Rugby League take on 7's

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

a remarkably bad article by someone who clearly has no understanding of 7's rugby.

http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-leag...-australias-olympic-cause-20120813-244z0.html

1) while pyke was a pretty good 7's player - he can't play for australia and hasn't played rugby in 4 years.
2) I don't think bringing in full time professional 15's or league players across the board is a good idea. there might be the odd exception - oconnor and beale would be quality players in the abbreviated game
3) there is probably zero chance of leage 9's making it into the commonwealth games. the commonwealth games will maintain 7's in it which is played by a solid 12+ commonwealth nations to a pretty high standard.

 

[Swat]

He clearly underestimates the ball skill disparity between the codes.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

A mungoballer dreaming.

Fivekick is played seriously in two States of Australia, 1 city in NZ, and in a 40mile wide band of Northern Pomgolia. Nowhere else. No one is interested.

International credibility is Zero (kelvin).

It only exists due to massive subsidisation from Ch Nein, News Limited, and australia's compulsive poker machine gamblers.

Rugby 7's is becoming more and more a specialist game, with 7's superstars being 15 aside journeymen. I suspect that a team of 15's superstars playing 7's would be made to look pretty ordinary by the Fiji National 7's team. 10 years ago this was not the case.

 

[Iluvmyfooty]

What a joke - the mungos have a shit international competition so they try and jump onto the 7's bandwagon. Also I can't see the NRL clubs releasing their best players for a considerable lump of time required to prepare, travel and play in the Games. As we all know they consider their game to be the epitome of all things sport in Oz

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

just watched a youtube clip of 9's.
its worse than regular league because its meant to be a faster more flowing version and it isn't!

they still have the kick rules, they still don't contest the breakdown. booorree off, mungoes!

 

[Bruwheresmycar]

Ben Barba, Digby Ioane, Jarryd Hayne, Greg Inglis, James O'Connor, Kurtley Beale, Quade Cooper, Karmichael Hunt, Cameron Smith, David Pocock, Tony Williams, James Tamou, Tariq Sims.
That is the type of Sevens squad Australia should select if the country is serious about wanting to win more gold medals at the next Olympic Games. Sevens will make its Olympics debut at the 2016 Games in Rio but as things stand the team will be chosen exclusively from Australian Rugby Union-contracted players only.

Holy F#ck, he doesn't have a bloody clue.

Most Wallabies players will struggle to get into the 7's side. It is a totally different game now. We can only afford to bring in 4 or 5 guys so we don't completely f*ck up the squad's structure.

If he seriously thinks Karmichael Hunt can just walk into the Australian 7's squad he is on drugs. And I'm a big fan of T-Rex, but he would be the worst 7's player in that list. (work rate not good enough).

Oh well, I suppose it's not something to get worked up over. Who are we to expect well researched rugby journalism in this country?

 

[Braveheart81]

I definitely think our Olympic 7s side needs some of our best Wallabies in it.

I fail to see how with a little bit of training players like Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor won't excel.

7s is a specialist game but at the end of the day it is about ball movement and creating overlaps and gaps in the defence. Defensively it is about making one on one tackles without fail.

If you put KB (Kurtley Beale) or JOC (James O'Connor) one on one with any current 7s squad members, I think they'd beat their opponent far more often than their opponent would beat them.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Could they keep up the necessary intensity needed for the full 14 minutes of a 7's game?

No opportunities to bludge off behind the piggies in 7's.

 

[Braveheart81]

You definitely need a high level of fitness for 7s.

I think both those guys would be right for it, particularly JOC (James O'Connor) at full fitness.

If they know they're going to be part of the 7s program for the Olympics, they'd surely work on their aerobic fitness.

 

[Bruwheresmycar]

If you put KB (Kurtley Beale) or JOC (James O'Connor) one on one with any current 7s squad members, I think they'd beat their opponent far more often than their opponent would beat them.

It would be great to bring those two guys into the squad, they'd learn quickly. The structure is there, and they just need to spend 3 or 4 weeks focusing on perfecting their role in the team.

But if you bring in too many outsiders all that goes out the window. (That's what I think I remember the 7's coaches saying in response to this sort of media attention before.)

 

[Braveheart81]

I agree.

I think it can only be a limited number of players who haven't been part of the program for a longer period of time.

