Inside England Sevens: Ben Ryan column

Posted on May 10, 2012 in England Sevens

England Sevens Head Coach Ben Ryan reports on the build up to the Marriott London Sevens, the final event of this season’s HSBC Sevens World Series

LAST stop London! After 75,000 miles clocked up travelling around the globe, our final destination in the HSBC Sevens World Series this year for the first time ever is Twickenham Stadium and the Marriott London Sevens.

I can tell you it was a dream to just have a short flight from Glasgow to London as it’s not uncommon for us to cross multitudes of time zones as we move from one venue to another. I think as a result this weekend you will see a lot of energy from all the teams on the pitch as they can use the time this week to recharge and get ready for 100,000-plus supporters this weekend in the finale of the series.

Last weekend was a big step in the direction of travel for this team and England Sevens. We have always wanted to play a fast attacking style but it has taken time to really hit its straps. It’s not a quick fix and it takes time to put in this sort of cultural model into play.

I guess we put down a major marker of how determined we are to play this way by our approach in extra-time in the semi final against Fiji.

We caught the ball off our own kick off and then went 18 passes, one ruck, about 40 metres backwards and across the width of the field three times before finding the space to exploit and score the winning try.

I was so pleased to see all the hours of practice pay off and it was even better it was tested under the duress of extra time against such a fantastic team like Fiji.

The final felt like one that got away and with around 90 seconds left and 19-14 down against New Zealand we felt all we needed was to get hold of the ball and our attack would grab the decisive winner.

Alas, we were penalised near our line and effectively with it the game was over and our chance gone. Yes, we had three tough games against Australia, South Africa and Fiji in the run to the final but we felt fresh and ready for the battle.

So, we left disappointed but also quietly pleased now we know that our style is bedded in and as more games are played the confidence will grow and we will improve more and more.

It’s been the first time we have also had a group playing that we know are in the programme next year as well, so collectively everyone is driving hard in the same direction. It is a hugely exciting time and I’m sure we will inevitably hit some choppy waters this weekend and in the future but the progress the lads have made has been brilliant and I’m so proud of their efforts.

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England’s stars look forward to the London Sevens

Posted on May 10, 2012 in emb, England Sevens

Over 100,000 fans are expected to attend over the two days and as usual the action will be spectacular.

In this video featuring England coach Ben Ryan and England Women’s captain Michaela Staniford, we look at the team’s prospects.

Download a copy of the video here

Inside England Sevens VII: Ben Ryan column

Posted on Mar 29, 2012 in England, England Sevens, English Rugby

The England Sevens Head Coach previews the seventh leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series taking place in Tokyo this weekend. England face hosts Japan, France and Hong Kong champions Fiji in Saturday’s group stage.

Konichiwa from Tokyo! Last week we were in Hong Kong and this week made the short four-hour flight across to Japan and the quite amazing city of Tokyo.

We didn’t hit the heights we aspire to when we lost 14-7 to Fiji at the semi final stage of the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. In terms of possession and chances, we did more than enough to reach the final and watching the game back again is not a lot of fun.

We could quite easily have been in a winning position after the first four minutes but chances were not converted and back came Fiji to march into the final. Congratulations to them. I know how much a Hong Kong victory means in the Islands and they were very worthy champions this year in probably, as New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens has said, the hardest Hong Kong Sevens in history.

Now we are in Shinjuku, training and resting before the seventh leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series. The weather is more akin to a sunny winter’s day in England which has thrown one or two players who have T-shirts as their only wardrobe choice!

There is a bit more down-time in week three of our tours as the team need that little bit more rest after the first tournament. That has meant the lads have relaxed, gone to Yoyogi Park and the temple there, visited Shibuya and the famous Five Crossings and neon lights, as well as walk around and just experience normal Tokyo life. It’s such a safe city and the team hotel is in a great place so no-one has been sucked into the ether and disappeared yet on their wanderings.

It’s still been business as usual though and we have mixed up our week with swimming, weights at the Olympic Stadium, and training sessions at Canon Eagles and Meiji University grounds – all of them fantastic facilities.

