USA could win Gold in Olympic Rugby

The Middlesex 7's back then was a joke even my village under 21 side from Samoa won it one year. Amateur clubs from NZ, Australia, Fiji and South Africa could have won that tournament playing with one hand tie behind their back.

Big New Year Plans for USA 7s Team By Alex Goff USA 7s coach Al Caravelli will be putting together two groups of USA 7s hopefuls as he prepares for the most important tournament of the year in Las Vegas February 13-14. In January he will take a team to the Mar del Plata 7s in Argentina (Jan 5-7). That team will feature several players who are trying to break into the the national team. Caravelli will be taking some of the players who were with the Eagles in Dubai and George, and will add some others who one might describe as developmental. Among them may well be new-to-rugby Trindon Holliday (pictured, right). Holliday ran track and plays football at LSU. He has been touted as the fastest college football player ever, and has a personal best in the 100 meters of 10 seconds flat. He is a running back and wide receiver as well as a return specialist for the Tigers and will finish his college career January 1 in the Capital One Bowl. He is not, however, an NFL prospect because he is only 5-5 and weights only 160 pounds, but that will matter much less in 7s. Caravelli is high on the prospect. Along with the USA, Argentina and South Africa are expected to enter teams in the Mar del Plata International bracket. Following Mar del Plata, the USA team will take a couple of weeks off and then enter the Digicel Suva 7s in Fiji January 21-23. Caravelli will take 15 players to Fiji and play them all in the Suva 7s. After that the team will remain in Fiji training with the Fijian national 7s team before moving on to the IRB 7s event in Wellington, NZ. Oddly, the plan to hold a camp in Fiji will actually save the team money, as accomodations and other facilities will be cheaper in Fiji than in the USA. After the Fiji camp Caravelli will trim the squsd down to 12 for Wellington and Las Vegas. http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/usa-men-7s/big-new-year-plans-for-usa-7s-team.aspx

Winning all these 7's events means nothing, they are all Neville Nobodies and none of them will ever get picked for an Olympic side unless they come from backwater Union playing nations like Kenya. Get real for goodness sake. You guys seem to think the Aussie side that get's its backside handed to it by the likes of Kenya will stick with the same mob, they won't, they'll pick the best and the best currently do not play Union 7's, they are playing 15's. And rugbyfuture, you said: "sevens although faster , still has competition at the breakdown, and 3 forwards, this may be a hindrance to your statement" Now that was another shot at Rugby League, you can't help it can you. But I'll move past it and show you how wrong you are, again, as usual :) http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/bulls-win-may-herald-sevens-expansion-era-640320.html "Bulls' win may herald sevens expansion era" The steaming dark piles that Bradford Bulls had left lying dotted about on the Twickenham turf (which later turned out to be beaten finalists Wasps) were given a more authentic whiff when Charles Hogbin, the chairman of the Middlesex Charity Sevens, made an ambitious statement which will sound a lot like bull manure to many in the game. After announcing that the best part of 26,000 people – more than had watched the international "star-studded" jamboree at the same venue in May – had watched the 77th Middlesex sevens, Hogbin suggested that such interest in the abbreviated form of the game could be the start of something much bigger. "We could be seeing the beginnings of a professional sevens circus," said the ebullient chairman. He felt there were enough sevens specialists to provide the personnel and foresaw a possible merger of local tournaments such as this one with the international circuit so recently harnessed by the International Board. They might need a few more stars from the Premiership for that to happen, though. But Robbie Paul, the victorious captain, would play more sevens. The Bulls would love to defend their crown next year and their determination to take part this year cannot be doubted. After suffering the ignominy of their first defeat in heaven knows how long in rugby league's Super League at the hands of their rivals St Helens the night before, Paul and Co hung around Odsal Stadium waiting for their coach to take them south and to Union's HQ. Unfortunately, the coach had broken down. But rather than disappoint families, friends and fans they opted to wait for a replacement coach which eventually arrived at 1.30am. "I got into bed at around five o'clock," said Paul. "It was not the greatest preparation. In fact, everything seemed to be stacked against us. But once we got the first game out of the way, when our defence was shocking, we relaxed." They certainly kept their heads throughout the tournament, so much so that by the time they had disposed of Leeds, Gloucester (featuring Henry Paul, Robbie's brother) and a British Army squad comprising Fijian sevens specialists, they were well primed for whatever Wasps had to throw at them, which turned out to be little. That explains why, after being thrashed, the exhausted London outfit dropped to their knees on the hottest day of the year so far and thus resembled the afore-mentioned steaming dark piles littering Twickenham's turf. .................................................................................................................................................................................................... Seems like the Bradford Bulls had no problem in Union 7's and after playing St Helens the night before in a real game, and having their bus break down and having to wait around getting hardly any sleep, they managed Unions "competition at the breakdown, and 3 forwards" with no problem at all. Did I mention that most of the team had probably never played union before let alone Union 7's? Seem to have done ok don't you think, I wonder why they were never invited back to defend their title? :)

New Zealand has dominated the sevens series, but that is a winner over a large number of tournaments. Simply, the Sevens Series winners are the most consistent - which in most cases is NZ. However one off tournaments like the Sevens World Cup are a different story - there are a large number of potential winners. All it takes is one bad 14 minutes and bang - the favourite is out. For example the winners of the World Cup have been England, Fiji (twice), New Zealand and Wales. Australia, Argentina and South Africa have also made the finals. Hardly one sided.

