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
[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
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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.
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.