With only the top 12 sides in the main tournament in Hong Kong, all the teams look a bit more battered and bruised this week. However, we had some practice matches against Russia and I was pleasantly surprised at how well we were moving about and playing with real speed. That’s given us all lots of encouragement that we will have a great weekend here.

Unfortunately we have lost Chris Cracknell to a shoulder injury and Isoa Damudamu, who has had to return home to train with the Army team. These two have been replaced by Chris Brightwell and Sam Edgerley – a great chance to impress for both.

It was about fine margins again last weekend, but there is so much to play for as we approach our two home tournaments and it’s vital we finish strongly. In many ways it has been a fascinating year so far, as I have seen at close hand just how much improvement all the international teams have made.

I wasn’t surprised that Portugal and Spain will join Canada as the three new core teams next year after their successes in the qualification tournament last weekend. Much is made of the dominance of Oceania in world sevens terms but Europe now has six sides in the series next year, the largest contingent from any Continent. Both Portugal and Spain have played at a high level for some time and the new European Series last season really helped them progress even further. Congratulations to both our Iberian friends.

International sevens has its ups and downs for all sides and last week certainly proved that. This weekend is another full of opportunity and excitement for all the players in white, or for the final time, orange. Yes, our famous Tequila Sunrise shirts will finally be laid to rest in Tokyo this weekend and worn for the final time. In the Land of the Rising Sun, it is quite apt, although I hope it is our success, not our shirts, that is being talked about this weekend. Come on, England!

Inside England Sevens: Ben Ryan column

Posted on Dec 16, 2011 in England, English Rugby, Sevens

The England Sevens head coach reviews the side’s progress after the first three tournaments of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Gold Coast, Dubai and Port Elizabeth. England sit fourth in the table, just four points behind joint leaders Fiji and New Zealand.

It will probably never get repeated but three HSBC World Series tournaments in three successive weekends, in three different continents, was testing to say the least.

Things like time zone changes, climatic pressure and long-haul travel are all part of the normal routine on the international sevens circuit. On top of this we had to walk the fine line between keeping on top of everything on the field in terms of training and conditioning but also ensuring enough mental and physical rest for everyone.

So, how did we think we fared? You can see the results and where we are in the table but are we happy with where we are going?

In most areas, I’d say we are delighted. Although we lost three players to injury in Port Elizabeth, none were significant and everyone should be fit for selection for the NZI Sevens in Wellington in February, our next destination.

Before the trip, I set two goals.

First, make sure by the end of the month we are there around the top of the table fighting for first spot. Only four points between the top four sides shows it’s going to be the most competitive series for years and we are one good result away from topping the pile with a long way to go.

Secondly, we wanted to win one of the opening tournaments. We did so in Dubai the hard way in reaching the final playing very well, beating two big rivals in Fiji and New Zealand and tactically getting it spot on.

It makes a significant difference to have players in your squad who have won tournaments. It breeds confidence and belief and perhaps more importantly, it feeds the desire to keep winning.

However, there were a few fish that did get away. Our loss to New Zealand in Port Elizabeth was hard to take. The Kiwis did exactly what we had done in Dubai a week earlier, bouncing back to win all six games and claim the next title.

Of course they are a good side and Gordon Tietjens made sure everyone was on the same page for the Port  Elizabeth tournament as you know he always will.

The competition between the two sides is intense and the games are always close. They have a formula against us that often gives them the upper hand and we think we have a way of playing them that also brings success so it’s a fascinating duel between the two teams.

I expect their squad to be considerably bolstered for Wellington so it’s going to be a great ding-dong for the season ahead.

The 12 core teams travel the world together which does foster a lot of relationships between sides but the competition and rivalry keeps most of that at arms length as everyone looks towards a winning programme.

Lots of our routines are the same. Fairly early starts and swim sessions seems uniform across the board and pre-match prep seems pretty similar. The differences occur in how we prepare the team physically, the style of play and the analysis.

On top of that a lot of countries now have full-time programmes. After our European adventure in the summer, it was good to see France and Wales play so well and show there isn’t an Oceania stranglehold on the game. Scotland were easily the unluckiest side not to hit the quarter finals and while we might not be quite brothers in arms politically with the rest of the continent, in sevens at least there was a collective feeling amongst us that  European Sevens is on a sharp rise.

