Wales Sevens not resting on laurels

Posted on Mar 25, 2013 in Sevens, Wales

A ‘buoyant’ Wales Sevens side landed in Tokyo this morning braced for a tough draw in round seven of the HSBC Sevens World Series, the Tokyo Sevens at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground.

Paul John’s men put up a heroic performance in the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens in the weekend, losing a nail-biting final against defending champions Fiji in front of a packed Hong Kong Stadium.

It was the first time Wales had ever reached a Cup final in the IRB Sevens series. Leading 19-0 at halftime, Wales were just 10 minutes away from glory but super-sub Osea Kolinisau entered the fray and scored a second half hat-trick to deny Wales glory.

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“It was an amazing atmosphere as there was a lot of Welsh support there,” said Wales Sevens head coach Paul John. “I’m really proud of the effort the boys put in.

“The boys played some cracking rugby and entered the competition with a great attitude. They really accounted themselves well throughout the tournament. To go 19-0 up against a very good Fiji side in the first half of the final was an exceptional effort. Unfortunately we couldn’t get our hands on the ball in the second half and Fiji came away with the title.

“There is no time rest on our laurels though as we’ve got Kenya, USA and Scotland this week in the Japan Sevens. Some might say it is an easy group but as last weekend proved, there are no longer any easy groups on the circuit.

“We’re carrying a few bumps and bruises but just have to re-charge our batteries and maintain the momentum into this weekend.

“Kenya will be looking for revenge after we beat them in Hong Kong in the semi-finals and are looking for a top three finish while USA and Scotland will be desperate to get away from the bottom of the series standings as they won’t want to be relegated.”

Wales’ haul of 19 points for reaching the final has seen them jump to sixth place in the overall standings with 63 points with New Zealand leading the way with 113 with three rounds to play.

England Sevens make changes for fourth leg of HSBC Sevens World Series

Posted on Jan 18, 2013 in England Sevens

England have made three changes to their squad for next month’s Hertz Sevens in New Zealand

Head coach Ben Ryan welcomes back Mathew Turner and Christian Lewis-Pratt from injury with Sam Edgerley also heading for Wellington for the February 1-2 tournament.

England, who depart for Wellington next week, face hosts New Zealand, the USA and Spain on the opening day of the fourth leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series.

And Ryan is happy to have more players becoming available as the injury crisis that struck England in the opening rounds begins to ease.

Turner – last year’s leading global try-scorer – broke an ankle in the opening leg of the series in October, while Lewis-Pratt missed out on legs two and three in Dubai and Port Elizabeth with an ankle injury.

Chris Cracknell (knee reconstruction), Tom Mitchell (broken leg) and former captain Ollie Phillips (calf) are sidelined but uncapped forwards Mike Ellery (back) and Jack Preece (knee reconstruction) are close to comebacks and in the final stages of rehabilitation. Also ruled out of the next leg were Mark Odejobi (foot) and Ollie Marchon (ankle).

"We’re slowly getting players fit again so by the time we get to (leg six) in Hong Kong we should have everyone available so the outlook’s getting brighter," said Ryan.

"It’s good to welcome back Mat and Christian, who are influential players, and we’ll be easing them back into action in New Zealand.

"But we face a very tough first day in Wellington. New Zealand will be a very difficult assignment in the opening game and the USA and Spain have both stepped up a gear this season.

"We’ve worked very hard since the last leg in Port Elizabeth and our aim is to continue improving the level of our performance on our previous three outings."

England’s recent record in Wellington is good. They won the title there in 2009, reached the semi finals in 2010, were beaten finalists in 2011 and Lewis-Pratt’s two tries helped them win the third place play-off against Samoa last season.

England squad: Dan Bibby, John Brake, Chris Brightwell, Sam Edgerley, Christian Lewis-Pratt, Dan Norton, Tom Powell, James Rodwell, Mathew Turner, Rob Vickerman (captain), Marcus Watson, Jeff Williams.

London Scottish announce signing of USA prop

Posted on Jan 9, 2013 in London Scottish

London Scottish have further strengthened their squad with the capture of American prop forward Eric Fry.

The USA Eagles prop joins Scottish from the Manawatu Turbos, who play in New Zealand’s ITM Cup, and will further strengthen the squad as the club look to build upon last weekend’s excellent win over Bedford Blues. Fry is comfortable on both sides of the scrum and will bolster the prop forward department of the squad.

