HSBC Sevens World Series: Fiji Top Opening Rounds

Already the HSBC Sevens World Series has taken us to the Gold Coast in Australia, the Dubai desert in the United Arab Emirates, and now Africa for the third Round of the 2011/2012 competition. Action on and off the field has been highly entertaining with record broadcast figures in the opening month of the exciting World Series.

In Round 1, Fiji recovered from a pool defeat against New Zealand to bounce back with a scintillating display on Day 2, defeating both South Africa and then New Zealand 26-12 to claim the Gold Coast title. It was amazing to see the difference 24 hours can make, with New Zealand looking rampant against Fiji on Day 1, winning 28-5. 

Wales has improved tremendously, winning the Plate 26-12 over Samoa, while Argentina just managed to defeat Scotland 17-14 in the Bowl final. Papua New Guinea stormed to the Shield title thanks to a well worked 31-19 win over Japan. 

The USA Eagles produced their best effort against South Africa in their opening match, losing out to a late score by 17-12. The Eagles then lost to Australia, but defeated Japan 21-0. On Day 2 they were knocked out in the Bowl semi final against Scotland.

The following week In Round 2, it was England who stopped Fiji in the semi finals with two superb tries from Isoa Damu seeing them home by 19-12. Matt Turner was sublime for England in the final, scoring a double, ensuring they claim the Dubai title 29-12 over France. The key was positional changes by England coach Ben Ryan moving Damu to the centers and Turner to scrumhalf. 

This was the first final France featured in since 2005, and looked like one of the most improved teams on the circuit with halfback Terry Bouhraoua bursting onto the scene. 

Australia extracted revenge on South Africa winning the Plate trophy 17-14, with Scotland shutting out the USA Eagles 26-0 in the Bowl final. Samoa – who should be featuring in the Cup rounds - were too strong for Kenya and claimed the Shield title. 

With the new points system in place it is looking very interesting with the top 7 teams all in striking distance. This weekend’s tournament in Port Elizabeth (moving away from George) will be vital for everyone. 

Round 3: Pools – Port Elizabeth, South Africa 

Pool A: England, Argentina, USA, Samoa 

Pool B: France, New Zealand, Scotland, Morocco 

Pool C: South Africa, Australia, Canada, Kenya 

Pool D: Fiji, Wales, Portugal, Zimbabwe 

[Click on each team above to see what items are available from World Rugby Shop!]

Sevens is almost impossible to predict, but I will take a stab in the dark with my favorites for the title. 

Cup Quarters: England vs Wales, South Africa vs France, Fiji vs Samoa, New Zealand vs Australia 

Cup Semis: England vs France, Fiji vs New Zealand 

Cup Final: England vs New Zealand 

Champion: New Zealand 

Catch all the updates on www.irbsevens.com. 

The 2011/2012 HSBC Sevens World Series 

Round 1: Australia – Fiji 26 New Zealand 12 

Round 2: Dubai – England 29 France 12 

Round 3: South Africa – 9/10 December 2011 

Round 4: New Zealand – 3/4 February 2012 

Round 5: USA – 10/12 February 2012 

Round 6: Hong Kong – 23/25 March 2012 

Round 7: Japan – 31 March / 1 April 2012 

Round 8: Scotland – 5/6 May 2012 

Round 9: England – 12/13 May 2012 __________________________________________________________________________________  
Columnist Dallen Stanford played 54 matches for the USA on the IRB World Sevens Series from 2006-2009, including 13 IRB Sevens tournaments and the 2009 Sevens World Cup in Dubai. Stanford was the USA Eagles Team Media Manager for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, and currently works for the Tackling Cancer Foundation and Play Rugby USA.

The start of the 2011/2012 HSBC 7s World Series!

After a super exciting Rugby World Cup, it’s now time to switch to sevens!

The 2011/2012 HSBC Sevens World Series starts this weekend in Queensland, Australia. Adelaide has been replaced by the Gold Coast, with the new venue hoping to attract thousands of fans over Friday 25 & Saturday 26 November. The success of the Sevens Circuit has seen one additional tournament added this year, that being Japan. The format now has three back-to-back tournaments to start the Series, then the usual double headers rounding out the year. 

"This is another massive year for Sevens and by the time this Series ends in London, we'll all be entering the four-year cycle leading to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which is hugely exciting and promises to present a massive opportunity for the entire Rugby family.” - Beth Coalter, IRB Tournament Director. 

