Rugby at the Olympics - Petition

[cheezel]

Didn't they put Giteau, Lote, Fava and a QLDer (whom I can't remember, maybe Latho??) in the Commonwealth games a few years back with fairly poor results. Not only did Fava get knocked out by a large Fijian but the team didn't seem to gel as well as other teams without the marquee players.

 

[RugbyReg]

correct. Our lads were injured/tired, it was mid-S12 season. 7s fitness is a lot different to 15s stuff.

I reckon the Olympics are generally around Sept each year right? Perhaps a bit earlier? So availability may be an issue. But you can bet if it is in the Olympics, then the stars do want to play, then the ARU will want to win. And I would imagine they would state that any player who wants to go to the Olympics needs to attend a 7s camp and attend at least two lead up tournaments. Which they could do over the November-Jan season.

 

[Scotty]

Not sure if they would make them do the previous competitions, but you might find that they organise some games as warm up. Pretty sure the Olympics is usually August, so it would play with the 3N a bit, but by then that would be running later in the year anyway (I think?).

We didn't go well at the Commonwealth games, but I think the players had all of about 1 week in training. Latho and Gits were probably two of the better performed players, but they are a bit more instinctive than most XV counterparts. Latho also managed to pick up an injury (rib?) which had him out for around 4 weeks (I think).

 

[Scarfman]

Lote was terrific at 7s. Loved the space.

 

[Gagger]

I'm for it, better than watching fucking handball, waterpolo and dressage until your eyes bleed.

However, I wouldn't get pumped about marquee players like gits etc playing. Commitments/contracts will fuck that.

Which means it'll be the usual specialists with a few second tier / over the hill names chucked in, which means we'll continue to get shown up as pathetic clowns in this format, losing to Morocco or fucking Portugal. I'm sure it'll be a good piss junket though for the Ella brothers, O'Connor or some other good ol' boys to 'coach'

And by the way, if you hadn't noticed the Poms are pretty tasty at 7s, currently 3rd behind the saffas & fiji, and throwing in the odd taff will only make them stronger. We rank behind Kenya and Somoa.

 

[barbarian]

Well, the petition seems to have worked.

Rugby and golf set for 2016 Olympics

Rugby Sevens and golf virtually secured their spots as the two new sports for the 2016 Olympic Games when the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Executive Board voted in their favour in Berlin.

The decision, taken by secret ballot, is not binding as it has to be rubber-stamped by the entire IOC membership in a vote in Copenhagen in October - if successful it would take the amount of sports to 28.

For the five sports who lost out there is no hope of continuing their fight as IOC president Jacques Rogge has said they cannot come to the vote as an alternative option should one of the recommended sports be voted down.

Rugby had always been the front runner.

After failing in their previous bid to get into the 2012 Games the sport's powerbrokers mounted an aggressive and effective campaign, with International Rugby Board (IRB) president Bernard Lapasset making it the priority of his first term of office.

His intention was to make it a truly global sport, 'reaching out' as he termed it, and as IRB chief executive Mike Miller pointed out the Sevens format is ideal for television as it is 'fast and furious' and also has the habit of producing upsets.

Golf had attracted a certain amount of scepticism even from golf lovers, in that it was too elitist and also several members hardly espouse the IOC value of sexual equality as they belong to male-only golf clubs.

Also as Australian golfer Geoff Ogilvy declared at one point 'we are not members of a team we are individuals and we decide where we play'.

2016 is also a Ryder Cup year.

Several potential Olympic contenders who may be on the cusp of qualifying for either the American or European teams could well prefer to play in another tournament so they can garner enough points to make their respective Ryder Cup teams.

Softball produced a very passionate campaign led by their Korean War veteran, president Don Porter, who had been stunned when they were voted out of the Games in Singapore in 2005.

Indeed in a poll in the extremely influential Olympic publication 'Sports Intern' they topped the poll of IOC members, experts and specialist journalists - golf was fifth.

However, in the end that meant little as Rogge once again showed he is without doubt the master of the IOC - having initially begun his regime looking a bit shaky - and his will prevailed.

Great decision for world rugby, regardless of the nitty gritty details of the tournament itself.

 

[Moses]

I wouldn't get pumped about marquee players like gits etc playing.

He'll be 34 in 2016..

 

[Scotty]

While I love playing golf, and do it as often as possible having it in the Olympics is a bit of a joke.

 

[Moses]

While I love playing golf, and do it as often as possible having it in the Olympics is a bit of a joke.

I wonder who counts as an amateur golfer, those who make under $20 million a year?

