http://www.irbsevens.com/schedule.html HSBC Sevens World Series 2011/12 R1 - Australia 25-26 Nov 2011 Skilled Stadium, Gold Coast R2 - Dubai 2-3 Dec 2011 7he Sevens R3 - South Africa 9-10 Dec 2011 Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth R4 - New Zealand 3-4 Feb 2012 Westpac Stadium, Wellington R5 - USA 10-12 Feb 2012 Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas R6 - Hong Kong 23-25 Mar 2012 Hong Kong Stadium R7 - Japan 31 Mar - 1 Apr 2012 Prince Chichibu Stadium, Tokyo R8 - Scotland 5-6 May 2012 Murrayfield, Edinburgh R9 - England 12-13 May 2012 Twickenham, London
http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php?o...o-due-soon&catid=45:usa-sevens-men&Itemid=202 7s USOC Support Info Due Soon USA Rugby and the USOC are expected to announce next week some details about how the national 7s teams will be supported in 2012. It’s quite possible that both the men’s and women’s 7s teams will be able to start residency programs as early as January. Most likely this would mean players could move to the San Diego area, living in private housing that they pay for. There are housing units around Chula Vista, the site of the Olympic Training Center, where other USA Olympic teams live. Players would then train regularly at the OTC, and receive their meals there. They would also receive a small stipend. The combination of training and equipment and meals support, along with the stipend, might be enough for some players to support themselves without any additional jobs. Players with families might have to look at augmented sources of income. None of this is confirmed yet, but what is certain is that the US Olympic Committee will be taking steps very soon to provide financial and other support to the USA 7s teams – both men and women – prior to the 2012 Olympic Games. Previously, the official stance had been that sports competing in the 2016 games wouldn’t get full consideration until after London 2012. However, in a recent interview with RUGBYMag,com, USOC head of team sports performance, Wes Barnett, hinted strongly that earlier support would be forthcoming (Premier Members have access to this article). Then last week on RuggaMatrix America, USA 7s team captain Shalom Suniula indicated that he would be moving to San Diego – something USA 7s team Head Coach Al Caravelli, who has bought an apartment in the area – had been hoping his players would do.
http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/ Eagles 7's Gold Coast Preview The U.S.A. Eagles 7's kick off the IRB Sevens Series this weekend in Australia at the Gold Coast 7's. Unlike past years, this will not be the first 7's event of the year for the team. Throughout the summer and into the fall, the team has been busy either with club championships, the NASC, the Pan-Am Games, or playing in Sri Lanka. This edition of the Eagles should be the most prepared of any Eagles team and that should hopefully lend itself to a fast start out of the gate. The Players: The major preparation for the series was the recent Pan-Am Games. While the Eagles didn't win the Gold they were after, the tournament was a perfect avenue to get some the players up to game speed for the 7's tour. Unfortunately, some of the members of that team, such as Blaine Scully, Roland Suniula, Mile Pulu, and Maka Unufe, were ruled out of this leg of the series with either injury or unavailability. Fortunately, the return to players like Matt Hawkins and the deep player pool that allows coach Caravelli to pick players like Miles Craigwell means that the turnover from the Pan-Am squad can be mitigated with experienced 7's players. Even though the team may not have all played together in Guadalajara, that doesn't mean that the team doesn't have experience. Core players such as Hawkins, Craigwell, Mark Bokhoven, Shalom Suniula, Zack Test, Tai Enosa, and Colin Hawley all return. This should provide the Eagles with the steadiness needed to whether the first onslaught by teams such as South Africa and Australia. Folau Niua, who was excellent in the kicking game at the Pan-Am Games, and Peter Tiberio are holdovers from the Guadalajara. Duncan Kelm makes his way into the squad after being a steady presence in camps for the last few years. However, possibly the biggest addition to 7's camp is Nick Edwards who is back in the team after a prolonged absence from the team. Edwards was in Australia playing for Sydney University in the Shute Shield. He was the leading scorer a couple of years ago for the team and will want to pick up right where he left off. Joining Edwards after a spell away from the team in Mike Palefau. The Utah Warriors winger should bring a bit of pace into the side. Overall, the squad looks to be just as quick as the team Caravelli took to Guadalajara, but may even have more bulk and strength. The return of Hawkins should help with size in the forward pack. With Edwards, Palefau, and Tiberio, speed shouldn't be a problem if the team can work the ball out into the right spots. Hopefully, this team will be able to score in bunches, something the Pan-Am squad struggled with. The Opponents: First up for the Eagles on Thursday evening, is last years Series runner-up, South Africa. The Blitzbokke have