Based on last year’s finish, the top 5 teams include New Zealand, South Africa, England, Fiji, and Samoa. The interesting aspect in sevens is that anyone of the top teams can beat each other on any given day. South Africa and England have both named squads without any new-capped players, which bodes well with experience proving key at these major tournaments. Past winners in Australia include: Fiji (2007), South Africa (2008 & 2009), Samoa (2010) and last year, New Zealand. 

Round 1: Pools - Gold Coast, Australia 

Pool A: New Zealand, Fiji, Kenya, Niue 

Pool B: South Africa, Australia, USA, Japan 

Pool C: Samoa, Argentina, France, Papua New Guinea 

Pool D: England, Wales, Scotland, Tonga 

[Click on each team above to see what items are available from World Rugby Shop!]

As always, there will be some massive clashes on day 1 of the tournament, especially the top two seeds in each pool. Then on day 2, pool A collides with pool D, which could see a couple different quarterfinal scenarios: New Zealand take on Wales/Tonga and Fiji taking on England. In the other cross over, South Africa play Samoa, while Australia/USA are up against Argentina. Sliding through into the semi finals, I would guess it to be New Zealand vs. South Africa and England vs. Australia/USA. The finalists: England against South Africa… 

But remember, it’s sevens, so don’t take anyone’s word for it! 

For more information on the HSBC World Sevens Series visit the IRB website.

The 2011/2012 HSBC Sevens World Series 

Round 1: Australia – 25/26 November 2011 

Round 2: Dubai – 2/3 December 2011 

Round 3: South Africa – 9/10 December 2011 

Round 4: New Zealand – 3/4 February 2012 

Round 5: USA – 10/12 February 2012 

Round 6: Hong Kong – 23/25 March 2012 

Round 7: Japan – 31 March / 1 April 2012 

Round 8: Scotland – 5/6 May 2012 

Round 9: England – 12/13 May 2012 

__________________________________________________________________________________

Columnist Dallen Stanford played 54 matches for the USA on the IRB World Sevens Series from 2006-2009, including 13 IRB Sevens tournaments and the 2009 Sevens World Cup in Dubai. Stanford was the USA Eagles Team Media Manager for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, and currently works for the Tackling Cancer Foundation and Play Rugby USA.

World Rugby Shop to Help Christchurch Recovery Efforts with Sales of New Zealand All Blacks Polo

On February 22, 2011, the world was shocked by news of the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake. The timing of the 6.3-magnitude quake could not have come at a worse time. It struck at lunchtime in New Zealand when office buildings were full and streets were packed. As a result, hundreds were injured and the damage was estimated to be in billions of dollars.

With the combined efforts of the iRB, adidas and the New Zealand All Blacks, World Rugby Shop is raising funds for the rebuilding efforts with the sale of the All Blacks 2011 Rugby World Cup Christchurch Relief Polo. 100% of the proceeds will be donated directly to Christchurch Relief via The Red Cross and The American New Zealand Association, Inc. (ANZA), which is an organization that funds educational programs for youth and schools in New Zealand.

Purchasing this polo allows rugby fans around the world to help the people affected by the deadly earthquake and provides a substantial and meaningful way to support one another no matter where they live or where the need is.

Bernard Frei, CEO of World Rugby Shop, said “The Rugby family is a community. New Zealand has been a magnificent contributor to the Rugby family over the years and it is right that we all get involved to do our part to support Christchurch, now. America is a wonderful, giving nation and the level on interest in helping out has been incredible. I’m glad that the iRB, All Blacks, adidas and World Rugby Shop were able to help to get this initiative off the ground. I’d also like to thank our World Rugby Shop customers who have been unflinching in their support of the global rugby community over the years”.

In the past, through similar disaster relief fundraisers, World Rugby Shop has raised funds for Hurricane Katrina victims, Haitian citizens and the people of Chile and Japan, contributing a total of more than $450,000.

If you would like to purchase your All Blacks Rugby World Cup Christchurch Relief Polo, please visit www.WorldRugbyShop.com.

Time for the Hong Kong Sevens!

This weekend sees the 5th leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series – and is the most famous of them all - the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens.

The tournament will feature 24 teams instead of the usual 16, and will be played over three days, taking place Friday March 25th to Sunday March 27th. Due to the increased number of teams the points on offer also increases with the winner of the Hong Kong edition claiming 30 IRB points.

Things are definitely heating up in the Series with both England and New Zealand tried on 80 points. The Kiwis have won two tournaments, and despite England only winning in Dubai, they have been the most consistent team making three appearances in finals. England may have the edge this time round as have always enjoyed the largest fan base inside a sold out Hong Kong Stadium. The team that lifts this weekend’s title will have some serious momentum leading into the final three tournaments.

