About Maru


Website: http://AtTheSevens.com
Maru has written 223 articles so far, you can find them below.


Who will fare best at Sam Boyd Stadium?

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, USA by on February 11, 2011 at 10:10 pm {no comments}

In my opinion, there are 4 teams capable of winning this weekend.

The playing conditions make this a very tough contest to pick but I they and the suspension of Samoa’s Lolo Lui make it just a little bit easier.

Fitness and Depth

I believe it will come down to fitness in the end as the top teams are required to play 4 games on day one to appease the NBC TV schedule. At other tournaments teams would only play 3 games on Day#1.

Squad depth will come into it as well. Team selections in the round robin matches will be crucial. As will recovery over night.

Resting the right players so that when it comes to the quarter finals, the best teams can execute the right game plan will be the telling factor in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is physically demanding because of the narrow pitch. Teams need to go into contact more than they might otherwise.

By Day#2 there will only be 4 teams left in the championship and only 1 game to win to make the final.

Fiji

Fiji

Fiji, Plate winners in Wellington in 2011


With their expansive, classic style of play, Fiji really struggled last year in Las Vegas.

They generally lack experience without William Ryder, Osea Kolinisau, Sonny Roko and Pio Tuwai.

Fiji got closed down by Australia last year and without a different style, it will happen again this year.

Samoa

I believe the Samoans will struggle without an experienced ball player in their side.

Faosiliva, Samoa

Samoa have devastating forwards but it's the link to their backs that is their challenge

Their forwards will take a lot of stopping but I believe they lack the link-man required to capitalize on the breaks up the middle to release the talented outsides that they posses.

Australia

The re-built Australian side did extremely well in Wellington last weekend.

They will be very tough to beat in Las Vegas. They played a very well thougt out game plan last year and will do the same this time around.

Greg Clarke and Michael O'Connor

Commentator Greg Clarke and Michael O'Connor

Michael O’Connor is an astute coach who will have worked out the tactics he believes are required to win in Las Vegas.

It just remains to be seen whether his young side have tue talent to pull it off. That said, few would have picked them to do as well as they did in Wellington.

I believe Australia are worth a bet this weekend.

New Zealand

The Kiwis won last week and so will be very confident going into the USA leg of the series.

That said they are without their stalwart captain DJ Forbes who has an injury.

New Zealand capain D J Forbes is not in Las Vegas in 2011

New Zealand capain D J Forbes is not in Las Vegas in 2011

They have a vastly experienced coach in Gordon Teitjens but the side is very young and inexperienced.

New Zealand will go close but it remains to be seen whether they will have what it takes down the stretch.

England

The English remain the team to beat in my opinion.

They are a class outfit, well prepared and with good tactical nous.

They have real pace out wide and the best sevens player around in Ben Gollings.

Ben Gollings & John Brake, England Sevens

Ben Gollings & John Brake

Their point of vulnerability is in their forwards.

The playing surface at Sam Boyd Stadium is very narrow and there are question marks as to whether the English forwards can create enough opportunities up the middle form their outsides to take advantage of.

South Africa

The South Africans were without their most experienced player in Wellington. Cecil Afrika was recovering from injury but is back this week.

His return will bring confidence to a solid outfit.

Frankie Horne, South Africa

Frankie Horne will be a key player for South Africa in Las Vegas

They are well balanced and could easily win this tournament.

French shenanigans in Wellington

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, New Zealand by on February 11, 2011 at 7:39 pm {no comments}

They really seem to love it in Wellington.

Here as their effort from last year

Fun and games at the 2011 Wellington Sevens – Zac Test (USA)

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, New Zealand by on February 11, 2011 at 8:44 am {no comments}

United States star Zac Test got into the spirit of the New Zealand Sevens in Wellington by jumping into the appreciative crowd.

O’Donnell really hits his straps in Wellington

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, New Zealand by on February 7, 2011 at 7:06 am {no comments}

New Zealand rookie, Declan O’Donnell capped off a wonderful tournament with a hat trick in the final, tearing the English defense to shreds.

O’Donnell had a near miss going into the Wellington Sevens after getting involved in a skirmish outside a pub the week before the tournament but he managed to put it behind him pretty quickly. He now sits in third place on the player try scoring table for the season with 17.

Declan O'Donnell

The next issue with the USA Sevens – bending to suit TV schedules

Filed under Commentary, IRB Sevens Series, USA by on February 6, 2011 at 11:48 pm {no comments}

The playing field at Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas is 12 metres narrower than the playing fields at every other tournament on the IRB World Sevens Series.

Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas

The narrow playing field at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas

This poses huge tactical challenges for teams as they must adjust both attacking and defending strategies to cope with the difference.

Classical sevens rugby involves moving the ball and using the width of the field to gain an advantage. The best teams avoid contact rather than look or it. Fiji are probably the best example, Kenya are another.

A New Challenge

The draw for the USA Sevens has been changed to accommodate the wishes of TV broadcasting. All teams will now play 4 matches on Day#1.

And the Championship Final will be played before the finals for the Plate and Bowl.

The teams playing in the final will receive sufficient rest time after their semi-finals because these are scheduled prior to the semi-finals for the plate and bowl.

TV Rules

The NBC televising the USA Sevens is seen as a huge step for the game in the USA (and maybe the world).

Olympic inclusion came first, then a greater focus in the developing rugby nations.

But there is a cost

American sports have evolved to meet commercial interests.

The NBA shortened the attacking possession by 6 seconds and banned the most effective means of defense (the zone). The game of Basketball is very different to that played by the rest of the world.

Sevens is already in an advertising-friendly format with 7 minute halves and breaks in between each match.

Scheduling is the next issue and the USA Sevens this year will be the first trial of a TV-friendly format.

Let’s hope the Americans viewers like it!

And what does it mean for he game if they do?

Who is looking good for 2011 USA Sevens in Las Vegas?

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, USA by on February 6, 2011 at 7:12 pm {no comments}

It’s hard to go outside of the top 2 teams in the IRB World Sevens Series when picking a winner for next week’s USA Sevens in Las Vegas. All 3 tournaments this season have been won by these 2 teams and they do appear to have the edge on their opponents at this stage.

New Zealand

New Zealand Sevens

New Zealand win their home tournament in 2011

The home side received huge support from the crowd but this has not always brought them success in Wellington. The team this year had a strong balance. Several players proved to be attacking weapons and their opponents found this difficult to contain.

Frank Halai and Tim Mikkleson provide strength and elusiveness out wide, and Tomasi Cama has vision and great skill in the middle of the field.

Tomasi Cama, New Zealand

Tomasi Cama in action against Argentina on Day#1 in Wellington

The revelation this year was one of the newcomers to the team this season, Declan O’Donnell.

Hard working captain, DJ Forbes only lasted 2 minutes of the final succumbing to a knee injury that will have coach Gordon Teitjens nervous with the USA Sevens just days away.

But in his absence, the experienced Solomon King stepped up.

New Zealand will be confident heading into the 4th event in the IRB World Sevens Series.

England

The England team have been the most consistent team this season, making the final in every event so far. They came up short in Wellington, went within a whisker in South African and won in Dubai.

They are a well-drilled outfit with pace, skill and strength. Ben Gollings remains the most effective sevens player in the world, well in front of the rest when it comes to all time scoring.

Dan Norton and Matt Turner are very quick and the English forwards are strong and very hard-working. James Rodwell also seems to get over the line a lot for a big man.

Samoa

That would leave last year’s winners, Samoa out of contention and that may not be wise. Samoa won the whole series last year with convincing performances in Las Vegas and Hong Kong. They also have a very physical style of play which is particularly suited to the narrow playing field at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Ofisa Treviranus, Fautua Otto and Alafoti Fa’osiliva are very strong men with good pace. They take a lot of stopping and when the ball finds Mikaele Pesamino, he is capable of scoring from anywhere on the field.

Afato Faosiliva, Samoa

Afato Faosiliva - a very hard man to stop

Fiji

Fiji are always in contention but they appear to be somewhat out of sorts.

At last year’s tournament in Las Vegas, despite winning the previous week in Wellington, Fiji struggled to adjust their game to meet the requirements of a playing field that is 12 metres narrower than the others in the Series.

Last weekend in Wellington they went into their quarter final match with Samoa as favourites after the Samoans were soundly beaten by Australia on Day #1.  But they lost 12-5 and had a man sin-binned for a spear tackle that effectively ended their tournament.

Fiji won the Plate with a good win over South Africa but this is a team that wants to be competing for the Cup at IRB World Series events.

Fiji

Fiji have talent but it's been a year since they had it all together

South Africa

The South Africans have not hit their straps this season but the playing conditions would suit their style. They have a balanced mix of pace and strength with veteran Frankie Horne and Kyle Brown up front joined by Branco du Preez and Renfred Dazel in the backs.

The experienced Cecil Afrika returns from injury and so South Africa’s chances will go up as a result.

Related items

Can Samoa win in Las Vegas without Lolo Lui?