 

[cyclopath]

I was against rugby getting in, to the dismay of the original poster, but good luck to it. As I said, happy to be proved wrong about it being a good idea.
Golf on the other hand? Farkin' ridiculous. I don't care how many countries in the world have a golf course, there is no way it is a sport that needs Olympic recognition - they have their 4 majors, they have World Matchplay Champs (2 sometimes). Unless they make it a "fun" event like a 4 man Ambrose. That'd be a hoot!
Oh, and I love golf too and play far too much.

 

[Scotty]

IMO any sport that does not have its pinnacle as the Olympics should not be in the Olympics. So that rules out tennis, golf and football.

 

[Thomond78]

Side effect; given that Wales, NI, Scotland and England are all at the Olympics for GB, it means that sevens will have to be dropped as binding you for internationals; NI is part of Ireland for rugby, but can't be for Olympic sevens.

Come on down to the Irish 10 jersey, Paul Warwick! :yay :yay :yay

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Was chatting to no3 son about this last night and we both expressed the concern that the old wood would come out and want to a part of Olympic glory.
We both looked at who shuld play and it soon became apparent that the Olympic team should as far as possible be our best 7's team possible, and thatof course means that out much heralded test players might not and should not get a lookin if other players are more adept at the 7 man version.
I shudder to think that the big timber and tree trunks being putout there just to give them a 'thank you' by the ARU.
&'s is not test rugby - it is a very good upbringing for some players for test rugby though but needs very mobile, fit and FAST players, hence the propensity for open flankers, 9's, 10's, and the other 'aceptable outside backs.
I would prefer a lachie Turner any day to a Tuquiri in the 7's and I see no room for say Elsom.
I just hope they do it right for the game instead of the players this time as I am all sure we remember what happened in the Commonwealth Games of recent past.
.

 

[Scotty]

I would have thought Elsom would be very good at 7s rugby. In fact he is the only of the current Wallaby forwards that I think would be able to slot into a 7s team.

It all depends on how much time they have together to prepare. If it is a token 7 days before the comp starts, then that is never going to be successful, but if they have a good length prep with several warm up comps then I am happy for the some of the XV side to be included if they have the skills. Maybe the ARU should organise a post S15 state 7s championship, and anyone who wants to be involved in the Olympic team has to take part in the comp which will then act as a trial?

There are certainly some players in the XV team that would add to our push for an Olympic medal in 7s.

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Do you really think Rocky is fast enough for 7's. To mine a 7's player is more an open sider, maybe an 8 but maybe not but the pace of the game actually demands a fair lick of speed as well as short term speed endurance - the ability to do 20-50 sprints over and over again until your balls fall off.
Rocky is a great brlinsider but I don't know if he will make 7's a success.

 

[Cutter]

Rocky is too slow for 7s I reckon.

I'm with Cyclo. I'm against its inclusion. I dont like the Olympics because I think it is a terribly corrupt organisation. The Olympic ideals are sold down the river in the appointment of officials and the selection of host countries. I'm also against the enormous amounts of government funding given to sport. There are plenty of better things to be doing with that money than promoting Australia's success against other nations every 4 years. Our priorities are seriously wrong.

IMO any sport that does not have its pinnacle as the Olympics should not be in the Olympics. So that rules out tennis, golf and football.

Scotty I think you supported it but this suggests it shouldnt be there unless you are differentiating between 7s and 15s.

 

[Scotty]

Yeah, I am differentiating between the two. An Olympic gold medal would be the pinnacle for 7s, but obviously not for 15s.

I would have thought that Rocky was very close to our fastest forwards, and certainly quicker than Smith, Pocock and Waugh?

 

[fatprop]

Do you really think Rocky is fast enough for 7's. To mine a 7's player is more an open sider, maybe an 8 but maybe not but the pace of the game actually demands a fair lick of speed as well as short term speed endurance - the ability to do 20-50 sprints over and over again until your balls fall off.
Rocky is a great brlinsider but I don't know if he will make 7's a success.

The fastest at the Tahs is Mumm apparently.

I remember Link talking on Tah Talk about the squad members sent to 7s and how it affects their 15s.

They need specialists for 7s these days, even the fitness training is different in that they work towards a lower body fat and higher aerobic fitness.

 

[Moses]

How about Hoiles as a 7's specialist...

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Chappies - are we not talking 2016 Olympic games.
geez - any reasonable 15 man player trotting around at the moment is surely to be on the wrong side of speed and speed endurance fitness come 2016 - Elsom will have retired long before that.
perhaps we should be trolling the current crop of 15/16/Schoolboy players as they are the ones most likely to be there fit enough in 2016.