Norm If you hadn't noticed I actually didn't bother answering either of your questions. As no matter what I would have said would have fallen on deaf ears. However, I will give it a go now. In terms of 'sour grapes'. Would you make similar comments if it were Rugby League 7s in the Olympics. I seriously doubt you would. In fact I'd wager you'd be of the complete opposite of your current opinion and if NZ did win you'd praise it as a great success for the League world. But because it is Rugby you deride comments like " .-”the main reason sevens was allowed was because of its equality in terms of all nations skills and ability to win gold”… with a cynical comment like " a myth". Hence the sour grapes. As for NZ winning the first two legs of the World Series. Good on them. But that doesn't ensure victory in 2016. Far from it. I have watched footage of both the Dubai and George 7s and its clear that overall the competition is very even with many of the lesser side improving greatly from last season and even from the first leg. NZ have actually had to work very hard to win. There are no guarantee's and the Gold in Rio is far from a sure thing.

one glaring point that is being overlooked here is the coach... Titch is the reason behind NZs success. The guy can see talent and he surely knows how to mould it into a team. if he were gone then NZ would not dominate the sevens anywhere near current (and past) levels. titch is a class act.

That's true, but it already happens on the current sevens circuit. It just flies under the radar.

so far you've proved nothing.

True that OJ, yet 'Olympic Gold Medalist' is very nice to have on ones resume lol. Especially if your selling yourself as a professional rugby player to a club and haven't yet broken onto the international level.

good point, but im not here to prove which team is better, im here to prove that union is better and more sustainable thean league

I'd like someone to write an honest article about how winning a Gold medal in Rugby Sevens isn't going to mean diddly squat

Guess you haven't been following the first two rounds of the sevens.

A poor attempt on the first question and you completely ignored the second.

Norm How did I come to the conclusion of 'sour grapes'. Are you really asking that question?. As for my 'deducible' ( a word normally associated with mathematics not law) skills. Well here's the thing. They aren't overly important as a solicitor. It your knowledge of the legal system and how best to present those matter in a clear and concise manner. At least that's what one of my former bosses told myself back when I was at High School. And he was a former Magistrate. Maybe your confusing a solicitor with a police officer. Their 'deductible' skills are far more important in their jobs.

I am from Fiji leaving in America and NFL players from college can all make it in sevens rugby but the skills in sevens is something you have to archieve in years which still time for American to archieve until 2016. The Fijian are not only fast but very skillfull. America needs to compete higher level sevens apart from the IRB sevens. Fiji is one country that have sevens series competition and so many teams that are very competitive in this series. If a country is allowed to fill more than one team Fiji can rule all of it. America can take teams and sent them to Fiji to compete in there local series.

katzilla The post above was my 3rd attempt at posting. In my 1st attempt I did concede there early dominance. But in recent seasons the field has caught up quite significantly. So much so that they are no longer a all conquering dominant force. They are won of the more fancied contenders who are always in the business but the victory isn't assured.

sevens although faster , still has competition at the breakdown, and 3 forwards, this may be a hindrance to your statement

NZ right now

Exactly Matt, Its hard to run fast when being driven into the dirt. Physical attributes provide a decent baseline but without those natural instincts or even trained instincts honed from years of running with a ball from a young age it amounts to not much at all. Thats why so many journeymen make a living playing sports, not blessed with the natural skill levels of the elite yet they live and breathe their sport from a young age and use instincts and cunning to get a leg up over more physically gifted sportsmen. You could find a thousand Jonahs all over the world, 120kgs and runs the 100m sub 11 secs, yet none of them will amount to what Jonah was because he lived rugby from a young age and had the instincts to know when to step, pass or steamroll. And the skill level to execute those skills with ease. He usually chose the last option but the others were in his repertoire. Looking at NFL players changing over to rugby 7s i'd say they have baseline attributes by the bucketload, but it would take years to train alot of the skills that we take for granted in our own sports - e.g - How to draw and pass whilst running at full speed - If you think about it its not an easy skill to master and all but one player on an NFL field would never think of passing the ball once it was in their hands.

Just a new angle on this debate and based on this article about America winning Olympic 7's gold I believe the Australian Olympic commitee, the ARU should let NRL players be eligible for the Australian Olympic 7's team. Players like Israel Folau, Jared Hayne, Greg Ingles and Billy Slater have the physical attributes and the skill set and "probably" are the best in their positions in both codes of rugby in Australia could easily make the transition to sevens.