa had one more shot to come back, down 17-12, but a loose pass out of the ruck allowed Fiji to shove the ball into touch, and Fiji celebrated, or sighed relief. And in the final quarterfinal, South Africa, possibly the best team never to win the USA 7s, were clinical. Buoyed by Cecil Afrika they weathered a tight first half (7-7) to score tries from Kyle Brown and Afrika to lead 19-7. But a brilliant, brave run by Lewis Holland and an equally brilliant touchline conversion by Hamish Angus put Australia within a try. 19-14. But the comeback was not to be, as Australia commited a penalty with a second to go, and all Afrika had to do was boot the ball into touch. So the semifinals are set: England plays Fiji at 11:13am Sunday New Zealand plays South Africa at 11:35.