Someone like David Pocock or Michael Hooper would also be fantastic to have. You'd imagine their tackling and fetching ability (as well as being fast and having big motors) would make them real assets.

 

[en_force_er]

I would like to see a rule of 1/3 put onto the Olympic 7s squad. That is, 1/3 of the 7s Olympic squad can be players who haven't been on the 7s circuit for the 2 year periods before the olympics.

This 1/3 can be made up of any rugby union or league player that expressly declares his interest in the tournament and there would be training camps they'd have to attend for the year prior.

 

[en_force_er]

"Tomkins received rave reviews after scoring the Barbarians' only try"

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/unlocking-the-codes-would-benefit-australias-olympic-cause-20120813-244z0.html#ixzz23ZzJR25c
http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-leag...-australias-olympic-cause-20120813-244z0.html

Haha. Selective memory.

 

[matty_k]

I could be making this up but I think I remember JOC (James O'Connor) talking about being interested in going to Rio and would commit to the 7s program for year leading into it.

If these players are willing to do something like this is there a real problem with JOC (James O'Connor), BC or QC (Quade Cooper) going to Rio?

 

[en_force_er]

I could be making this up but I think I remember JOC (James O'Connor) talking about being interested in going to Rio and would commit to the 7s program for year leading into it.

If these players are willing to do something like this is there a real problem with JOC (James O'Connor), BC or QC (Quade Cooper) going to Rio?

"Commit" means some training camps and regular off-field sessions I think. Digby mentioned something too. That'd be plenty as far as Wallabies go, grab 1 or 2 leaguies, maybe KHunt isn't such a bad idea (shows a remarkable ability to cross-code) and you're looking dandy.

 

[Badger]

Digby is keen to go.

Wallabies winger Digby Ioane keen to represent Australia at 2016 Olympics when sevens rugby debuts

By Bret Harris and AAP
The Australian August 14, 2012 7:58AM

Australian Rugby Union boss John O'Neill is plotting a rugby-led revival at the next Olympics, and one player keen to lead the charge is Wallabies winger Digby Ioane.
O'Neill has declared Australia's ambition to win gold in both the men's and women's sevens, which, along with golf, are among the new sports at 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
This could result in the men's sevens team being bolstered by Wallabies superstars such as Ioane, James O'Connor and Kurtley Beale.
"I'd love to play sevens," Ioane said. "I spoke to Michael O'Connor (Australian sevens coach) three years ago, but I never got the chance to play because I was busy with Super Rugby.
"I was meant to play back in the days when I was 19, but I didn't go due to injury. I'd love to play sevens. If it was to go to an Olympics, why not? I'd be happy."
The ARU will begin to invest heavily in the national sevens program in the pursuit of gold.
The Australia women's team is the world champion, while the men won silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
"We will have serious gold medal ambitions," O'Neill said. "It will be a rugby-led revival in Rio.
"We will see a significant uplift in the attention, finance and development to the sevens program. We will look at creating a squad of full-time sevens players.
"Some players will confront a decision between Super Rugby and sevens. It's a bit like cricket. Some players can play all forms of the game.
"We will have to weigh up the stability and continuity of permanent contracted sevens specialists with augmenting some of our superstars.
"Clearly, one of the attractions of the Olympics is to have the best athletes on the paddock. You wouldn't necessarily exclude the household names."

 

[matty_k]

I wonder if SBW is thinking something similar.

 

[Badger]

I reckon SBW will be back in rugby in time for RWC 2015. But with a view to getting to Rio the year after.

 

[matty_k]

Yep that is what he is planning.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Every professional rugby player will be wanting to be part of the Olympic tilt for their respective countries.

It will be an even bigger opportunity to advertise the individual players brand than at the RWC.

Many players however will be completely unsuited to 7's and are dreaming if they think they have a chance for Gold. They'd be better off remaining in the 15 aside version earning the $ available there rather than leaving their club pay packets for significant periods to take a punt on 7's.

WRT SBW and Diggers and many of the current Test players, 7's is very much a young persons game, and four years is a long time away. I predict there will be a large number of our Rio team are currently at school or in the age group 16-20 (20-24 years old in 2016).

Keep your eye on the Schoolboy thread. Maybe ASRU need to start thinking about running National U16 and U18 Sevens tournaments alongside the 15 aside versions?