South Africa stunned both England and Fiji in Las Vegas last month storming to their first win of the season. If the Blitzbokke can get another sparkling performance from playmakers Cecil Africa and Branco Du Preez then they could narrow the gap on the point’s table. Meanwhile Fiji and Samoa are locked on 64 points each, both capable of winning any tournament. However, Samoan coach Stephen Betham has left out his countries all time top try scorer, Mikaele Pesamino. Hopefully that decision won’t come back to haunt his side.

The USA are also due for a big outing, with the return of veteran Todd Clever a major boost for his team. Head coach Al Caravelli has done a superb job with his core group of players and are ready to produce some major upsets. Last year the Americans reached their first ever Cup final at the Adelaide Sevens, and will want to finish within the top 10 teams again this year.

The pools for Hong Kong are:

Pool A: New Zealand, France, Portugal, Korea.

Pool B: England, USA, Japan, China.

Pool C: Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, Mexico.

Pool D: Fiji, Kenya, Russia, Malaysia.

Pool E: South Africa, Wales, Hong Kong, Spain.

Pool F: Australia, Argentina, Canada, Zimbabwe.

[Click on each team above to see what items are available from World Rugby Shop!]

HSBC Sevens World Series Results

Dubai – England 29 Samoa 21

George – New Zealand 22 England 19

Wellington – New Zealand 29 England 14

Las Vegas – South Africa 24 Fiji 14

HSBC Sevens World Series Standings

Team		DUB	RSA	NZL	USA	HKG	AUS	ENG	SCO	Pts
1		ENGLAND	24	20	20	16	0	0	0	0	80
		NEW ZEALAND	16	24	24	16	0	0	0	0	80
3		FIJI	16	16	12	20	0	0	0	0	64
		SAMOA	20	16	16	12	0	0	0	0	64
5		SOUTH AFRICA	12	12	8	24	0	0	0	0	56
6		AUSTRALIA	8	6	16	6	0	0	0	0	36
7		ARGENTINA	4	8	6	6	0	0	0	0	24
8		WALES	6	6	6	0	0	0	0	0	18
9		KENYA	0	0	4	8	0	0	0	0	12
10		SCOTLAND	0	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	8
11		UNITED STATES	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6

For more information on the HSBC World Sevens Series visit the IRB website.

This Saturday, don’t miss the Hong Kong Sevens World Series LIVE @ 9pm PST/Midnight EST on-air and online only on Universal Sports. Use code "HSBC7s" to get 50% off the full series and make sure to "Like" Facebook.com/UniversalSports.

Why You Should Visit Christchurch for Rugby World Cup 2011

As you certainly know, the city of Christchurch, New Zealand was devastated by a 6.3 earthquake on February 22 this year.

On March 15th, the IRB reluctantly decided to move the seven Rugby World Cup 2011 matches scheduled for Stadium Christchurch later this year to other venues in New Zealand.

Although the decision was understandable due to safety concerns and the need for extensive repairs to the stadium, the decision is still heart-breaking for a city that displayed tremendous enthusiasm for hosting the event and, more importantly, was relying on tourism to provide a substantial economic impact on the area.

However, despite matches no longer scheduled for the city, we're calling on Rugby fans around the world to support Christchurch and visit the city anyway this Rugby World Cup.

According to NewZealand.com,

"New Zealand is a country where tourism is the number one contributor to GDP, where the Minister of Tourism is the PM - that is how important tourism is. "This is the travel community saying hey go to NZ - if there is one place that should be on your travel list this year it is NZ," says Dan Roberts of Travel Generation.

"This is something that as the travel community we can do to support not only all the businesses in Christchurch but everyone in New Zealand."

Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism says the earthquake affected just 1% of the South Island and while part of the city's central district remains cordoned off, the wider region continues to welcome visitors.

Popular tourist destinations like Akaroa, Kaikoura, the Mackenzie Country and Hanmer Springs are operating normally. Within Christchurch city, 18 hotels and lodges, 105 motels, 14 holiday parks, six backpackers hostels and 12 B&Bs are open.

Many tourism activities are also operating including the Tranz-Alpine train, Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, the Air Force Museum, Black Cat Cruises as well as hiking, horse trekking, jet boating and other adventure and sightseeing tours.

The Christchurch airport is open and fully operational. Experience the genuine, laid back kiwi spirit in a land is a microcosm of the world.

