Rugby 7s takes big strides

Bahrain has been making great strides to become recognised internationally as a venue for exciting niche sports, most recently attracting world and British champion speed climbers, an event vying for a place on the Olympic calendar.

Another of these growing sports that has already made the step up with participants now looking ahead to Brazil in 2016, rugby 7s, took a giant leap last weekend with the inaugural World Club 7s competition.

Organised by England’s Premiership Rugby this special landmark event was hosted at the home of rugby – Twickenham – and attracted 12 teams from around the world.

Flagship clubs from the Southern Hemisphere started as favourites, although, demonstrating the growing global appeal of a game that is helping develop interest in the wider form of the game at grassroots levels, there were also clubs from Russia, Argentina and the US present.

Rugby 7s allows clubs the opportunity to test promising youngsters alongside more established professionals from the larger format of the game while many players were present who are starting to make a living from travelling the globe playing in the increasing number of national 7s leagues that are forming.

Even the Middle East was represented in the form of Abu Dhabi’s head coach, Kiwi-born Jeremy Manning, who received a call from partner club, Harlequins, to play.

Further demonstrating the reach of visionary outfits, the London-based club also invited the pacey Patrice Agunda to represent them, having helped his native Kenya achieve fifth position in the IRB World 7 Series last year.

Another Premiership club, Saracens, last year signed a similar partnership arrangement with Moscow-based VVA Podmoskovye, who were pitted against English club 7s winners, Gloucester.

The Cherry and Whites claimed the first silverware of the new season the previous weekend in the JP Morgan 7s trophy at Bath’s Recreation Ground, defeating Leicester 24-17 in the final. Inspired by captain Martyn Thomas they survived a spirited second-half comeback from a Midlands side that had never won a match in the previous three years of this event.

Being the first time the Premiership 7s winners have had the opportunity to qualify for an international club event, Gloucester were clearly the form team and duly topped Pool A at the end of the first day.

Topping Pool B was surprise package, Buenos Aires, who swept aside the more established Northampton Saints and Vodacom Blue Bulls from South Africa. Coached by a legendary veteran of world 7s, Gomez Cora, he clearly communicated the wisdom gleaned from scoring 230 tries, as his young side amassed 12 touchdowns in the opening pool games yet, more remarkably, only conceded three.

However, it was Pool C that drew most attention pitting home side, Harlequins, against an Auckland Blues side featuring former IRB World 7s player of the year, Orene Ai’i, and the side considered by many to have played the best club rugby over the past 12 months, ACT Brumbies, despite their narrow 27-22 defeat to the Waikato Chiefs in the Super Rugby Final recently.

The competitive nature of this group was evidenced from all three teams finishing level on both points and tries scored. All three teams then made their way through the first knockout stage to reach the semi-finals, being joined by the outstanding representatives from Argentina.

The two Antipodean clubs managed to avoid each other with the Brumbies sweeping aside Buenos Aires while Auckland made short work of Harlequins to set up a final with plenty of rivalry.

Inspired by their coach, rugby-legend, Stephen Larkham, the Brumbies started strongly with Tom Cox collecting the ball inside his own 22 before outpacing three Auckland defenders to touchdown. The ever-willing Henry Speight then extended their lead, powerfully holding off two challenges to score in the corner.

Harsh words must have been exchanged during the interval in the Blues corner as they fought back with two near-identical tries from the side-stepping try-machine, Kali Hala.

However, their comeback fell short as the Brumbies, through the elusive Speight, who scored again in the final minute to claim the inaugural title as World Club 7’s champions, 17-14, providing some comfort for their earlier defeat in the Super League, while also reversing an earlier defeat to Auckland in their pool match.

The Plate competition was lit up by the pace of former sprint sensation, Carlin Isles. Described as the fastest man to ever grace a rugby field, the San Francisco winger traded his spikes for studs last year having narrowly failed to make the Olympic team. Athletics’ loss has been rugby’s gain as he used his speed to notch the tournament’s first hat-trick and then proceeded to score in every game.

Yet, it was the other US representatives, New York City Sevens, who claimed the Plate with a convincing 33-14 demolition of Gloucester in the final.