Archive | IRB Sevens Series

Spain are the giant killers on Day#1 in London

Filed under England, IRB Sevens Series by Maru on May 13, 2012 at 8:54 am {no comments}

Spain played their way into the top 15 sides for the 2012-2013 IRB World Sevens Series by making the final of the qualifier division at this year’s Hong Kong Sevens.

This was no mean feat. They beat ranked sides Zimbabwe, Tonga and Japan. The only team they lost to was Canada (in pool play and the final).

That means they will play in all 10 tournaments rather than the 3 they played in this season (London is their 3rd).

Spain’s arrival

Spain continued their rise with a convincing 22-7 upset over Wales.

It’s one thing to cause an upset but Sain needed to hold their nerve against Zimbabwe to finish second in Group C and earn their place in the Cup Quarter Finals.

In their first match against Fiji, they were 14-0 down after 5 minutes but they came out strongly in the second half, scoring first and hold Fiji scoreless until the final 12 seconds.

Despite the Pacific Islanders typically sluggish start, Spain earned the 19-5 scoreline.

Wales are out!

Wales currently sit in 7th place on the World Series table but they will be playing for minor prizes a the 2012 London Sevens.

They were not convincing against Zimbabwe in their first game (17-12) and then stumbled against Spain meaning they had to beat Fiji to make it into the Cup Quarter Finals (which they did not 43-7).

Wales are without their captain Richie Pugh – out with an injury suffered at the Japan Sevens and young speedster, Harry Robinson.

Is the 2011-2012 World Sevens Series a foregone conclusion?

Filed under England by Maru on May 10, 2012 at 3:10 pm {no comments}

New Zealand have an 11 point lead over Fiji in the World Series with just one tournament to play.

Winning the cup is worth 22 points but series points are awarded at very small increments (i.e. 19 for second place, 17 for third) so it is very difficult to make up such a large amount.

No coach is ever going to admit that they got the best pool draw outcome but even the most one-eyed supporter would have to admin that the prospect of Argentina, Kenya and Russia is not the most daunting pool challenge at the 2012 England Sevens to a well prepared, well coached side with experience, talent and fire power.

That said, a (relatively) easy pool is still going to land you a quarter final against Samoa or England – and that is no easy prospect.

But in terms of the Series, the permutations are straight forward enough.

New Zealand have an 11 point advantage over Fiji on the table.

So Fiji need to make that up in one tournament to win the World Series

What will it take for Fiji to win the series?

With their draw, the Kiwis are likely to make it to the Cup quarter final stage (by finishing first or second in Pool A).

In the series, this is worth a minimum of 10 points because a loss in the Cup quarter final puts them into the Plate semi-final.

If the Kiwis were to be put out at that stage (the Plate semi-final) – thus netting 10 series points – then Fiji would need to win the cup to get the 12 points they need to win the Series.

Winning the Cup is worth 22 points.

This is the likely worst case senario for New Zealand.

Should New Zealand make the Plate final, then they will win the series because that would net them 12 points or 13 if they win the Plate.

On top of their 11 point advantage, that would make the margin 23 and winning the cup is only worth 22.

Going further than the Quarter final stage in the Cup will yield a minimum of 15 points and hence the Kiwis will win the series because the margin between finishing 4th in the Cup and winning the Cup is only 7 points and Fiji need 12 to win.

For New Zealand, the simple fact is – should they finish in 1st or 2nd place in their pool, they need to win only one more game to win the series.

Obviously it’s never over until the final whistle and no-one will be out to do the Kiwis any favours, least of all England, Samoa or Fiji (or South Africa or Australia for that matter).

Also, New Zealand don’t have a wonderful record at Twickenham.
- New Zealand have not won in London for 5 years (last cup win: 2007) and it was another 5 years before that since their previous victory
- NZ have a 3 from 11 record in London

Day#1 highlights at the Glasgow Sevens

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, Scotland by Maru on May 6, 2012 at 2:49 pm {no comments}

Fiji were in devastating form
Even without the in-form Nikola Matawalu, Fiji were excellent. They have found a consistency that they have lacked in other years despite the huge personnel changes they seem to go through from one pairing of events to the next.

