IRB Sevens 2012

[Lee Grant]

It's on TV now (9.25 am)

This is from the SMH - a lot more Oz content

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Ex-volleyball player comes up trumps for Thunderbolts
Georgina Robinson
November 25, 2011 - 11:34PM


GOLD COAST: Australia will play Samoa in the quarter finals of the Gold Coast Sevens tournament on Saturday after an aggressive South African outfit got the better of the young Thunderbolts.

Simple mistakes cost Australia points early on in the final match on day one of the HSBC Sevens World Series opening tournament and the young men in fluoro green failed to physically match their opponents, losing 21-7.

Two earlier victories in the pool stage secured both teams a quarter finals berth but while Australia must prepare to meet Samoa - another highly physical side - the South Africans will take on France, arguably the weakest of the quarter finalists.
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Australian captain Ed Jenkins, who scored three tries overall against Japan and the United States, was not crowing about his personal achievements.

"We probably saved our worst rugby for the most important game which is disappointing," Jenkins said.

"We started off well against Japan, probably built on that against the USA and then didn't improve our performance against the most important side I don't think."

The Springboks dominated the Australians at the breakdown, turning over the ball numerous times.

"They were definitely physical there and they were probably sending in more numbers and we weren't reacting to that," Jenkins said.

Thunderbolts Con Foley and Lewis Holland lost two balls forward in the second half in a performance Jenkins said was peppered with "simple errors".

"I think our catch-pass let us down, our kick out on the full, just stuff that shouldn't be excusable in a game like that," he said.

In the other quarter finals Wales will play Fiji, and England will meet the defending Series champions New Zealand, who looked deadly tonight.

The Australians's loss to South Africa took the shine off two solid earlier outings for the team, which featured eight players on debut.

Pama Fou, a New Zealand-raised former volleyballer who had no interest in rugby two years ago, was the breakout star of Australia's 33-0 win against Japan.

The 21-year-old scored two tries in their opening pool match - not bad for a young man who was left heartbroken two years ago when persistent shoulder problems forced the then-Queensland Academy of Sport athlete to give up his dream of playing volleyball for Australia.

"It took me a fair while to get over the sport but I can't waste these days being a sook about [it], I'm here in an IRB tournament," Fou said.

Jenkins and his deputy Jacob Taylor, two of the squad's most experienced players, scored one try each, as did Danny Routledge.

Jenkins also starred in the Thunderbolts's second pool game against the United States, scoring twice.

The Aussies survived an early scare from the quick and tough Americans to defeat them 22 points to 7.

Fou was played off the bench in the second half and displayed the same speed that impressed against Japan, but also showed he had work to do in defence, allowing American Miles Craigwell to slip past and run the length of the field before Lewis Holland pulled him up just in time.

Greg Jeloudev and Junior Rasolea scored tries but the Taylor failed to convert twice, leading coach Michael O'Connor to declare kicking the Australians's main weakness.

"I'm not very happy [with the kicking]," O'Connor said after the game.

"It's just across the board, it's not something we do well in Australia."

 

[WhoDaresWin]

Thunderbolts?? is that what the team is called??

I thought they would return to the Gold jersey against the Boks but instead wore a hideous blue.

 

[Sully]

To the people not attending because it's on the Gold Coast. You can't be serious! The train station is virtually in the ground. You're visiting a stadium not the city.

BTW I also don't like Sydney or Melbourne but don't post disparaging remarks about them.

 

[Sully]

It's on TV now (9.25 am)


"I'm not very happy [with the kicking]," O'Connor said after the game.

"It's just across the board, it's not something we do well in Australia."

Have to agree Lee kicking across the Australian game is poor. we constantly see kicks for goal and the sideline go astray and general kicks for field position rarely come off due to inaccuracy or a poor chase. I'd go as far as to say that against South Africa the kick that went out on the full after half time cost a chance of winning the game.

 

[Hawko]

Was this on TV? If so, I missed it

Lee, I assume this is a comment on the appallingly bad publicity for the event as G&GR has had a thread up on it for several days.

