Rugby sevens, the abbreviated form of rugby union, is seeking to ride the wave of popularity in the sport generated by the highly successful World Cup in France.
The three-day season-opening Dubai leg of the World Series sevens circuit run by world rugby's governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB), attracted 32,000 spectators a day, but importantly offered a showcase for many future international stars.
The recently-concluded World Cup featured 175 players who gained experience on the sevens circuit and no less than 10 of the 20 teams were captained by players who graduated from the shortened form of the game.
Agustin Pichot (Argentina), Morgan Williams (Canada), Vasco Uva (Portugal), Semo Sititi (Samoa), Gareth Thomas (Wales) and Mike Hercus (US) were all the full-time captains of their teams.
And at one stage or another over the course of the tournament, four others -- Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (France), Irakli Abuseridze (Georgia), Felipe Contepomi (Argentina) and Corne Powell (Namibia) -- also took over captaincy duties.
Given that front-five forwards are not suited to the pace and skill-set levels of sevens, the figure of RWC players with sevens experience equates to almost 50 percent of the players in the competition.
Outstanding former sevens players who starred in France also include Argentina's play-making duo Felipe Contepomi and Juan Martin Hernandez, whose sublime passing and kicking skills were honed on the IRB Sevens circuit.
Veteran New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens, whose side won last weekend's Dubai tournament -- beating Fiji 31-21 in the final -- has unearthed a string of players who have starred in the 15-a-side game, notably Christian Cullen, Jonah Lomu and Joe Rokocoko.
Along with Rokocoko, former sevens stars Nick Evans, Chris Masoe, Rodney So'oialo and Isaia Toeava all appeared for the All Blacks at the World Cup.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946