Metuisela Talebula and Waisea Nayacalevu have stepped up to join stalwarts Joeli Lutumailagi and Setefano Cakau.

Fiji were the only side not to be challenged on Day#1 as they comfortably dispatched Zimbabwe (40-0); Portugal (28-5) and Argentina (47-7).

England regroup and finish strongly
Neither captain Greg Barden nor tough centre Iso Damudamu made it to Glasgow and someone put England in one of the crappiest playing kits ever seen but they topped Pool A all the same.

Ben Ryan’s men drilled Kenya 40-7 in their first outing and then overcame the United States who came back from 2 tries down in the first spell to tie things up with 2 tries of their own to start the second half.

Then they beat Australia in their last match 19-14 to turn the tables on the Tokyo champions.

England meet South Africa in their quarter final on Day#2 in a repeat of the Quarter final in Tokyo which England won 21-17.

Wales Upset South Africa 17-5
Rhys Shellard, Wales It was always going to be a challenge for Paul Treu’s men going into the tournament without Player of the Year, Cecil Africa and his deputy Paul Delport.

Series captain Richie Pugh is not with the team but Rhys Shallard returned from injury and scored the first try to sustain Wales momentum on Day#1.

Wales had beaten an up beat Scotland 17-14 in a great match before dispatching Russia 31-5.

Wales meet Australia in their quarter final which should be a cracker while South Africa will have a tough assignment against England.

Kiwis sneak past Samoa by 1 point (23-22)
Charles Piutau, New Zealand Sevens Samoa have the best record against New Zealand of any team in recent World Series history.

They beat them in the final at Las Vegas and put them out of the Tokyo Sevens in the semi-finals.

But the Kiwis had their measure this time.

Waisake Naholo started the game on fire scoring 2 tries in the first 2 minutes but Samoa came back strongly with 2 tries of their own (Alafoti Faosiliva; Faatoina Autagavaia) both converted by Uale Mai to lead at half-time 14-10.

New Zealand started the second half strongly with tries to Bryce Heem (from the kick off) and then Charles Piutau to make it 22-14.

Samoa finished the game with a consolation try in extra time to substitute Faalemiga Selesele which was converted.

New Zealand meet Argentina in their quarter final and Samoa face a rampant Fiji.

England turn the tables on Australia
England beat Australia in the last match of the day 19-14

The 2 teams have see-sawed in the last 3 world series events.

England beat Australia in Hong Kong with a last-minute, 80 metre try at the Quarter Final stage (19-4).

Australia got their revenge in Tokyo when they beat England 33-12 in the semi-final.

This was the first time the Ashes sporting rivals have met in the pool stage this season and it was England who got the upper hand.

Australia came into Glasgow full of confidence having won the last event in Tokyo in convincing fashion and then beating New Zealand in a one-off game last weekend. But they had a tough couple of matches going into the clash with England.

USA 29-14
Australia trailed at half-time by 2 points having conceded 2 tries to a rejuvenated United States outfit. The final scoreline was flattered by a last minute Australian try
Kenya 28-26

The Australians squandered a 3 tries to 1 advantage at half-time to be trailing by 5 with less than 2 minutes to play. They were saved by a Lewis Holland try in the last minute then winning with the conversion from Matt Lucas.

England face South Africa in their quarter final while Australia meet Wales in theirs.

Who looks good 1 week out from Glasgow 7s?

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, Scotland by Maru on April 30, 2012 at 1:00 pm {no comments}

No team outside of the World Series top 6 have won a tournament this season and there is no reason to think it will happen this week in Glasgow.

The Top 6

1. New Zealand

Hard working forwards Lote Raikubula and Solomon King return to training

With all but one of their injured players back (Toby Arnold), the Kiwis have got to be in with a good chance in Glasgow.

