HSBC Sevens World Series 2014/15 - Round 3

[Hugh Jarse]

Judging by the stats, the difference must have been the amount of kicking the Aus boys did. Lost balls etc were otherwise even.

Yup. Some kicks that the Wallabies would be proud of handed easy possession to the Saffers.

It is early in the season 3/9 rounds completed but the Thunderbolts are competitive. We seem to be missing a Cheetah and an Enforcer.

 

[mxyzptlk]

Septic Tanks - Yanks.

And speaking of the Yanks, anything happening to Perry Baker over this?

We don't do rhyming slang as well in the States. We try, but... I was thinking it was something to do with tanking, but the sevens team hasn't been playing that bad.

As far as I know nothing happened to Baker for the kick. I didn't see the entire incident, but it seemed like the person interfered with/tackled/ran into Baker, that's why/how the person ended up on the ground, and Baker followed up with the thumps. It seemed to endear him to the overall crowd, though -- he was getting cheers during the interview after the Fiji game. Plus he tweeted out an apology to his "greatest fan."

EDIT: Yep, it seems this guy tackled Baker, and then Baker took matters into his own boots hands. Also seems the SARU apologized to Baker; word is the pitch invader was high on something, and was growling when he tried to take Baker out and when Baker followed up. By that point it would appear to be a case of self-defense, but what we saw on TV was mainly Baker putting the boot into the guy. Ugly scene resulting from lax security.

 

[Omar Comin']

That US team will be deadly in a couple of years if both Isles and Baker stick around and further develop their rugby nous. Their speed is just ridiculous. If you could have them on at the same time without creating too big a weakness in defence or at the ruck then they'd cut teams to shreds.

If they make the Olympics and Mike Friday stays on as coach then I think they'll be gold medal contenders by Rio. For Sevens to remain an Olympic sport it needs to be a hit at Rio, and I think a strong US team would help that.

 

[Quick Hands]

That US team will be deadly in a couple of years if both Isles and Baker stick around and further develop their rugby nous. Their speed is just ridiculous. If you could have them on at the same time without creating too big a weakness in defence or at the ruck then they'd cut teams to shreds.

If they make the Olympics and Mike Friday stays on as coach then I think they'll be gold medal contenders by Rio. For Sevens to remain an Olympic sport it needs to be a hit at Rio, and I think a strong US team would help that.

Being a hit in the US would help as well.

 

[Omar Comin']

Being a hit in the US would help as well.

Well hopefully in quite a lot of places! I think it will be great at the Olympics, just as it has been at the Commonwealth Games. It's clearly a better spectator sport than most Olympic events and I'd be surprised if it isn't popular. Even in places where rugby has little presence. The Olympics is all about watching sports you never watch at other times. If I can be absorbed by Olympic Volleyball then I'm sure the rest of the world will get a kick out of 7's rugby for 2 or 3 days every 4 years.

Here's hoping for an Australia vs USA mens gold medal match with Israel Folau scoring the match winner in the dying seconds. Shortly after New Zealand miss out on the bronze to Fiji - the islanders winning the first ever Olympic medal for their country.

 

[Quick Hands]

Well hopefully in quite a lot of places! I think it will be great at the Olympics, just as it has been at the Commonwealth Games. It's clearly a better spectator sport than most Olympic events and I'd be surprised if it isn't popular. Even in places where rugby has little presence. The Olympics is all about watching sports you never watch at other times. If I can be absorbed by Olympic Volleyball then I'm sure the rest of the world will get a kick out of 7's rugby for 2 or 3 days every 4 years.

Here's hoping for an Australia vs USA mens gold medal match with Israel Folau scoring the match winner in the dying seconds. Shortly after New Zealand miss out on the bronze to Fiji - the islanders winning the first ever Olympic medal for their country.

Despite the naysaying of certain traditionalists, 7s rugby is interesting to watch and very easy for the non-rugby person to understand and thus enjoy.

I can't wait to see it on the Olympic stage and IMHO, rugby should be making every post a winner with 7s as a vehicle for spreading the game. Olympic status is a big deal, which is why I have grave reservations about putting any time and resources into rugby 10s.

 

[Braveheart81]

For Sevens to remain an Olympic sport it needs to be a hit at Rio, and I think a strong US team would help that.

I think Sevens will go well at the Olympics and I certainly can't see it in any danger of a short lived period in the Olympics.

The Summer Olympics is moving more towards introducing a more diverse range of sports, so an event like Rugby 7s where it is a stand alone sport, a team event, and has a gold medal for mens and womens ticks all the boxes.

They're looking at ditching up to five events from athletics (probably 10,000m, 200m, shot put, one of the mens race walks and triple jump) and something similar from swimming (reducing multiple distances for some strokes) in the future to be able to include more sports.

 

[Omar Comin']

My understanding is that it's locked in for Tokyo but after that there's no guarantees, and they'll actually decide its fate before Tokyo. So in that sense rugby has got one shot at it to make sure it sticks around.

Wouldn't support the removal of the 200m and 10k. Don't care about the others. If athletics and swimming races are being targeted then I imagine certain cycling, rowing, sailing and gymnastics events might also face the chop.

Personally I'd get rid of sports like soccer and tennis where the Olympics is not even close to being the pinnacle of the sport. Olympic golf will be strange for the same reason.

 

[Braveheart81]

Wouldn't support the removal of the 200m and 10k. Don't care about the others. If athletics and swimming races are being targeted then I imagine certain cycling, sailing and gymnastics events might also face the chop.

The 10k will be the first athletics event to go because it isn't raced regularly (only really at the World Champs). Their opinion of the 200m is that even though it is a blue ribbon event for the crowd, 100m and 400m covers the sprinting and generally one of those winners wins it.

I think cycling lost a couple of gold medals a while ago but they've done well to diversify by dropping track events and bringing in mountain biking in the 90s and BMX in 2008 (I think).

I agree with you that sailing and gymnastics could lose events as well.

Even though it will hurt Australia's medal tally, losing swimming events is a great idea. It's ridiculous that a swimmer can win so many medals at the same games and realistically, it's a sport that is only dominated by a few countries. Half the world don't have swimming pools.

 

[wamberal]

As a former shot putter, I would be sad to see this event, or the triple jump, left out.

Training as a shot putter would be great for any aspiring tight forward, actually.


If the sport is abolished, we should look at poaching some young shot putters!

 

[Braveheart81]

As a former shot putter, I would be sad to see this event, or the triple jump, left out.

Training as a shot putter would be great for any aspiring tight forward, actually.


If the sport is abolished, we should look at poaching some young shot putters!

The rationale I heard for shot put was that it doesn't really capture the crowd. There'd still be discuss and hammer throw as strength events which are more exciting.

Shot put would still continue to exist in the Olympics as part of the decathlon and heptathlon (although obviously not for the same competitors).

Ryan Cross' older brother Clay was Australia's number 1 shot putter for a while.

 

[wamberal]

Ryan was also a pretty good shot-putter at High School.

 

[Quick Hands]

As a former shot putter, I would be sad to see this event, or the triple jump, left out.

Training as a shot putter would be great for any aspiring tight forward, actually.


If the sport is abolished, we should look at poaching some young shot putters!

Slightly off-topic, but this is yet another example of the IOC losing its soul in search of the dollar. Events steeped in tradition and athletic purity swept away for things such as BMX bikes.

 

[Brumby Runner]

The rationale I heard for shot put was that it doesn't really capture the crowd. There'd still be discuss and hammer throw as strength events which are more exciting.

Hey BH how much to you need to be able to talk about to compete in the discuss?