The players have been waiting. The fans have been waiting too, and in just a little over four days the World Rugby Sevens Series heads to the Wellington Sevens. And here at Last Word On Sports (LWOS) we cannot wait either, so join us as we look at the four Pools and all 16 Men’s sides.
Contributors Jovilisi Waqa and Scott Hornell have divided the Pools below and hope to provide an examination on each, with a brief on all the contending sides for rugby fans and followers of the popular Wellington event that begins January 30th in the capital of ‘land of the long white cloud’.
POOL A: New Zealand, Russia, South Africa and Scotland (Scott Hornell)
This could be called the most interesting Pool, with both Scotland and Russia being the real unknown factors that might upset both the hopes of South Africa (winners of the last tournament) or the hosts New Zealand. It will make for key matches from the opening clash, with RSAvSCO followed by NZLvRUS.
The big African team have a collective strength that cannot be denied. With their speed on the flank via Seabelo Senatla, organisation and option taking of Chris Dry. Plus, with Kyle Brown nursing an injury, stand-in skipper Philip Snyman will rely on the leadership of Francois Hougaard to send them far into the qualifying stages. Players and Coach will be looking at two strong tournaments to set-up their season, after they get past the plucky opposition.
Scotland are full of strong young men who play with heart. They rely on counter-attack and often surprise even the best sides with some enthusiasm that often ‘bites’ teams not prepared. After beating England in the Bowl final last year, the Scots will be bouncing and that will apply to Russia too. That side opened the World Sevens Series with huge victories over NZ and others, but fell away badly in Cape Town. Those extremes will prove costly, so both Scotland the the Russian Bears must bring consistency to their game, to be a true threat.
New Zealand – new captain Tim Mikkelson is the perfect man for Coach Sir Gordon Tietjens to ask to lead this group. This team will be ‘hissing’ to get off to a flyer early, since the avalanche of injuries robbed them early in the series at Dubai and took even more casualties in South Africa. With their troubles behind them, and some extra weaponry to support the adventurous likes of Gilles Kaka, Joe Webber and Ben Lam, only the combinations will be the unknown factor.
Fresh legs of Augustine Pulu; who debuted in Dubai, along with Ardie Savea, Akira Ioane and Sonny Bill Williams were all named in a pre-Wellington training squad. This mix is exciting and this reporter hopes the public interest leads to more feet-through-the-door as 2016 brings more interest and better ticket pricing. While it is hard to say if Sonny Bill will be in the squad, or if they might even be selected to start games at all, all these players have natural ability that should be a true KPI.
Sonny Bill seemed to have impressed Tietjens in his attitude and training behaviour. If he brings that desire to succeed, it will be infectious within the side. Although he is new to the sevens game, fans and NZ rugby administrators hope the new players can continue in Sydney, in Las Vegas, Hong Kong and finally London. By the time of Olympic selection, long standing players may still be the core of a team with a blend of new blood and converts like Pulu and Savea to bolster the New Zealand sides chances at Gold–but first, its #sevenswelly
POOL B: Argentina, Wales, Fiji and Japan (Jovilisi Waqa)
Pool B is going to be one of the hardest fought groups at the Cake Tin as teams try to dethrone World Sevens Series leaders Fiji from the top spot. That will be a ‘hard task’ as Semi Kunatani; the World Rugby Sevens player of the year nominee, returns with his attacking prowess and defensive skills which will really help the Fijians. Nicknamed “The Beast” Kunatani is the one to watch, just as much as Sonny Bill will be this weekend.
If there is one more popular team in Wellington, it would have to be the ‘Flying Fijians’ who have won the Welly7’s three times, hope to make this season a dominant one. Scott Hornell believes they have one of the better coaching platforms to win yet again, as hard as that is to say. If they can amount more than 150 points in Pool play like they have done recently, it will take a more dynamic team to halt them for mine.
One team in particular who will be trying to go one further this weekend would be the Los Pumas Sevens who played in the final in the last leg in the scenic city of Cape Town, only to lose to the hosts. The Santiago Gomez Cora side will rely on the services of playmaker Nicolas Bruzzone and the mercurial Bautista Ezcurra to get them through.