They have everything to play for with a narrow 6 point lead in the series over Fiji and a lot of young players coming through with eyes on Olympic gold.

But they were poor in Sydney in an outing against Australia on Sunday with dropped ball, lack of cohesion and missed tackles.

At the time coach Teitjens would have been spitting tacks but he will now use it as a wake-up call to ensure his players are disciplined and focused for the series run-in.

Jack Wilson continued to impress in the one-off match showing good pace out wide for a big man.

Frank Halai returns on the wing and Solomon King shores up the forwards.

Our pick: Finalists

2. Fiji
Fiji were unstoppable in Hong Kong. And this was after making big changes to their team. They came unstuck a week later in the wind and rain in Tokyo when they lost to England and Samoa en route to the Plate.

They have since made another 6 changes to their side including leaving out Waisea Nayacalevu, a revelation in Hong Kong. Then there was the last minute exclusion of star playmaker Nikola Matawalu for ‘indiscipline’.

There is still no place for the highly experienced duo of Osea Kolinisau and Emosi Vucago.

Somehow the Fijians seem to be comfortable with a level of fluidity in their squad.

They have everything to play for as they try to topple the Kiwis in the series table with 2 events to make up the 6 point gap.

Our pick: Fiji will either win it all or fail to make the semi-finals – no half measures.

3. South Africa
South Africa have suffered more injuries than most this season. Playmakers Paul Delport and Cecil Afrika were ruled out of the series after sustaining injuries in Hong Kong in March.

So Paul Treu is taking the opportunity to blood new players with 4 new boys coming in – Clayton Blommetjies, Ulengo Jamba, Cheslin Kolbe and Ryan Nel.

On the surface, the changes and selections could look like a focus on the future but the list of fit players remains impressive. Steven Hunt comes back after a bereavement in the family to join live wire half Branco duPreez and hard working forwards Kyle Brown and Frankie Horne.

Cornal Hendricks and Stephen Dipenaar are also in the backs so writing off the Blitzbokke would be a mistake.

South Africa finished very strongly last season winning both the Scotland and England events and they have been consistent this year but it remains to be seen whether they can win a tournament without the brilliance of Cecil Afrika.

Our pick: quarter finals

4. England
England have been forced into changes for the final 2 events of the series.

Greg Barden has retired, replaced by Andy Vilk
Christian Lewis-Pratt is injured
Isoa Damudamu was injured in the Army v Navy match at the weekend

On the positive side, Chris Cracknell has recovered from the arm injury that kept him out of play in Tokyo.

Also positive is the scintillating form of Dan Norton. He tops the series try scorer’s table and will be rearing to go and Mat Turner is due a big tournament.

England are capable of winning and the weather forecast might help them as wind and rain are forecast for the weekend. They were superb in the way they dismantled Fiji in the quarter finals at the Tokyo Sevens in the wind and rain.

Damudamu is a big loss as he brought variety and strength to the English midfield but Ben Ryan will have his team primed and there will be slightly less pressure on England this weekend rather than next.

Our pick: Finalists

5. Samoa
Paul Perez’ injury is a huge blow to Samoa’s chances. He has been in devastating form. The combination with Ken Pisi has produced a lot of tries and keeps defenses guessing.

Robert Lilomaiava is also injured and Samoa have a new coach in Tausa Faamaoni Lalomilo.

Some teams rise to meet these kinds of challenges and any team with Lolo Lui, Uale Mai and Alafoti Faosiliva in the starting lineup will be dangerous.

Our pick: semi-finals

6. Australia
They may be in 6th place overall but the Australians have momentum going into the last 2 events of the series.

They won the last series event in Japan very well
They just beat New Zealand in a one-off exhibition match in Sydney before leaving for Scotland

In a very short time, Australia have managed to build depth to go with their young talent.

They seem to have a wealth of playmakers (Faalavaau, Yakapo, Walker, Foley), finishing ability (Jenkins, Stubbs) and hard working forwards (Parahi, McMahon, Anderson).