As we say in Rugby, there is a brotherhood that connects players around the world. How about extending a hand to our brothers in Christchurch this Rugby World Cup and pay a visit to a wonderful city that needs our support in this desperate time?

England aim for 6 Nations title

The Six Nations rugby competition – which features England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy – has produced another exciting year of rivalry.

Thanks to BBC America, there has been some coverage of the tournament in the United States. The network has shown several of the matches live with British hosts Michael Davies and Roger Bennett. The show has also included an American football star guest who has done a fantastic job of decoding the sport for the local audience.

France lead the Six Nations titles with five wins; England have three; Wales have won it twice; with Ireland lifting the trophy once. Currently England are the only team unbeaten and if they can defeat Scotland and Ireland in their remaining fixtures they could take the 2011 edition. England produced a clinical 17-9 victory over last year’s champions France, as well as a narrow 26-19 victory over Wales. Italy almost caused one of the upsets of the tournament against Ireland, but just fell short, going down 13-11 in a thriller. Ireland then played France in another nail biter, almost scoring on fulltime to win the match, but a knock-on gave France a 25-22 victory. Ireland kept up the close finish trend by hanging on to beat Scotland 21-18 in their most recent match.

Only six matches remain until the winner will be crowned on March 19th. Interestingly England last won the competition back in 2003, the same year that they won the Rugby World Cup.

Team	Position		W	on Draw	Lost	For	Against	PD	T F	Points
	1	England	3	3	0	0	102	41	61	11	6
	2	Wales	3	2	0	1	67	48	19	5	4
	3	France	3	2	0	1	68	60	8	5	4
	4	Ireland	3	2	0	1	56	54	2	7	4
	5	Scotland	3	0	0	3	45	79	-34	3	0
	6	Italy	3	0	0	3	40	96	-56	4	0

Six Nations 2011 Results

4 February Wales 19 England 26 (Cardiff)

5 February Italy 11 Ireland 13 (Rome)

5 February France 34 Scotland 21 (Paris)

12 February England 59 Italy 13 (London)

12 February Scotland 6 Wales 24 (Edinburgh)

13 February Ireland 22 France 25 (Dublin)

26 February Italy 16 Wales 24 (Rome)

26 February England 17 France 9 (London)

27 February Scotland 18 Ireland 21 (Edinburgh)

Six Nations 2011 Fixtures

12 March Italy vs. France (Rome)

12 March Wales vs. Ireland (Cardiff)

13 March England vs. Scotland (London)

19 March Scotland vs. Italy (Edinburgh)

19 March Ireland vs. England (Dublin)

19 March France vs. Wales (Paris)

For more information on watching the Six Nations in the USA visit BBC America.

Vegas 7s success in America!

The 2011 Las Vegas 7s was a massive success with a record crowd attendance over the two-day event. The paid attendance for Sunday was 25,032 and 24,877 on Saturday, which puts the total number to well over 50,000 when including the staff that worked the event. This was a 36% increase from last year, making the USA event one of the most popular destinations on the Sevens World Series. The Hong Kong and Wellington tournaments top the list, with the smallest audiences seen at the South African (George) and Australian (Adelaide) legs.

The Las Vegas Invitational (LVI) rugby tournament - which was played from Wednesday to Saturday on the fields outside of Sam Boyd Stadium - hosted over 180 different teams ranging from youth, college, club and international players.

“We did some research, and this was without a doubt the largest rugby tournament in America.” said LVI competition manager Jon Hinkin.

In a change to the usual competition format, the Cup final was played before the Plate, Bowl and Shield finals to tie in with the first live broadcasting of the Sevens World Series on network television across the States, on NBC. This was a major step in creating rugby awareness throughout America – and together with BBC America showing the Six Nations competition – is exciting times in this country.

NFL convert Miles Craigwell – who played on the wing for the USA this weekend – was mentioned on several occasions in the media, which could open the door to plenty more crossover athletes.

The tournament atmosphere was fantastic with thousands of spectators seen in various colorful outfits.

Meanwhile on the field it was South Africa who played brilliant sevens to defeat England 17-10 in a thrilling semi final, following that up with a pulsating 24-14 victory over Fiji in the Cup final. Cecil Africa – who returned from a broken jaw injury - was the player of the tournament for the South Africans. He is the leading point (181) and try scorer (22) so far in this 2010//2011 HSBC Sevens World Series. With this win South Africa gained 24 points and are in fifth place (56) behind leaders England and New Zealand (80), as well as Samoa and Fiji (64). The USA is 11th on 6 points, behind Scotland (8) and Kenya (12). England’s Ben Gollings made history by scoring his 2,500th point on the Series, while Uale Mai played in his 67th tournament for Samoa.