Here is a competition which will, in five years, be an Olympic event with all the asociated fanfare. So, how does the ARU promote it? It does two things:

1. It does absolutely nothing to promote it so that no one knows that its on and no one goes. The lead up coverage in the SMH has been non-existent. Today's coverage (or yesterdays maybe) was the first time I have seen any media coverage at all. The inevitable result is that no one knows that its on and no one goes. Empty stands to show the world how interested we are in this competition.
2. It treats the team selection as a feeder for Super rugby rather than a competition in its own right. As soon as you show any form in the game you are immediately promoted to a Super squad and some new 18 yo is brought in to replace you. Come the 2016 Olympics we will no doubt bring in the 2016 version of Latham and Turner in the hope that this will help us win!

There is no understanding in the ARU that Sevens is the key to expanding the code across Australia. Sevens should be what we are promoting kids to play when they hit high school right up till U-18's. The big private schools can continue their own little comps and club rugby will still promote the 15 a side game. The best sevens players will no doubt go on to play 15 a side later, probably via club rugby, but we would have a clear point of difference from AFL and NRL with the prospect of going to the Olympics if you are good enough! The game is fast and exciting and very watchable, even lesser games. The sevens comps would explode and so would the player pool.

But who in that moribund organisation would lead that vision? There seem to be three sorts of people running the game - beancounters who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing, ex-players who expect everyone to come through the same paths they did and regional rugby administrators who are there to ensure their region gets the best deal to the exclusion of all else.

So every year Michael O'Connor loses half his squad and has to start over again. By the end of the year they are not half bad and then the best are cherry-picked. He does a magnificent job with no resources but if we continue to operate the way we are we will NEVER challenge New Zealand in any meaningful way and the other big guns will always be a step ahead.

We need to elevate Sevens to something more than a feeder game for Super rugby if we are to grow the game across the nation.

 

[waratahjesus]

@hawko does growing sevens across the land lead to anything?

Sure it sounds good, but we have never struggled for backs, pouring money into a game that is a glorified party trick won't lead to better players and will only alienate the fatties even more.

 

[Slim 293]

To the people not attending because it's on the Gold Coast. You can't be serious! The train station is virtually in the ground. You're visiting a stadium not the city.

BTW I also don't like Sydney or Melbourne but don't post disparaging remarks about them.

Yeah guys...

Name me another major metropolitan centre that has a tittie bar at the airport?

 

[tic]

Drove past before - crowd today looks like it is substantially better than yesterday (although rain clouds threaten). Given the appalling lack of promotion and marketing, I think its a credit to the Gold Coast that as many people have turned up.

If the organizers get their act together next year, this will become a sell-out event very quickly.

 

[Melbourne Terrace]

OK I was there today/tonight. Firstly, my estimate is that late this afternoon the crowd was about 8000 (it seemed to drop away after dark?). Secondly, as a Gold Coast resident, I am stunned that not $1 has been spent on advertising or marketing this game in Brisbane or the Gold Coast. No-one knew this event was on! Only us rusted on tragics were aware of its existence. If this was properly marketed and promoted, the Gold Coast is the perfect location - it supports major events very well and could easily draw 25000-30000 people per day. Lift your game organisers!

Finally, to Melbourne Terrace, kindly leave your bile spewing anti-Gold Coast comments in the drawer. I don't think much of your drab, bleak and ugly town, but am too polite to post my views here...oh wait....

to be honest i don't actually hate gold coast because i used to live there for years, it just seriously arks me when they are given these major events on because Anna Bligh wants to throw cash to justify her stadiums rather than them doing anything to earn it.

 

[Melbourne Terrace]

Re Aussie 7s 'costume' - Lime Green just looks totally gay.
GOLD is the colour of Australian Rugby Union.
Our past experiments of 'gay costumes' under I think Allen Jones didn't work and I was certain we would not go down this road again.
Honestly, who checked their brains at the door when THIS decision was made.

colours that should have been picked before flouro green. Gold, Green, Royal Blue, White, Red (at least thats on the flag)......

 

[AngrySeahorse]

[In regards to the purpose of sevens] Excuse my broken record but....15's is played everywhere but the pathway is crap if you're from outside the major state capitals (at least the ones that have a Super Rugby team). As a result promoting alternative pathways like sevens has to be tried for the good of the game. I'm getting more and more convinced that you actually have to be born & raised outside a city that has a super rugby team to be able to fully comprehend how terrible rugby's pathway is (at least for the blokes). I like 15's more than 7's. I even think 10's is a better option as at least you can have a second row but ultimately if a serious solution isnt found like an ITM or an ARC (even an ARS) for spreading 15's then you have to have an alternative somewhere & it looks like this is it.

