New Zealand clinch HSBC Sevens World Series as Fiji claim London title

Posted on May 14, 2012 in England Sevens, Sevens

New Zealand have retained their HSBC Sevens World Series title, ending the season with a third place finish at the Marriott London Sevens to finish on 167 Series points, six ahead of closest rivals Fiji.

The New Zealanders sealed a 10th Series title with a ruthless 36-0 quarter final win against South Africa, but fell to a brilliant Fijian performance in the semi final. However, the New Zealanders recovered to end the season on a high note, beating Argentina in the play-off for bronze.

The Fijians stormed to the London title to cap a season of achievement for them, matching New Zealand’s three Cup titles and underlining just how tight things are at the top of the Sevens game.

A record two-day Sevens crowd of 103,027 attended Twickenham over the weekend, a fitting climax to another thrilling season of international Rugby Sevens.

"It’s pretty special, we worked extremely hard to get this one and I think everyone knows how competitive the Sevens Series is now. We came here with an 11-point lead but still with an opportunity of blowing it," said NZ captain, DJ Forbes.

"The quarter final win (36-0 win against South Africa) was probably our only complete game of rugby this weekend, but there was a lot of passion, a lot behind it to make sure we wrapped up the Series.

"At the end of the day it comes down to consistency and that’s where we were probably a little bit ahead, but taking nothing away from Fiji, they’ve done extremely well to win here.

"I guess for us you could see that we’re used to playing under pressure, regardless of where we’re playing. If you’re wearing a black jersey everyone expects you to do well."

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: "Once again New Zealand have proved that, over the course of an entire season, they are the finest Sevens side in the world and our congratulations go to them.

"And yet even on this, their day of triumph, they were denied in the Cup semi-finals by their closest challengers Fiji, which again underlines just how competitive our global Game of Rugby Sevens has become.

"In the women’s event too we have seen a wonderful tournament from the Netherlands in reaching a first Cup title and congratulations to England on winning their second title of the season.

"Twickenham has provided a wonderful and fitting stage for the finale of another superb season, capped off by another record crowd for a two-day event. We can look forward to a bright future as we gear towards the 2016 Olympic Games."

Australia took the Plate in London, beating England, who finished the season in third place ahead of Samoa in fourth and South Africa in fifth.

A record two-day Sevens crowd of 103,027 attended Twickenham over the weekend, a fitting climax to another thrilling season of international Rugby Sevens.

The Fijians stormed to the London title to cap a season of achievement for them, matching New Zealand’s three Cup titles and underlining just how tight things are at the top of the Sevens game.

The New Zealanders sealed a 10th Series title with a ruthless 36-0 quarter final win against South Africa, but fell to a brilliant Fijian performance in the semi final. However, the New Zealanders recovered to end the season on a high note, beating Argentina in the play-off for bronze.

Sixth placed Australia won the Plate, Wales lifted the Bowl, France were triumphant in the Shield whilst England won their second IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup.

Australia pip hosts England to Plate

England narrowly missed out on the consolation of a Plate trophy when Dan Bibby missed a conversion and a penalty drop goal in the second half of the Plate final, allowing impressive Australia to hang on to a 14-12 victory and collect 13 Series points.

However, Mat Turner’s try in the final did put him one ahead of teammate Dan Norton as the season’s leading try scorer.

England reached the Plate final after a Turner try and Tom Mitchell conversion clinched a late 17-15 victory against South Africa. Australia reached the final after the Tokyo Sevens winners overturned a 12-5 half time deficit to beat Spain 17-12 in the semi.

Wales beat Scotland in Bowl

Twelve points from Alex Walker hands Wales a 27-5 victory against Scotland in the Bowl, as the reigning RWC Sevens champions collect eight points for the Series.

Two second half tries, one after the final buzzer had sounded, from Dan Fish booked Wales’ place in the Bowl final after a 28-26 victory against Portugal. They met Scotland following Graham Shiel’s side recorded a 31-19 victory against Zimbabwe in the second semi final thanks to two tries from Michael Fedo.

Earlier, 11 points from Alex Walker helped Wales beat USA 28-19 in the second Bowl quarter, entering this competition having lost to Spain and Fiji on day one.

Carl Murray scored twice for Portugal in the day’s opening match against RWC Sevens 2013 hosts Russia. The sides last met in the core team qualifying quarter final in Hong Kong, with Portugal narrowly winning 17-10 on their way to claiming one of the three places for next season’s Series, and recorded a 24-17 victory in London.

In the third match Scotland beat crowd favourites Kenya 21-5 before Dubai Sevens runners-up France suffered a 19-17 defeat to Zimbabwe with Jacques Leitao scoring the winning try for the Cheetahs.