Fiji caused two of the biggest upsets by knocking out last year’s Las Vegas champions Samoa by 17-12. Then in the Cup semi final they defeated the last week’s Wellington Cup winners New Zealand 26-7 in spectacular fashion!

In the other sections, Samoa stormed to the Plate title, defeating Kenya 26-15. Despite the loss the Kenyans were well supported by several thousand wild fans, which bring such a vibrant atmosphere to the Series. To get to the final Kenya knocked out Australia 24-21 on the final play of the game, which of course sent their supporters into a frenzy!

Scotland took down Canada in the Bowl final by 19-14 and received 4 valuable IRB points. They also had a thrilling semi final match, scoring after the hooter sounded, to beat Wales 17-12.

The United States won the Shield title, but there are no IRB points up for grabs in this section of the competition. During pool play the USA lost against eventual winners South Africa (27-5) and Samoa (28-12). Under the stadium lights they bounced back to defeated Japan 24-7 to put them in the Bowl quarterfinals. On Sunday North American neighbors Canada shocked the United States with a 19-15 result, putting them in the Shield section. The home side then beat Uruguay 27-7 in the semi finals and Japan 19-12 in the final.

The next two legs of the HSBC Sevens World Series take place in Hong Kong from March 25-27th and Adelaide (Australia) from 2-3rd April.

For more information on the Sevens World Series visit www.irbsevens.com.

USA Sevens 2011 Fan Videos

Like many stops on the Sevens series, USA Sevens has a great party atmosphere. The fact the event takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada is certainly a big bonus for the revellers. Below are some videos from the event this weekend at Sam Boyd Stadium. Sorry,  we can't provide any photos after-party events...as they say "what happens in Vegas..."

adidas adiZero RS7 Pro SG

adidas has released a new rugby-specific boot, the adiZero RS7 Pro SG. Better yet, the adiZero RS7 Pro boot is the first ever lightweight rugby-specific boot. It combines light weight and great stability to offer the fastest and lightest boot around. This boot will be worn in the 2011 Six Nations by Mike Phillips (Wales), Max Evans (Scotland), Sean Lamont (Scotland), Lee Byrne (Wales), Yohann Huget (France), Morgan Parra (France), and Alberto Sgarbi (Italy).

A Brief History of Canterbury of NZ

In 1904, deep in the Canterbury province of New Zealand, John Lane, Pringle Walker and Alfred Rudkin started making woollen garments. Before long, they were making uniforms for the army during World War I, and such was their reputation for tough, durable kit (uniforms), the legendary New Zealand All Blacks rugby team asked them to produce a rugby kit to play in. The rest, as they say, is history: Canterbury of New Zealand outfitted the New Zealand All Blacks team for over 75 years and is now the largest dedicated rugby brand in the world, partnering the South African, Australian, Irish and Scottish national teams and a host of leading club sides including English Champions London Wasps.In fact, by the early 1970s Canterbury were sup plying kit to so many teams around the world that it’s factories were left with a problem: what to do with the remnants of fabric that were used to make the many different jerseys of these teams? The solution: stitch them together and market them as practice jerseys. With no two jerseys the same, these practice jerseys became hugely popular with players and fans alike and before long became known as the Ugly jersey. Recently imitated by many, the original Ugly jersey has proved the inspiration for the launch of Canterbury’s Off-Field brand: a premium end menswear fashion brand inspired by New Zealand, rugby and of course the Ugly.

Six Nations Rugby 2011 - France vs. Scotland

World Rugby Shop attended the Six Nations match this past weekend between France and Scotland at Stade de France in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis. The reigning Six Nations champion France won the match 34-21 over a feisty Scotland squad. We've included a few photos we took while at the match below. Special thanks to Olivier Samyn of Stade Francais for hosting us.

Youth Conference on the Game

On January 21-23, World Rugby Shop was privileged to sponsor the 2011 Youth Conference on the Game in Carmel, Indiana. The event brings together youth coaches and administrators from around the country to share their experiences, discuss best practices, and provide insight on how together we can all grow the game in the United States.

The Conference Program:

Founder of Play Rugby USA Mark Griffin discusses technique:

Former USA Rugby player and current USA Rugby Specialist Coach, Luke Gross, instructs coaches on contact:

The date and location of the 2012 conference will be decided later this year.