Another continued work-on for us is our own style. Defensively we certainly had the most aggressive system in place and the games against Fiji showed what happens when you get your defence spot-on. That was really pleasing and it allows us to build on this in the coming weeks.

It also meant in attack it freed up some of our key players and you saw Isoa Damudamu, Dan Norton and Mat Turner in particular take advantage of that. Yet we still want more from our attack and there are still big work-ons to get to a level where we can unlock anyone at any time.

The technical things we are doing in training are really testing the players to reach new levels in game understanding and some are still very alien to them. It’s a bit of a crusade for me to continue to work on this and get them playing a style that really will add to what we are doing and not to worry about losing key players to injury as invariably will happen.

I’d say we are 50 per cent of the way there and most of it centres around the players getting more comfortable with altering the tempo we play at. It will eventually permeate through to our game and that’s another reason to get very excited about what is happening with England Sevens.

Make no bones about it. We were at a distinct disadvantage travel-wise compared with the other sides in the top four and while we didn’t get things 100 per cent right, it has been a great month.

The sevens game is undoubtedly the fastest moving international sport in the world off and on the field and we can proudly say we are one of the leading lights. The goal, though, is to be much more than that and after a couple of weeks off for the team, we will return to work harder than we ever have. Thanks for all the tremendous support. Come on England!

Inside England Sevens: Ben Ryan column

Posted on Dec 8, 2011 in England, English Rugby, Sevens

England face USA, Samoa and Argentina on Friday’s first day of the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens in Port Elizabeth

WELL, it certainly wasn’t a short trip across to Port Elizabeth! An early rise on Sunday led to all the teams enduring 17 hours of travel to get to our final resting point in the Eastern Cape.

For us, it was a little more forgiving as we had a bit of a spring in our step. Our win in Dubai has been well documented and needless to say I was very proud of the lads and their application to the cause all weekend.

We had the best defence in the tournament and scored 25 very good tries which all combined to make sure we successfully defended the title we won dramatically last year.  Although I would have liked us to have taken more of our chances in the New Zealand quarter final, the win there gave us some good momentum and our performances became more assured after that.

Considering this was after a trip to Australia seven days earlier plus the tournament last weekend – the team were physically in great shape.

We broke a few of our ‘speed’ records, measured on our in game GPS. Mat Turner was clocked at 38kmh and our wingers all hit over 35kmh consistently. On top of this, our collective average speeds for the games were over 30kmh. In layman’s terms that’s fast! It’s also brilliant from a speed endurance point of view and Brett Davison, who oversees our conditioning, has got them in top shape to play the way we want.

However, it was the style the lads are beginning to play that gave us the win. Our tackle completion rates were great and really left the opposition with few chances. We conceded 48 points less than we did in winning Dubai last year. As one of work-ons from last season that was especially pleasing. The attack is also starting to gel as we want and the back-line really fired this weekend to back up the titanic work the forwards are doing.

Enough of patting ourselves on the back though – we all know we can play better and we also know we need to be a consistently winning side.

As I have mentioned, our style is evolving and by no means anywhere near the finished product yet. When you truly can see an England Sevens ‘style’ emerge then we will be part of the way there and there is still a lot going on in training that hasn’t managed to make its way into tournaments yet.

Twinned with so many sides getting better, it’s a hugely competitive HSBC Sevens World Series this year. I loved some of the French attacking play and Fiji also played some sublime stuff so we know there is a lot of work to do.

This week in Port Elizabeth has been all about getting the squad’s energy back up to perform to the same levels as last week. Tournaments take a huge toll on the body and with our third in as many weeks and the enormous amount of travel we have had, it really will be a case of having the mental and physical durability to finish this month away on top form.

By the end of this trip we will have clocked up over 50km in training, over a dozen swim sessions and around eight weights sessions as well as 18 games covering around 40km. That is phenomenal and I’m sure all the sides have similar statistics.

So, sure, we are all looking to having Christmas back at home and a well-earned rest. But before that the only thing on any of our minds this weekend will be to continue our ascent on the field and work our socks off in what is a very, very hard group with Argentina, Samoa and the USA on Friday. Come on England!

You can follow Ben Ryan and the England Sevens team on twitter @benjaminryan