Aussie 7s - a new journey.

[RugbyReg]

A bit of a rebuilding period for the 7s team with many of their team moving on up.

Australian Rugby Sevens coach Michael O’Connor has today unveiled a new-look 13-man squad which will compete as the Aussie Thunder at the Gold Coast and Noosa Sevens tournaments later this month.

Three Delhi Commonwealth Games silver medallists, Bernard Foley, Ed Jenkins and Shaun Foley, headline the youthful group which will play its first tournament together on the Gold Coast on 13-14 November before heading to Noosa the following weekend (20-21 November).

The domestic tournaments will serve as key preparation ahead of Australia’s assault on the 2010/2011 HSBC Sevens World Series, which swings into action in Dubai on 3-4 December before stops in South Africa, New Zealand, the US, Hong Kong, Australia, England and Scotland.

Australia finished a commendable third overall last season to achieve their best World Series result since 2000/01 and four members of the Games squad - captain Pat McCutcheon, tour bolter Nick Phipps and wingers Lachie Turner and Luke Morahan – were rewarded with selection on the Qantas Wallabies Spring Tour.

O’Connor, who is rebuilding his stable of talent after losing the majority of his top flight squad to Super Rugby, says the timing of back-to-back Sevens tournaments in his home state is perfect.

“In the past we haven’t had the luxury of game time before we’ve launched into the HSBC Sevens World Series,” O’Connor said.

“There’s no substitute for time on the field under proper match conditions.

“In Australia top-level competitions have been pretty scarce but the Gold Coast and Noosa International Sevens tournaments will provide fantastic preparation for us.

“It’s the perfect opportunity for some of these blokes to find their feet in Sevens and with positions up for grabs for the World Series, you can be sure the boys won’t be holding back.”

Australia won the Plate final in Dubai in 2009 and are every chance to improve on that result after being drawn in a favourable pool which could help them stay in the top side of the draw.

In Pool C, Australia will take on South Africa, who they beat to reach the gold medal playoff at the Games, and also battle Scotland and Russia.

A change to the HSBC Sevens World Series calendar in 2011 sees the Hong Kong event in March proceed the Australian leg of the tournament which will be staged at Adelaide Oval on 2-3 April.

Aussie Thunder: Ed Jenkins, Bernard Foley, Shaun Foley, Tevita Kuridrani, Jono Lance, Hamish Angus, John Grant, Dan Yakopo, Michael Hodge, Kyle Godwin, Zack Holmes, Trent Dyer, Greg Jeloudev.

 

[matty_k]

Great idea and all but do they really have to go as Aussie Thunder?

 

[Lee Grant]

And what mascot will they use? The bloke in Hugh Jarse's old avatar?

That's a big turnover from the team that went to Dubai less that a year ago and they will need a bit of time together to learn the ropes. Coleman, B. Foley, Gray, BKH, McCutcheon, Phipps, Quirk, Sefanaia and Sills, Jacob Taylor are all missing and, not counting the Comm. Games ring ins, so are the likes of Gill, Kimani, Stannard, Shipperly, Latinupulu, Stubbs, Parahi and Vanderglas who joined them later.

The plus is that many of the missing players have been promoted into Super squads.

The players who will be missed most of all IMO are Stannard, Vanderglas and Sills. Anybody know the injury status of hybrid Vanderglas and flyer Sills?

 

[TerryTate]

I can see the promotion potential already! Australian 7s Team: "The Thunder from Down Under"

 

[Gagger]

I really think they should have 3 players contracted to the sevens to remain the nucleus of a team.

This must be an impossible task groundhog day for O'Connor

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

It's the role 7s seems to be taking in the Australian Rugby hierachy. It appears to be more of a development than an independent squad contracted to the ARU to specifically compete in the world series. It's a mixed blessing. On one hand it has seen a renewed focus on its importance in developing in particular prospective backs and loose forwards. On the other because of the latter it is guaranteed to continue to have a consistently high turnover of personnel well into the future. Tough job for a coach but I doubt he has been kept in the dark as to its role in Australian Rugby.

 

[Gagger]

What I'm suggesting allows you to do both

 

[TOCC]

I doubt however that there many players who would be happy with purely a 7's contract if a super club were to come knocking,,,

It's nice in theory to have 7's contracted players, but until it starts to pay it's own way, this is not feasible

 

[disco]

I agree with gagger I would like Stannard to be a regular in our team like Gollings is for England & that bald bloke for NZ.