Several players really took their chances in Sydney over the weekend and coach Mick O’Connor will be confident heading to Scotstoun Stadium.

Capable, confident Australians make for very difficult opponents.

Our pick: Top 3 finish

New Zealand will be near full strength in Glasgow

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, Scotland by Maru on April 26, 2012 at 1:22 am {no comments}

New Zealand went into the last 2 World Sevens Series events without 4 of their most experienced and effective players.

Big Frank Halai back in training for New Zealand

Coach Gordon Teitjens was forced to replace half of his starting side and bring in new players.

Frank Halai was at the top of the try scorer’s table when he suffered an injury in Las Vegas. His explosive pace and strength have been instrumental in New Zealand’s success over the last 2 series.

Halai is still in second equal place on the try scorers table with 27 and will be keen to add to that tally in Glasgow and London. But with Dan Norton 6 ahead and in scintillating form, he is unlikely to overtake the English speedster.

Either way, New Zealand will be better with Halai back on the wing. His ability to beat players and score in the tightest of situations have helped to keep New Zealand on the top in the last 2 Series.

27 year old Solomon King is New Zealand’s most experienced player and they could have done with his input in the final in Hong Kong where Fiji took it to the Kiwis.

Injuries have dogged King’s career in 15-a-side rugby but he makes a welcome return to the sevens fold where his tireless work up front is never lost on coach Teitjens.

Hard working forwards Lote Raikubula and Solomon King return to training

Lote Raikubula was a last minute exclusion from the Hong Kong Sevens having travelled with the team but pulled up in training before their first match.

Raikubula also brings experience and work rate but he has been used off the bench more this season than as a starter.

Toby Arnold suffered a knee injury in Wellington putting him out for the season. He is currently recovering from an operation and was at the Kiwi’s last training camp before they leave for Scotland.

While it seems Arnold has been around the international circuit for years, he’s only 24 and hence still in the frame for Rio in 2016. He will be keen to get up to speed however to ensure he’s in contention when the 2012-2013 World Series starts in mid October.

Selection dilemmas

With the recent injuries Gordon Teitjens has been able to bring in new players to the New Zealand Sevens set up. The World Cup next year and the Olympics 3 years after that have meant the injection of young blood has been a priority and youth is definitely the common factor among the new boys
- Waisake Naholo (20)
- Joe Webber (19)
- Jono Malo (21)
- Lolagi Visinia (19)
- Ardie Savea (18)
- Charles Piutau (20)
- Jack Wilson (21)

Coach Teitjens will be happy with the selection headache that a near-full roster brings.

There will be some interesting selections

With the return of Bryce Heem and the emergence of Jack Wilson, it remains to be seen whether Lote Raikubula can retain his place in the travelling squad. The Fijian utility will be nearing 33 when the 2016 Olympics roll around and the sevens scene is a tough one. My guess is that Solomon King will come back in for his presence but Raikubula will be left out.
Frank Halai is certain to return to the backline, probably at the expense of Lolagi Visinia. The youngster scored 2 tries on debut in Hong Kong but is still quite raw.
Teitjens has a wealth of playmakers in the squad at present with Jono Malo, Joe Webber and Kylem O’Donnell backing up Tomasi Cama and Mark Jackman. O’Donnell and Webber both went well in Hong Kong and Tokyo whereas Malo had a tougher time in Las Vegas, his only tournament to date. Regardless of who travels this weekend, all of these players will factor in Teitjens’ World Cup plans.

Can South Africa win without Cecil Afrika?

Filed under England, IRB Sevens Series, Scotland by Maru on April 12, 2012 at 12:40 pm {no comments}

South Africa are the only team from the top 6 that have not won a tournament during the current World Sevens Series.

They came very close in their home tournament when they had New Zealand on the rack going into the last minute of the final in Port Elizabeth (which the Kiwis won 31-26 with a Frank Halai try).

Can they get themselves up for the final 2 tournaments of the series in Glasgow and London?