 

(more…)

Marriott London Sevens hits new heights at Twickenham Stadium

Posted on May 10, 2012 in Sevens

The Marriott London Sevens is set to hit new heights with another world record weekend at Twickenham Stadium in the final leg of this season’s HSBC Sevens World Series.

More than 90,000 tickets have been sold for the tournament – launched today at the EDF Energy London Eye and the London Marriott Hotel County Hall with coaches and captains from the competing nations – and this weekend’s total attendance is expected to climb past last year’s high of 100,094.

The Marriott London Sevens is also the final major event in the calendar before the sport is welcomed into the Olympic family after the London 2012 Games, and for the first time both men’s and women’s events will be staged at Twickenham.

New Zealand are close to completing the defence of their overall HSBC Sevens World Series title, with Fiji in second place. Dubai champions England are in third and aiming to finish on a high after their impressive performances at Glasgow last weekend.

The IRB Women’s Challenge Cup sees England aiming to add more silverware to their collection after lifting the Hong Kong title with hot competition expected from the likes of World Cup winners Australia and Dubai title-holders Canada.

The tournament’s ‘70s Disco theme will attract thousands in fancy dress and create a carnival atmosphere with house band Love Train playing live inside the stadium and a Funky Town fan village in the West Car Park as well as a host of other entertainment for supporters of all ages.

Rob Andrew, RFU Professional Rugby Director, said: “The Marriott London Sevens continues to grow and get bigger and better each year both on and off the pitch, which is a testimony to the strength of the event and the appeal of the sport.

“This weekend, for the first time, Twickenham Stadium is the finale of what may be the most competitive HSBC Sevens World Series of them all.

“The athleticism and skill levels of the players are astonishing now and that goes for the women’s game as well as the men’s, with two competitions running alongside each other throughout the weekend.”

(more…)

Hitz wins prestigious award

Posted on May 8, 2012 in Premiership, RFU

Hitz has been honoured by being named the best Community Programme Award at Sport Industry Awards 2012.

The programme is run in partnership with Premiership Rugby, the Rugby Football Union, the Metropolitan Police, Active Communities Network, the Mayor’s Office, the Rugby Football Foundation and rugby charity Wooden Spoon and is delivered by the Premiership Rugby clubs. It targets young people at risk of anti-social behaviour and exclusion from school.

After making a shortlist that included programmes from Tottenham Hotspur, RBS, BSKyB, Premier League, Football Foundation and Barclays and British Cycling, Hitz triumphed at a star-studded ceremony attended by 1,750 key figures from the world of sport, including a huge number of high-profile media, entertainment and sporting celebrities alongside the most influential figures in British and European sport.

Nick Keller, the Chairman of the Sport Industry Group paid tribute to the programme which is managed by former England captain Helen Clayton.

Premiership Rugby is hoping for a unique double to be completed in July as they have been shortlisted for the best Federation or Governing Body of the Year at the worldwide Beyond Sport Awards which would ensure a stellar year for the umbrella organisation of the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs.

"It is well recognised that sport can have a hugely positive impact on communities, and rugby has a particular role to play in the crucial area of excluded youth,” said Keller.

“Hitz is a standout example of best practice – a fact not only acknowledged within the UK, as demonstrated by its success at the Sport Industry Awards, but also globally through its nomination for the Beyond Sport Awards.”

Hitz, based in the heart of the toughest inner city areas, introduces young people to rugby, helping build confidence and respect, whilst inspiring players of the future.  It also identifies opportunities for apprenticeships, as well as workshops, training and education programmes for young people.  This month Hitz registered its 1000th participant.

The very best work that the industry produced across 2011 was rewarded at the Sport Industry Awards ceremony, with the winners of each category announced following an extensive judging process involving more than 40 key figures from across the industry and 50 hours of intensive judging – fully overseen by Deloitte, the Official Independent Scrutineer of the Sport Industry Awards.

(more…)

London Sevens to host IRB sanctioned Women’s International Sevens tournament

Posted on Feb 29, 2012 in England Women, English Rugby, Sevens, Women's Rugby

The Rugby Football Union will host one of three IRB sanctioned Women’s International Sevens tournament this season at Twickenham Stadium on May 12-13th, 2012.

As part of the hugely popular London Sevens weekend Twickenham Stadium will now also open its doors to some of the world’s finest female rugby talent as the HSBC Sevens World Series comes to a close.

As part of the IRB’s on-going commitment to develop international women’s Sevens ahead of the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Russia and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, London and Hong Kong are the latest events to be added to the IRB international sevens programme. Dubai hosted the inaugural Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup in December and Hong Kong will host the second event on March 23-24th.