 

[Gagger]

I doubt however that there many players who would be happy with purely a 7's contract if a super club were to come knocking,,,

It's nice in theory to have 7's contracted players, but until it starts to pay it's own way, this is not feasible

New Zealand, South Africa and England all have squads full of them

 

[TOCC]

If thats the case then why did New Zealand have so many ring-ins at the commonwealth games?

Even England players like Ben Gollings only do 7's because he isn't good enough for a 15's contract, he was trialling for a Reds contract a few years ago, this was before the foreign player rule came in though so not sure how that was ever going to work though.

 

[Gagger]

7s and XVs are different games. Some skills and players transfer, others don't - both ways.

Stannard's an outstanding 7s player, and at 27 has only just got a S15 contract, as a backup player. If he could get paid decently to play 7s for Australia, he would. I know because he told me in his interview!

You're right that developing 15s stars won't want to stay in 7s, and that's fine. But when you spot the Stannards, Gollings (highest 7s scorer ever, by a factor of 2) and Serevis, why let them go? England didn't and they've built a whole 7s dynasty around him.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I agree with gagger I would like Stannard to be a regular in our team like Gollings is for England & that bald bloke for NZ.

DJ Forbes

 

[observer]

Am I right in saying there is only one forward in this Thunder team - that being Sydney Uni No 8 Trent Dyer?

 

[Bruce Ross]

Am I right in saying there is only one forward in this Thunder team - that being Sydney Uni No 8 Trent Dyer?

If true, observer - and the other four Sydney Uni players are certainly all backs - you have highlighted the reason why Sevens is such a profoundly uninteresting game for many of us.

 

[Doc]

The Thunder just differentiates between this mob and the real Australian 7s team. They have been doing it for years, sending a 'development' type squad to these private tournaments etc. Sadly, the don't always win.

 

[observer]

I disagree with you about sevens Bruce but there are too many easy pool games in the world sevens that don't hold interest. Can you tell me anything about Sydney Uni No 8 Trent Dyer?

 

[Bruce Ross]

Can you tell me anything about Sydney Uni No 8 Trent Dyer?

Observer, I vividly remember Trent when he first came down from the Central Coast in 2008 to play Colts. I have not seen another player who was so quick between involvements. The nearest thing I have seen to the Eveready Energizer bunny. He was very light framed but with great potential as a backrower.

In January 2009 he went over to train with the Western Force but broke down. Funny how many kids break down training with the franchises, particularly their groins, but in Trent's case a hamstring and syndesmosis of the ankle. As a result he missed almost all of 2009, finishing the year at about 102kg. Also his father had died during the year.

This past season he played mainly Seconds with some First Grade. Currently he would weigh about 96kg at 193cm height. He has a phenomenal vertical jump for his body weight of 80cm and runs a shade over 5 sec for 40 metres.

I suspect he will star in Sevens but has a big future in the serious side of the game.

 

[observer]

Thanks Bruce. He sounds the goods and should be ideally suited to 7's. If he goes well I'm sure the super 15 franchises will be interested again

 

[Lee Grant]

Am I right in saying there is only one forward in this Thunder team - that being Sydney Uni No 8 Trent Dyer?

This is one reason why the Oz Sevens team had problems in the Comm Games especially against England. I don't know a whole lot about 7s but unlike Bruce I am warming to it. Perhaps this is because our results are improving and previously I was sick of players wearing black or green jerseys (add a few more colours in here) touching down over our goal line and grinning at their team mates. Yet I knew that we had better players at home than were on show.

Now, for the first time in decades we are a 7s force. One of the things I have picked up is that there has to be a balance in a 12 man squad and in any of the 7 players on the park at any time. In a 12 you should include two flyers of the Sills type; about 4 forwards of the Vanderglass/Mackay type; 3 steppers of the Kingi type and a quarterback of the Stannard type plus a backup. That's only 11 but I did say 'include'.

You can't just have one forward because possessions are even more precious than in the 80 minute game since there are so few of them. You can lose some of the limited possessions in set pieces and ruck/tackles without real back row forwards, or forgo turnovers from opponents' possessions. Some bigger backs can fill in there but they are just faking it because it's not big part of their normal trade practices.


To digress - I hope that the Olympic initiative of adding 7s to their programme will result in Oz rugby's growing that discipline of the sport. If that happens we will have kids joining rugby union that would otherwise not have. And if that happens there will be the inevitable serendipity of new youngsters loving the 15 man game also.

I think it's win-win.