Player of the year Cecil Afrika left the field with a knee injury at half time in South Africa’s quarter final against Samoa in Hong Kong when they were down 14-5.

Paul Delport came on as replacement and that was the last that Cecil Afrika will play in the 2011-2012 World Series.

The Blitzbokke managed to surge ahead of an in-form Samoan side that had looked very dangerous on the first 2 days of play including a 27-0 hammering of Argentina.

South Africa then lost in the semi-final to New Zealand by 19-12 before caning England 28-0 to secure third place in the tournament with a very strong finish.

In Japan, South Africa beat Scotland and Portugal in pool play but were convincingly beaten by Samoa 38-7 at the end fo Day#1.

In another tight rematch from Hong Kong, South Africa faced England in the quarter final on Day#2 but this time the tables were turned and South Africa were out of contention, losing 21-17.

They eventually lost the Plate final to Fiji 14-10.

But it was a very gutsy effort after Boom Prinsloo had been knocked out and Frankie Horne was also ruled out with injury.
[Paul Delport sustained injury in Hong Kong and was not in Japan]

Frankie Horne, Boom Prinsloo, Kyle Brown

Kyle Brown was the only man left standing from South Africa's starting forwards

On to Scotland and England Sevens

South Africa finished the 2010-2011 series in spectacular fashion, winning the last two tournaments in London and Edinburgh to claim second place in the overall standings.

The 2011-2012 series has 9 tournaments. It is a long and arduous journey for all teams and injuries take their toll.

New Zealand have not won a tournament since Frank Halai’s injury in Las Vegas. They lead the series but coach Gordon Teitjens would dearly love to have his try scoring big man out wide for the Glasgow and London events.

If Cecil Afrika was playing, South Africa would be a genuine chance. Without him, they need their remaining creative players (Branco du Preez, Steven Hunt, Cornel Hendricks) to really step up and, at the same time their hard-working forwards must to stay fit.

South Africa will give a solid account of themselves but without Cecil Africa, winning a tournament is a very big ask.

(I am from New Zealand but) I kind of hope they do win one of these events (if not both). Paul Treu is a passionate, dedicated coach. Frankie Horne is a rock and Kyle Brown’s work rate and ability with the ball make him one of the most effective forwards in the series. Branco du Preez is capable of taking over matches on attack and there are young men with pace out wide.

Go the Blitzbokke!

Branco du Preez, South Africa

Glasgow is wide open

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, Scotland by Maru on April 6, 2012 at 11:19 pm {no comments}

The Scotland Sevens is a genuine 6 horse race between the top teams in the world:
- New Zealand
- Fiji
- South Africa
- England
- Samoa
- Australia

The World Series is also wide open but realistically the competition is between 2 teams. New Zealand remain on top of the with 128 points with Fiji close behind on 122. South Africa (105) leap-frogged England (104) to take 3rd and Samoa round out the top 5 with 101.

So who is going to win in Glasgow?

1. New Zealand

Going into Hong Kong, it wasn’t clear whether the Kiwis could win without their main attacking weapon, Frank Halai.

Their most experienced forward, Solomon King was also ruled out with injury. Then, at the last minute Lote Raikubula pulled out as well.

New Zealand managed to make the final in Hong Kong and came 3rd in Tokyo but they have not won either of the last 2 events in a series since the 2007-08 season.

Realistic chances: The new players did well in Hong Kong and Japan but they weren’t clinical. Without King, Raikubula and Halai, the Kiwis will struggle to secure victory in Scotland.

2. Fiji

The flying Fijians were sublime in Hong Kong when they beat New Zealand convincingly in the final. They had 6 new players but they gelled superbly in a complete performance.

Fiji are a balanced side with experience (Setephano Cakau) and enterprise in the forwards (Jimi Naikadawa), express pace out wide (Metuisela Telabula) and a great playmaker in Nikola Matawalu. LutuMailagi and Nayacalevu round out a wonderful unit.

Fiji did not play badly in Tokyo. Their loss to England at the end of day one was played in cold, wet and windy conditions against a very well organised unit.