Fry was a member of the USA squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and he played a full game against Australia in their Pool C match. He earned his first international cap for the US against Tonga in the Churchill Cup in 2011.

Born in Davis, California on September 14th 1987, Fry played college rugby for the California Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkeley, winning four national championships and being a four-time All American selection. He joined the Manawatu Turbos, the same ITM Cup side as current All Blacks Aaron Smith and Aaron Cruden, in July 2012.

Director of Rugby Simon Amor: "We’re delighted to bring in a player who has played international rugby, can play both loosehead and tighthead and has got a tremendous work ethic."

"With only three contracted props in our squad previously, we felt it was necessary to strengthen in that area, despite all three going well on the pitch, so that we can add some support, backup and competition to the team. We feel that Eric is right for London Scottish and that we can help develop him as a player."

England face Samoa, Kenya and Spain on first day of new HSBC Sevens World Series

Posted on Sep 17, 2012 in England Sevens

England will face Samoa, Kenya and Spain on the opening day of the HSBC Sevens World Series on October 13.

The draw was made today for the Gold Coast Sevens in Australia, the first of nine legs in this season’s series which concludes with the Marriott London Sevens next May.

England finished third in last season’s competition, with Samoa in fourth place and Kenya 12th. Spain are a new ‘core’ team after finishing second in the qualifying competition in Hong Kong this year.

England have an expanded squad of 19 full-time players this season led by head coach Ben Ryan and warmed up last weekend against Spain and France in Villajoyosa.

Ryan said: “We’re in excellent shape after a very demanding pre-season programme and standards in the squad have been driven up by the intense competition for places.

“The draw for the Gold Coast brings home just how close we are now to the kick-off of what promises to be the biggest season ever for sevens. We’re in the Olympic cycle now with the HSBC Sevens World Series followed immediately by the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow next June.

“Every draw is a difficult one now: Samoa were tough to play throughout last season, Kenya always give us tough games and we know Spain really well – they’ve got lots of talent and will want to prove they deserve their place at the top table.”

The cross-over for the knock-out stages means England potentially face Fiji or Australia in the quarter-finals if they make it out of Pool C.

Champions New Zealand face South Africa, the USA and newcomers Canada in Pool A while Wales are in a competitive Pool D with Argentina, France and Portugal.

Gold Coast Sevens draw:

Pool A – New Zealand, South Africa, USA, Canada

Pool B – Fiji, Australia, Scotland, Tonga

Pool C – England, Samoa, Kenya, Spain

Pool D – Argentina, Wales, France, Portugal

England Sevens squad:

Dan Bibby, John Brake, Chris Brightwell, Chris Cracknell, Sam Edgerley, Mike Ellery, Christian Lewis-Pratt, James Lightfoot-Brown, Tom Mitchell, Dan Norton, Mark Odejobi, Ollie Phillips, Tom Powell, Jack Preece, James Rodwell, Mathew Turner, Rob Vickerman, Marcus Watson, Jeff Williams.

d’Apice signing adds to Gloucester’s front row options

Posted on Sep 5, 2012 in Gloucester

Gloucester Rugby have boosted their front row resources with the confirmation that they have signed Italian international hooker Tommaso d’Apice.

The 24 year old, capped ten times by his country, was previously with the Aironi club in Italy and part of the Italy squad for Rugby World Cup 2011 when he made one appearance as a replacement against Russia.

His last appearance for the national side was in June of this year against the USA in Houston, a week after he scored his only international try against Canada in Toronto.

He has been training with Gloucester this summer in a bid to earn a contract, making friendly appearances against Leinster and Doncaster as well as featuring in the Aviva Premiership A League on Monday evening against the Worcester Cavaliers.

Discussing the signing at the club’s midweek media session, Director of Rugby Nigel Davies spoke of the reasons behind d’Apice joining Gloucester.

“Tommaso has been on trial here for just over a month now. He’s an international hooker who has played for Italy in the Six Nations and in the World Cup.

“The big thing for Tommaso is to get the opportunity to play at the highest level in English club rugby. He’s a young aspiring player and wants to play for a team that can help to develop his game.

“He’s committed a lot to coming here. He could probably have gone to other clubs for a lot more money but wanted to be part of this Gloucester team and we’re delighted to have him on board.”