2017-18 World Sevens Series
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Great try from the Argies; then you think it's over but it isn't. Molia scores another one in referee's time. Now time is really up.
Final score: 38-14 to New Zealand.
The All Blacks 7s have won their first tournament of the series. Also a first win for the new coach. Well done. We can be proud of this team again.
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Props to Ravouvou, he was awesome. What I'm quite liking is pretty much zero of our players are popping up in this new power players thing they're showing, but the team is doing the business.
Don't know if it's just me but the side as a whole seems bigger this season. Apart from Pencil Mikkelsen.
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@stargazer said in 2017-18 World Sevens Series:
The All Blacks 7s have won their first tournament of the series. Also a first win for the new coach. Well done. We can be proud of this team again.
First tournament win since the Canada sevens in March 2016 - that's some drought.
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Didn't we just get skunked 22-0 by USA in prelims? Bit of a shock result there- and the final, tbh.
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@salacious-crumb said in 2017-18 World Sevens Series:
Didn't we just get skunked 22-0 by USA in prelims? Bit of a shock result there- and the final, tbh.
It's Sevens. Easy to have a flattering game and easy to have an unflattering game.
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@crucial which kinda highlights how vastly different 7s is to 15 aside
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@taniwharugby said in 2017-18 World Sevens Series:
@crucial which kinda highlights how vastly different 7s is to 15 aside
You simply get little chance to fight back from mistakes. Time runs out. To me it's like T20 vs Test cricket.
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@crucial said in 2017-18 World Sevens Series:
@taniwharugby said in 2017-18 World Sevens Series:
@crucial which kinda highlights how vastly different 7s is to 15 aside
You simply get little chance to fight back from mistakes. Time runs out. To me it's like T20 vs Test cricket.
Yeah. I mentioned above that the change to 7 min halves in the final is disappointing, bloody IOC.
It does look like our guys are getting their mojo back though.
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I'm still hoping they'll find someone with speed ...
All Blacks sevens coach Clark Laidlaw says a tournament victory has come sooner than he anticipated. New Zealand had gone 21 months without a world series tournament victory before before easily beating Argentina in the final in South Africa today. ... "I'm not sure if we were expecting it - it's come a bit sooner than we thought. It's very pleasing," said Scot Laidlaw, on his team's progress in the last two weeks. "We were pretty lucky with the group we've got, no brand new players, got a real mix (of experience), a lot of confidence out of last weekend." ... Laidlaw told the Radio Sport Breakfast that New Zealand lacked the outright speed of players such as American flyer Perry Baker. It was up to the coaches to find ways of compensating for that "(through) anticipation, reading play and decision making".http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=11957263
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@stargazer said in 2017-18 World Sevens Series:
I'm still hoping they'll find someone with speed ...
It would be nice but can't always have everything. Have done well in sevens for many years with more of a power game and being accurate at the breakdown / tackle area. Seem to be developing a better off load game (and better decision making again- whether to throw the pass or take the contact).
I do wonder if things just got a bit stale in Titch's last few years but they look pretty organised again. Titch also bemoaned some lack of speed at times so played to our strengths.
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@stargazer said in 2017-18 World Sevens Series:
I think this was the first time the All Blacks 7s performed their own, new haka?
They might have been waiting to do this haka for the last 18 months.
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@kiwimurph said in 2017-18 World Sevens Series:
Looks like schoolboy sensation Etene Nanai (who was thought to be NRL/Warriors bound) is training with the NZ 7s team. Wonder if he might turn out at the national 7s tournament.
Good news. Titch was very good at identifying up and comers but his method of spotting/assessing them only at Nationals faded over the years as the players that shone there were usually already on a XVs pathway they didn't want to disrupt.
Catching these guys even earlier and getting a season or two out of them as part of their development toward XVs has shifted to a younger age group now.
There is no way the likes of Cully or Jonah would have had time in Sevens these days as they would be in Super rugby extended squads before leaving school.I have heard stories through the grapevine that may be indicative of where Sevens lost its way a little. Players like Ambrose Curtis felt stuck in no mans land with both 7s and 15s teams wanting him but with no medium/long term security from either he just kept wobbling between the two and has never really kicked on. I got the impression that if a proper plan/pathway had been put in place for him he could have developed into a much better player in 7s then transferred those skills back to XVs
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All Blacks 7s squad for the Sydney Sevens (* indicates new caps):
Kurt Baker (Manawatu)
Caleb Clarke (Auckland)*
Scott Curry (Bay of Plenty)
Sam Dickson (Canterbury)
Andrew Knewstubb ( Ta$man)
Vilimoni Koroi (Otago)
Luke Masirewa (Bay of Plenty)
Tim Mikkelson (Waikato)
Sione Molia (Counties Manukau)
Joe Ravouvou (Auckland)
Teddy Stanaway (Bay of Plenty)
Regan Ware (Bay of Plenty)
Joe Webber (Bay of Plenty)The squad’s only debutant, 18-year-old Caleb Clarke, son of former All Black Eroni Clarke, has been named, while Luke Masirewa returns to the national team after last appearing in 2013.Laidlaw said the squad returned from the summer break in fantastic condition. “We had 15 out of 17 players record Personal Bests in the fitness testing which seems ridiculous after a few weeks away. But the break was good because we’d had a lot happening since we centralised, so the players time away and they have returned really refreshed.” The only changes from the Cape Town tournament see Clarke and Masirewa replace the injured Trael Joass and Dylan Collier.Clarke joins the All Blacks Sevens environment from Investec Super Rugby pre-season training with the Blues. “We’ve worked closely with the Blues to have Caleb released to train with us and he is part of our plan to build depth heading into the Commonwealth Games. He’s a big, powerful winger and we are really excited about unleashing him.” Masirewa joined the squad on Monday after an impressive Bayleys National Sevens campaign with Bay of Plenty. Laidlaw said it has been a long-term plan getting Masirewa back in the back jersey.Pool games
Friday, 26 January
9.50pm v RussiaSaturday, 27 January
6.31pm v Samoa
9.42pm v Fijihttp://www.allblacks.com/News/31936/new-and-old-faces-named-in-first-all-blacks-sevens-squad-of-2018
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Black Ferns 7s squad for the Sydney Sevens:
Shakira Baker (Waikato)
Michaela Blyde (Bay of Plenty)
Kelly Brazier (Bay of Plenty)
Gayle Broughton (Taranaki)
Theresa Fitzpatrick (Auckland)
Sarah Goss (Manawatu)
Tyla Nathan-Wong (Auckland)
Alena Saili (Southland)
Terina Te Tamaki (Waikato)
Ruby Tui (Bay of Plenty)
Stacey Waaka (Waikato)
Niall Williams (Auckland)
Tenika Willison (Waikato)
Portia Woodman (Counties Manukau)Bunting has made two changes from the team that finished fifth at the Dubai tournament in December. Waikato players Shakira Baker and Terina Te Tamaki return to the playing squad with the last appearance for both players being France last June. They replace the injured Kat Whata-Simpkins and Kayla McAlister (overseas).Pool games
Friday, 26 January
1.06pm v Japan
3.50pm v England
6.12pm v USAIt looks like the women have a much tougher schedule than the men, playing earlier in the day - so much hotter temperatures - and 3 games on day 1.
http://www.allblacks.com/News/31937/experienced-black-ferns-team-named-for-sydney