They had an epic quarter final battle with Samoa but lost by just 3 points.

Realistic chances: Fiji have everything they need to win in Glasgow but it’s very tough to know whether they will have the collective attitude to do so. The added pressure of the series points will either spark them to victory or add to the pressure. It’s a 50/50 call

3. South Africa

Player of the year, Cecil Afrika

Paul Treu rallied extremely well after losing several key players to injury between Hong Kong including Player of the Year Cecil Afrika, his replacement Paul Delport and forwards Boom Prinsloo and Frankie Horne.

The Blitzbokke came in third in Hong Kong after beating Samoa in the semi-final. After losing most of their forward line in Tokyo, South Africa went on to lose the Plate final to Fiji 10-14.

Realistic chances: South Africa finished last season extremely well winning both the Scottish and English Sevens events. If their injured men are back, then South Africa have a very good chance of winning.

4. England

I had picked England to win in Hong Kong because I felt they were due. While they ended up in 4th place, they have been consistent. In Tokyo they finished 4th again.

Realistic chances: The difference between losing and winning a semi-final can be extremely narrow. England will have learned from the experiences in Asia and they have the team to go all the way. I’m going back to my Hong Kong prediction and say that England will win this one – they are due.

5. Samoa

Ken Pisi has been a revelation for Samoa

After winning in Las Vegas, Samoa looked in devastating form in the early stages in Hong Kong but they fell short, losing their quarter final to South Africa after being 2 tries up in the first half.

Samoa regrouped very well in Tokyo to make it to the final, beating Fiji and New Zealand along the way.

In the final they met a very confident Australian side who were playing the rugby of their lives and Samoa just fell short by 2 points.

Realistic chances: With injuries to key players Lolo Lui, Uale Mai, Tom Iosefo, Afa Aionoand and Paul Perez only a 50/50 chance, Samoa could struggle.

If they are fit however, then Samoa are a genuine final contender.

6. Australia

The young Australian side are 6th in the series after their win in Tokyo. They were not really in contention this season until Hong Kong 2 weeks ago when they were pipped in the quarter finals by a 90 metre Dan Norton try in the last seconds of the game. Then 7 days later they won in Tokyo so momentum is definitely with Michael O’Connor’s men.

Australia have several exciting prospects in the back line, hard working forwards and a lot of self belief.

Realistic chances: Unlike some of the Pacific Nations, Australia will not struggle to get up twice in a row – they will be a serious contender at Scotstoun Stadium in a month’s time. I think they will make it to the semi-finals at least.

Australia come of age with a great win in Tokyo

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, Tokyo by Maru on April 2, 2012 at 1:40 pm {3 comments}

Australia have used a lot of players in their sevens teams over the last 3 years. In fact, Australia have always had a high turnover of players ever since the IRB World Sevens Series began.

Australian Super Rugby teams regularly contract players from their national sevens ranks. It doesn’t seem to take long for prominent names to move on.

It seems that many from their Commonwealth Games team were only just becoming established on the sevens circuit when they moved on.

There are only 3 players are left from the last Australia team to have won an IRB World Sevens Series event in London in 2010.

What it means is that coach Michael O’Connor does a wonderful job of getting young Australian rugby players up to speed – to instil the toughness, belief and team cohesion required to win an event.

A week earlier in Hong Kong, Australia were beaten in the last seconds of their quarter final by a run away try from the Series fastest man, Dan Norton of England. The Australians were on attack and had England pinned down int heir own 22 but Norton got away out wide ont the left and any Cup aspirations went with him.

Australia looked competent but they were still a little raw, making errors on defense and the occasional bad decisions on attack.

6 days later on Day#1 in Tokyo, they won their first 2 pool games but lost to New Zealand 22-10 in their last match.

But the team regrouped on Day#2 and beat Wales (21-14), England (33-12) and Samoa (28-26) in an epic final – just one week after being put out at the Plate semi-finals stage in Hong Kong.

Congratulations are due.