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, USA by on February 6, 2011 at 5:50 pm {2 comments}

Samoa are yet to find an answer to answer the question: Can they win without Uale Mai?

And now they are posed with another.

No sooner did he return for Samoa after missing the first 2 events of the season with injury and playmaker Lolo Lui is out again.

This time it is a suspension for kicking England player, John Brake in the head in Samoa’s semi-final against England at the Wellington Sevens.

Lolo Lui launches to tackle England's John Brake

Lolo Lui launches to tackle England's John Brake

The Wellington Sevens are proving to be a very sad place for Lui. He had to sit out the final last year after being banned for a spare tackle in the semi-final against New Zealand and now this in 2011.

Samoa are not the same as they were last year when the won the IRB World Sevens Series. Their vastly experienced playmaker Uale Mai left for a contract in Spain and Lolo Lui’s injury earlier in the season left a huge hole in the side.

The series moves to Las Vegas this weekend where Samoa won convincingly last year. Their physical style of play was too much form the other teams to handle in the narrow playing conditions of Sam Boyd Stadium.

It remains to be seen whether they can establish any dominance without Lolo Lui.

New Zealand and England have made a break on the field in the overall standings this season. They are equal on 64 points with Samoa 12 points beck in third place.

Related Posts

    What’s with booing Australia? Get over yourselves New Zealand

    Filed under Commentary by on February 6, 2011 at 11:37 am {no comments}



    As a Kiwi I’m embarrassed by my countrymen’s treatment of the Australian sevens team at the Wellington Sevens.

    New Zealand rugby commentators tend to downplay the booing that the team receive when they score tries and come out to warm up or play.

    They write it off as ‘friendly banter’ but it pisses me off because it is an example of Kiwi small-mindedness and something we should try and get over for the benefit of our nation.

    Why?

    It makes no sense

    1. England are a much better target for ‘friendly’ scorn in sevens. They are equal top of the log right now and have you ever experienced losing to England when living there?
    2. Australia are our neighbours with whom we have a lot more in common than other nations. Witness how we levitate towards them when living in places like London
    3. Show some respect. Australians would not treat a New Zealand rugby team like that. In fact, they would probably support a New Zealand side against neutral opposition. You hear anything (at all) when opposition sides are taking a kick at goal at Landsdowne Road?
    4. At this event, Australia were underdogs and we tend to support the underdog. I did not expect them to convincingly dismantle world champions Samoa
    5. It only makes them stronger. I spoke to Brackin Karauria-Henry about it in Las Vegas last year. He said that the negative treatment only focused the Australian team. It motivated them rather that posing any sort of distraction

      6. Let’s focus on the big players in the world instead of the big players in the Pacific. This obsession with trying to beat Australia diverts our attention from the real issues.

      The Kiwis who succeed on a global scale look to the world, not across the Tasman.

      China is the place to focus attention right now. They are the dominant market and the future of New Zealand’s primary exports in the near future.

      For IT, look to California.

      For Sevens Rugby, focus on England this season. They are the team to beat!

      Related Stories

    Kenya face tough match first up against Samoa

    Filed under IRB Sevens Series, New Zealand by on February 6, 2011 at 2:01 am {no comments}

    Play maker Lolo Lui was back for Samoa after missing the first 2 tournaments of the IRB World Sevens Series.

    Lolo Lui, Samoa

    Lolo Lui - back from injury

    Trevaranus, Otto and Fa’asoliva remain in devastating form.

    But the Kenyans fought back with 2 brilliant tries, both from well-placed kick throughs. They fell short by 3 points and it was a good performance by the Africans.

    Final result: Samoa 24 – 21 Kenya

    Kenya went on to win the Bowl beating Tonga 0 – 19

    Australia are back

    Filed under Commentary by on February 5, 2011 at 11:22 am {no comments}



    There’s no James Stannard, Bracken Karauria-Henry, Kimami Sitauti, Clinton Sills or Liam Gill but they still managed to make the semi-finals in Wellington beating Samoa and South Africa along the way.

    The Foley brothers and Henry Vanderglas are the only names I recognized in this re-built side.

    It shows the depth in Aistralian sevens. One person I discussed this with felt that Australian rugby players (league and union) might actually be more aligned to sevens than fifteens. That the open running style with tactical execution and tenacious defense were Australian traits.

    I’d be interested tomdiscuss this further. I do find Australian players to be very good practitioners of the game. Their basics are sound and they do all of the little things right.

    Any player who puts on the national jersey of Australia will perform well but considering the player turnover from last season, this is superb.

    Congratulations to coach Michael O’Connor.



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