Ahead of the Singha Premiership Rugby Sevens Harlequins Back Row Luke Wallace took the time to speak to Last Word on Sports
Luke with the final at the Stoop does that offer more motivation to get to the finals and win in front of your own fans?
Yeah definitely, we have had the final at the Stoop a couple of times now and we haven’t managed to win it. The couple of years that I have played we have managed to get close but never managed to win the finals. So that will be a big driving factor this year definitely.
How does prepare for a sevens tournament compare to the preparation you make for the fifteens season?
As a game sevens is different obviously, there is a big focus on fitness probably, it’s pretty much constant running for the seven minutes of each half. It’s a really good preparation for fifteens, preparing that base fitness level that you probably wouldn’t get any other way.
Which format do you prefer, sevens or fifteens?
I prefer fifteens, sevens is too much hard work.
You face Saracens, Wasps and Northampton in the pool, as you did last year, who is the biggest threat?
To be honest it depends on the teams that get put out, each one of those teams could put out exceptionally good sevens teams, I guess it will come down to whose fit on the day and who can put out the best squad.
You were captain when Harlequins won the LV Cup in 2013 an obvious career highlight, what would it mean to win the Singha Sevens in front of your own fans at the Stoop
It will be very different, The LV Cup obviously has the added bonus that it was a route into Europe at the time and had a bit more riding on it in terms of that. But to win in front of the fans to repay them for supporting us last season even though it wasn’t going too well, and it would be a great way to start our season, starting on a high.
How has experience as captain changed your approach to the game?
It has made me really think about speaking on the pitch more, just the small things, keeping people going, if you see someone tiring keeping them going throughout the game and I guess giving a running commentary on it. It’s not so much the big decisions, that only happens when you are captain, it’s what you can bring when you are not captain.
What are your personal goals for the season?
To start with to force myself into the starting back row, everyone’s fit we have Matt Luamanu who has just joined who is obviously a totally different player to what we’ve got, he’s huge and a very powerful guy, It’s a talented group we’ve got and it’s hard to get a starting spot, but that’s my goal. And Then I want our back row to be seen as the best unit in the Premiership that’s a big one for me I guess.
Thank you Luke for your time and good luck at the Singha Premiership Sevens
Player profile
Luke Wallace
Position: Back Row
D.O.B: 02/10/90
Height: 1.85M
Weight: 102KG
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