Meanwhile, former World Cup Sevens winner Tom Isaacs returns to bolster his young Welsh squad to give the Fijians and Argentinians a run for their money but don’t count out the the only non-core team in Wellington, Japan to create some upsets. The Katsuyuki Sakai led side will rely heavily on their Pacific Islands players flair to carry them through with the likes of Jamie Henry, Amanaki Lotoahea and the elusive Lote Tuqiri.
POOL C: France, England, United States and Samoa (JW)
English coach Simon Amor has named two debutants to bolster his side to the Wellington Sevens. Young Ethan Waddleton (who turned 19 in November) will try to learn from the senior playerslike Alexander Gray (pictured) while Jack Wilson; a former New Zealand Sevens player, brings with him experience and speed which will help the England sides chances.
After taking the All Blacks Sevens down in the last two tournaments, the Mike Friday coached USA Eagles will try to keep their momentum going as they continue to build for Rio, while having finished third in Cape Town, Les Bleus of France go to next two legs without their kingpin Virimi Vakatawa. He was called up by Guy Noves for national duties, and they will rely on Terry Bouharoua and Julien Candelon to carry them through. One new name though will capture everyone’s attention is a certain Fulgence Ouedrago.
While the Samoans have been lukewarm lately be rest assured to see them come out firing in Wellington something like playing at home for them as New Zealand is home to half of Samoa. The Damian McGrath side will rely on Belgium Tuatagaloa, Falemiga Selesele and Samoa Toloa to revive their season.
POOL D: Australia, Kenya, Canada and Portugal (SH)
With respect to Portugal, this looks like a three horse race with Canada a well prepared and unchanged squad from the last tournament. They won the Shield in Dubai with a 19-17 win over Japan, so have been winning games and although they have a poor record against Australia [37-3] they will be a threat in the tight encounters. Like Portugal, if they are within a scoring movement, teams better watch their line or they could be tripped up. John Moonlight is their leader and Phil mack will direct them well, but some debutants mean they are a little inexperienced in Pool D.
Kenya are a fully professional squad, with their best players now committed to the Andrew Amonde led side. Full of firepower, the nimble Africans are able to work in close and then look to use angles and in-passes to break the line. They strike quickly and can extend short leads into a commanding win, as seen when they reached the semi-final before Christmas in Cape Town.
If head coach Benjamin Ayimba can harness the smarts of Humphrey Kayange with the industrious play of _____. The only threat is complacency, as they confirmed qualification for the Olympics, motivation is key to Kenya’s success at Wellington, in Sydney and for the whole of the HSBC Series.
“It is a very balanced pool. No team will have an easy ride in this one, as all are looking for a win. But we have worked on our weaknesses and I am confident we will get good results in both of the legs.” said captain Amonde, when asked about the next two weeks competition.
For many, Australia seem to peak at this time of year. The players have been playing in the extreme conditions of the Central Coast and traveled to the Coral Coast Sevens in preparation, so the players on the field will be fighting-fit and ready to follow the likes of James Stannard and other senior players. Many of the young guys selected will be out to show incoming-coach Andy Friend that they are worth the investment–Henry Hutchinson could be one of the stars, along with John Porch and Sam Figg.
Match number one kicks off at 11:30am as France take on England to light the fire at the 2016 Wellington Sevens. For the players, the long wait will be over.
This will be a test on two fronts (a) Which of the competing teams have retained their fitness and who possibly shows up with any ‘ring-rust’ and (b) how many spectators turn out for this years Wellington Sevens. The event has struggled in recent years with ambivalence from a rugby public who too fondly remember the ‘good old days’ and find it expensive and repetitive in today’s sports market.
Some of the more crowd-based entertainment over this weekend will involve the ever-popular ‘Costume Catwalk’ that involves spot prizes for the best dressed, booby prizes and smiles as people celebrate the fun element of the weekend. And groupss can enjoy family friendly areas too, with reserved corners for attending families, with children’s entertainment. For the big kids, as well as the rolling music that brings fans to their feet at halftime or post match, Saturday and Sunday nights will reward them with live acts that includes hip-hop star Savage. So the all round activities will make the weekend a great place to be.
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Follow all the results of the Wellington Sevens tournament, with Day One updates January 30th and a full wrap on January 31st. Last Word On Sports coverage brought to you by Jovilisi Waqa and Scott Hornell – we hope it is another fun-filled weekend, with top class Rugby Sevens action and a worthy winner come Sunday night.
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