2010 Commonwealth Games Team	2010 London Sevens winning team	2012 Tokyo Sevens Winners
Bernard Foley Liam Gill Brackin Karauria-Henry Patrick McCutcheon Luke Morahan Nicholas Phipps Edward Quirk Brian Sefanaia Clinton Sills Kimami Sitauti James Stannard Jacob Taylor Lachlan Turner Daniel Yakapo	Bernard Foley Ed Jenkins Brackin Karauria-Henry Sam Latunipulu Jesse Parahi Nick Phipps Clinton Sills James Stannard Ed Stubbs Jacob Taylor Henry Vanderglas Daniel Yakopo	Damon Anderson Thomas English Allan Fa’alava’au Gregory Jeloudev Ed Jenkins Matt Lucas Sean McMahon Jesse Parahi Jordan Tuapou Shannon Walker Daniel Yakopo

Tokyo takes its toll: South Africa decimated by injuries

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, Tokyo by Maru on April 1, 2012 at 9:27 am {no comments}

Not only did they lose Player of the Year Cecil Afrika at the quarter final stage in Hong Kong but Paul Delport didn’t make it to Tokyo either.

Now Boom Prinsloo and Frankie Horne are in doubt after suffering head injuries against Scotland in the first match on Day #1.

And if this wasn’t enough, Branco du Preez did not feature in South Africa’s last match of the day against Samoa.

This will be a real challenge for Paul Treu’s men who rallied remarkably to beat England for 3rd place in Hong Kong without Afrika but the toll is now too great to overcome in extremely challenging conditions in Tokyo.

Where to from here?

You won’t hear Paul Treu complain – that’s not the way he is, and good on him.

It’s now about growth
Young players need to step up and learn – a big ask but South Africa can take some confidence into their quarter final against England because they beat the English at this stage last week in Hong Kong.

South Africa need to finish strongly regardless of the result.

Paul Treu will regroup for the final 2 legs of the World Series in Glasgow and London. Hopefully his younger players will have developed some of the hard-nosed attitudes of his senior players and the injuries heal.

Tokyo 2012 Quarter final: Fiji v Samoa

Filed under IRB Sevens Series, Tokyo by Maru on April 1, 2012 at 9:26 am {no comments}

Fiji were beaten by England at the end of a wet and windy Day#1 at The Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground in Tokyo.

England now play South Africa in their quarter final while Fiji take on Samoa in a battle of the big Pacific Nations.

Fiji did not play all that badly. This was a case of England taking their chances and then defending extremely well. In wet and windy conditions, territory and defense count – even against teams who often score from 80+ metres.

Fiji’s earlier matches were against France (17-0) and Japan (26-7). They looked to be continuing their form from Hong Kong last weekend when they were unstoppable.

But the weather and maybe the mental fatigue started to take its toll and England took their chances.

A night’s rest might be all that’s needed.

Samoa’s Day#1

Portugal took them very close in their first match of the day, 21-20. The strong Portugese forwards took the Samoans on up the middle, finding space through the tackle.

It’s not often that teams take on Samoa up front and live to tell the story but Portugal showed a vulnerability in the defense. With Faosiliva often running wide on attack, this can leave a lot of the defensie load being placed on the other 2 forwards and inside backs.

Then Samoa were taken close by an inspired Scotland side. The second half yellow card to Mark Robinson gave Samoa the advantage they needed and Ken Pisi capitalised.

Scotland finished the match strongly.

In their last match Samoa got it together and drilled South Africa 38-7.

So who’s going to win?

Day#1 results count for nothing when it comes to the knock out stage. Often the close matches and an isolated loss make teams stronger.

Discipline will be a big issue. There is no love lost between these 2 sides.

In theory, wet weather should suit Samoa more but they have a worse disciplinary record. Uale Mai is critical to Samoa’s chances both as a play maker and leader.

For Fiji, the experience of Cakau and Lutumailagi will be needed to keep heads focused.

Our pick: Samoa in a boil over

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