I agree with Tic in that the stadium looks fuller so thats a good sign. Commentators just mentioned the crowd is just short of 20,000.

Ma reckons Ed Jenkins has a career in modeling if his Rugby career doesnt take off.

 

[tic]

Posted by melbourne terrace -

"to be honest i don't actually hate gold coast because i used to live there for years, it just seriously arks me when they are given these major events on because Anna Bligh wants to throw cash to justify her stadiums rather than them doing anything to earn it. "


As distinct from the money that the Victorian Government throws around to attract sporting events? They all do it so I don't care. My beef is with the organisers who have failed to advertise or promote the game. This is extraordinary since it is the first time the Gold Coast has hosted.

 

[waratahjesus]

Posted by melbourne terrace -

"to be honest i don't actually hate gold coast because i used to live there for years, it just seriously arks me when they are given these major events on because Anna Bligh wants to throw cash to justify her stadiums rather than them doing anything to earn it. "


As distinct from the money that the Victorian Government throws around to attract sporting events? They all do it so I don't care. My beef is with the organisers who have failed to advertise or promote the game. This is extraordinary since it is the first time the Gold Coast has hosted.

Surely the gold coast, and by proxy QLD government should have been doing the advertising. Is the ARU actually benifitting from it, or have they taken there money from the rights already?

 

[tic]

I agree - the Qld Government/GC City Council should also be spending some $$$ on promotion.

Anyway, better crowds today, so we shall see.

Also JO'N overheard last night to say that he believes Sat/Sun will work better next year.

 

[waratahjesus]

I agree - the Qld Government/GC City Council should also be spending some $$$ on promotion.

Anyway, better crowds today, so we shall see.

Also JO'N overheard last night to say that he believes Sat/Sun will work better next year.

Surely figuring out that sat/sun is better shouldn't be hard should it?

Crowd filling up a bit on tv. Can't help but think holding this in suncorp would have brought more of a party.

 

[Melbourne Terrace]

Posted by melbourne terrace -

"to be honest i don't actually hate gold coast because i used to live there for years, it just seriously arks me when they are given these major events on because Anna Bligh wants to throw cash to justify her stadiums rather than them doing anything to earn it. "


As distinct from the money that the Victorian Government throws around to attract sporting events? They all do it so I don't care. My beef is with the organisers who have failed to advertise or promote the game. This is extraordinary since it is the first time the Gold Coast has hosted.

key difference is that people will actually turn up though. i find it extraordinary that this has not been advertised where it's actually being held though, even here i've seen a number of advertisements in the papers and on tv promoting this. Hopefully next year, they get these issues right like moving to a weekend format and bloody advertise like mad. Apparently it'll be in october as well next year so it might be running of some momentum of the 4 nations

 

[Army_Gav]

key difference is that people will actually turn up though. i find it extraordinary that this has not been advertised where it's actually being held though, even here i've seen a number of advertisements in the papers and on tv promoting this. Hopefully next year, they get these issues right like moving to a weekend format and bloody advertise like mad. Apparently it'll be in october as well next year so it might be running of some momentum of the 4 nations

And not conflicting with the boppers piss up...

 

[flat_eric]

To be fair, as my email is in the ARU database I can tell you they did a fair bit of direct marketing. I also saw a competition listed on Brisbane Times that tied in with the Gold Coast Sevens and Gold Coast tourism. All fairly cheap but possibly quite effective in terms of bang for your advertising dollar. Lets remember this is the inaugural year of the tournament on the coast and it is something to build on.

The crowd looks good today so it's obvious a Saturday/Sunday window would work better in future years.

 

[Army_Gav]

If it wasn't for my insane 2012 travel schedule I'd go up, everypone loves being a toolie.

 

[Melbourne Terrace]

gee that was a flogging, i wish we could get a schedule where these tournaments would be overlapping international dates (pending the irb doing something useful on that issue). thus decent players who aren't selected for the 15's international team could be made available for sevens teams rather than just getting by with the best unaligned 18 year olds who leave the circuit the second they get a contract with a super team.