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“USA rugby is a sleeping giant.” If I had a dollar for every time I have heard something along the lines of that statement I would be a very rich man.
Despite all these claims and the IRB’s best attempts at talking up the game’s growth in the land of the free, the sleeping giant has yet to wake… in fact, it has barely rolled over in its sleep.
Three wins from seven Rugby World Cup tournaments could hardly be described as a roaring success. But hold on to your seats, all that is about to change.
How you may ask… well, let me tell you in one word: Sevens.
Rugby Sevens has been introduced as an Olympic sport with the first gold medals to be handed out in Rio Di Janeiro in a little over three years time. It seems that the allure and reality of a gold medal on offer has yet to fully sink in for the head honchos of the established rugby nations.
Word has it that the NZ Rugby Union has set up an Olympic program and the English, being the English, no doubt have something similar in place.
Little is being heard from the ARU or the AIS and throughout the rest of the traditional rugby playing world, little attention seems to be given to this prospect.
It just doesn’t seem to have registered to the rugby superpowers what an advantage they have – Olympic gold’s are not easy things to come by and 2016 may represent their best chance.
One country where I can guarantee the opportunity of a gold medal will be taken seriously is the grand old US of A. Perhaps not quite in time for Rio 2016 but by 2020 they will be primed and ready to go. It may be crazy but I am throwing it out there and predicting that the USA will dominate Olympic Sevens.
Before you turn your nose up at this crazy comment, consider the following facts. The USA has approximately 9000 college football players in any given year and that is only counting the top division of college teams.
The NFL will draft approximately 250 college players on an annual basis, which leaves 8750 with nothing to do when they finish playing. These discarded athletes would be hungry for an opportunity to continue their athletic excellence and Sevens will be in a perfect position to capitalise on this. What a talent pool!
If you have ever seen college football players you will understand my logic; some of these guys make Jonah Lomu or Bryan Habana look like mere mortals.
Throw into this mix the athletics program that the USA has in place and the potential to use sprinters who can’t quite make the grade (yet can run faster than James O’Connor changes hairstyles), and the USA Sevens team starts looking very scary indeed. If you don’t believe me, then type in Carlin Isles on YouTube and watch in amazement.
How long before the US collegiate system rolls out a Sevens program?
In fact, it won’t only be the USA rolling out Sevens program, it will be a host of other nations – think Jamaica, Russia, Nigeria, China… A case in point is Kenya, absolutely nowhere to be seen on the 15’s stage but now proven performers on the Sevens circuit. Kenya came within a minute of recently winning the Wellington Sevens.
This got me thinking, an Olympic gold is the pinnacle in most sports. In rugby it never will be, however it is a gold medal all the same.
How long before the likes of NZ and Australia, and I am aware this has already been mooted, start combing other sports to put together a dream team for their Olympic Sevens program?
I will leave you with the line ups of a potential Sevens final in Rio 2016:
New Zealand:
1. Benji Marshall
2. SBW
3. Hosea Gear
4. Cory Jane
5. Shaun Johnson
6. Israel Dagg
7. Julian Savea
Australia:
1. Billy Slater
2. Ben Barba
3. Kurtley Beale
4. James O’Connor
5. Greg Inglis
6. Will Genia
7. Karmichael Hunt
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.