12 of the best international women’s sevens team will compete over the two-day tournament for the Women’s Challenge Cup, including hosts England, who recently reached the final of the Women’s Challenge Cup in Dubai beating world champions Australia on their way to the final. The teams competing in London will be: England, Australia, Canada, USA, Netherlands, Russia, Brazil, China, Kazakhstan, France, South Africa and Portugal.

Rob Andrew, RFU Professional Rugby Director, said: “The RFU is delighted to be hosting the IRB sanctioned international Women’s Sevens tournament as part of the London Sevens this year. Dubai held the first ever IRB Women’s Sevens event in December 2011 so for Twickenham Stadium to be added to that calendar is a prestigious honour.

“With Rugby Sevens making its debut in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games it is important we, and our other member unions, strive forward to develop the international programme for our women’s teams and this announcement represents a significant step on the road to Rio de Janeiro for these international teams.”

Last year’s Beach themed event at the London Sevens saw more than 100,000 fans head to Twickenham Stadium and the 2012 event promises to be even bigger. The party atmosphere generated by the fans is almost unrivalled in the Twickenham calendar and this year’s event takes up a 1970s theme.
Sophie Goldschmidt, RFU Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are looking forward to an exceptional international Women’s tournament in London in May which will run alongside the HSBC Sevens World Series. Last year’s event saw more than 100,000 fans head through the gates over the two days including a record breaking 54,612 crowd on the Saturday. The 2012 event promises to be even bigger and better especially with the London leg being the final event of the HSBC Sevens World Series.”

"These are exciting times for Women’s Rugby around the world," added IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset. "Participation is growing while we continue to work with our member unions to ensure elite Women’s competition goes from strength to strength ahead of our debut in the Olympic Games 2016.

“These invitational IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup events are the first step on the road to delivering an annual IRB Women’s Sevens World Series along similar lines to the hugely successful men’s HSBC Sevens World Series. I am sure that London will be a resounding success and give fans in the stadium and around the world another opportunity to see just how competitive Women’s Rugby is."

Tickets are now available for the London Sevens weekend on 12th & 13th May 2012 and for the month of March Weekend Tickets are available from just £20. After that, weekend passes start from £30, single day tickets from £18 and kids tickets at £5 each day.  Visit www.rfu.com/tickets or call 0844 847 2492.  (Tickets are subject to availability and booking fees apply).

London Irish triumph in London rugby clubs’ "battle of the fans"

Posted on Feb 16, 2012 in London Irish, Premiership

Aviva and the University of Bath’s quest to find the Aviva Premiership’s “most passionate fans” continues

Harlequins and Saracens edged out their rivals London Irish and London Wasps respectively in an epic Aviva Premiership weekend. However, while they might have lost out on the pitch, Irish and Wasps fans can take pride from the fact that their fans have been scientifically shown to be more passionate than their opposition on the day.

Premiership Rugby’s title sponsor Aviva has partnered with the University of Bath to scientifically investigate which Aviva Premiership Rugby club has the most passionate fans to settle the debate once and for all.

The research team undertook a variety of experiments on a sample set of 48 fans (12 from each club) who applied to take part. Their anxiety and testosterone levels were measured, as well as their heart rate throughout the match.

The university has devised an equation for passion, which is calculated from the interaction of four variables:

1) fan loyalty (commitment to the team)
2) fan match evaluation (before and after the match)
3) fan psychology (mood and anxiety levels)
4) fan physiology (hormone and heart rate changes)

The results are weighted alongside an independent review of the match by a former England player, to allow all 6 ‘crunch’ matches, and 12 sets of supporters, to be compared. So far, 8 clubs have now been analysed, with 4 left to play.

Here is a summary of the fans’ results from the London derbies:

The figures from each test section were combined into a passion equation and then scaled so all four categories have a possible maximum of 100.

London Irish fans were more passionate than the Harlequins fans and the Wasps fans were more passionate than the Saracens fans. Overall the London Irish fans just edge it, but currently lie 2nd in the Aviva Premiership Passion Table, behind Gloucester.

The project continues on March 30 when Newcastle Falcons host Sale Sharks, and finally Worcester v Exeter on April 14. At the end of the season, the Aviva Premiership Passion League Table will be revealed on www.avivapremiership.com/passionate

A researcher from the University of Bath said: “Aviva’s ‘Most Passionate Fans’ project represents an interesting opportunity to examine fan’s passion scientifically. There will always be arguments about how this can be done, but we believe we have devised the most objective way to identify and quantify passion.”

Louisa Cheetham, Senior Sponsorship Manager at Aviva, said: “Our most passionate fans project shows that rugby truly is a fans game. Aviva want to get fans as close to the action as possible, and this experiment does just that. The two matches last weekend between the four London clubs were close affairs, and that is reflected in the results of the experiment. It’s interesting that the two losing clubs showed more passion!”