returned most of their squad from last year and should make for an uphill climb for the Eagles. However, South Africa are missing Cecil Afrika and being the first game of the series, you never know if an upset is possible. Next will be the host team Australia. It always seems that they U.S. gets stuck playing the host nation. Australia is a young and inexperienced side which could leave them open to upset, but it is always hard to underestimate and Australian side, especially one playing at home. Last up on Day 1 for the Eagles is Japan. The U.S. had mixed results against the Japanese last year, but will look to use their experience to get a win on Day 1. The Day 1 Schedule: South Africa vs. U.S.A. 11:47 p.m. est/8:47 p.m. pst (Thursday) Australia vs. U.S.A. 3:15 a.m. est/12:15 a.m. pst (Friday) U.S.A. vs. Japan 4:58 a.m. est/2: 58 a.m. pst (Friday) Posted by Curtis the Honourable at 8:14 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: 7's, Eagles, Gold Coast
http://www.espnscrum.com/sevens-2011/rugby/story/155870.html Kiwis triumph in Port Elizabeth Tomasi Cama scored an injury-time try as New Zealand snatched a dramatic 31-26 victory over South Africa in the Cup Final of the HSBC World Sevens Series event in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. The hosts appeared on course for victory in front of a partisan crowd of 30,000 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium after tries from Steven Hunt and Cecil Afrika had put them seven points up with just five minutes remaining. However, Frank Halai crossed for his second try of the game with just over three minutes to go before Cama sealed victory for the Kiwis when he touched down with the last play of the game. New Zealand had reached the final with a comfortable 21-5 victory over Australia in the last eight before edging past England 19-14 in the semis. England, who had successfully defended their Dubai crown last weekend, saw their campaign end in disappointing fashion as they slumped to a 17-14 defeat by Samoa in the third-place play-off. However, Scotland and Wales both finished on a high note. The Scots defeated Canada 22-19 in a thrilling Bowl Final, while the Welsh routed Fiji 48-0 in the Plate decider. The other piece of silverware on offer in Port Elizabeth went to Zimbabwe as they defeated Kenya 19-12 in all-African Shield showdown.
Team AUS DUB RSA NZL USA HKG ****** SCO ENG Pts 1 FIJI 22 17 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 NEW ZEALAND 19 10 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 3 SOUTH AFRICA 17 12 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 48 4 ENGLAND 10 22 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 47 5 FRANCE 10 19 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 39 6 AUSTRALIA 15 13 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 38 7 WALES 13 10 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 8 SAMOA 12 3 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 9 ARGENTINA 8 15 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 10 SCOTLAND 7 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 11 UNITED STATES 5 7 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 12 CANADA 0 5 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 13 PORTUGAL 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 14 KENYA 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 TONGA 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 16 ZIMBABWE 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 17 PAPUA NEW GUINEA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 18 JAPAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 19 MOROCCO 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 NIUE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 UAE 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Wellington 7s 3-4/2/2012 Pool A Teams Code P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TD PTS New Zealand (NZL) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Samoa (SAM) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scotland (SCO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Japan (JPN) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pool B Teams Code P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TD PTS South Africa (RSA) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 England (ENG) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 United States (USA) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cook Islands (COK) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pool C Teams Code P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TD PTS Fiji (FIJ) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wales (WAL) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Argentina (ARG) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tonga (TON) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pool D Teams Code P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TD PTS France (FRA) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Australia (AUS) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Canada (CAN) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kenya (KEN) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0