tha_mai says...

melkdave - high schools - boys and girls - have sevens teams and compete in regional playoffs. This year my old province ran five weekly sessions of skills training for interested teenagers followed by a tournament. Winners go on to a regional (lower North Island) tournament this weekend - selectors are looking for possible candidates for the 'Go4Gold programme' set up to identify potential talent ahead of the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Apart from the Olympics angle, not at all new - I was reffing high school sevens over summer about 15 years ago, it's a good sport esp for smaller people less suited to 15s.

Posted 11:55 10th August 2012

tha_mai says...

melkdave - presuming you're speaking re UK?

Sevens in NZ would be vastly different then - club comps, provincial comp and the top 16 from that play off in four pools of 4 teams for the national title each year, this tournament the one coach Tietjins makes his selections from for the wider training squad. He made it plain early in the year his preference for the top players - incl captain DJ Forbes - not to play 15s at all and this is maybe the way of the future where players commit to 7s and no longer front for their provinces in ITM Cup etc. A separate career stream to 15s rugby.

Not saying i agree, but that's the way it is.

Posted 13:38 08th August 2012

GoWalesGo says...

APV1

OK you are the lord of the planet rugby comments sections after all lol

Posted 13:01 02nd August 2012

kybone says...

GoWalesGo-There are 204 nations competing in the olympics, 32 at the World Cup. Of course they wouldn't have given the olympics to Brazil 10 years ago. They could barely afford to feed their people. Look at the most recent World Cup. Held in SA, 10 new stadiums built one of which was almost an exact replica of Wembley which cost around £800 million to build. So its anyones guess what the total cost of hosting the WC was to SA but it will definitely have been in the multi billions. For nations where 60/70% of people live in poverty. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. So thats why the olympics haven't been to all areas of the globe, because they try to give it to nations that can afford it!

Also, im not sure about the Olympics in Antarctica! Bit cold and i don't reckon many people would make the trip. What are the hotels like down their? Not sure the womens volleyball would be quite the same with the competitors wearing seal skin coats!

Posted 09:05 31st July 2012

APV1 says...

@ GoWalesGo - I'll concede the professional athletes competing in an amateur competion point, as it does fly in the face of the Olympics. But otherwise, I can't agree.

Rio has the next Olympics, so there's your South America theory out. India recently hosted the Commonwealth Games, surrounded by controversies beyond belief. So perhaps it's more about the faith that the authorities have that the potential host will succeed, than any prejudice or conspiricy.

I agree that there is speculation (proof, perhaps) of corruption at an administrative level, but not at the athletes' level (doping aside).

And show me a sport which doesn't have players / competitors competing for a country they weren't born in. Go on. Either a country or a sport (not every country, in every sport). Wales and England (and the rest of GB) can't claim that in Rugby, let alone others. And what's your point? If they're eligible, they're available. Simple as that.

Posted 16:03 30th July 2012

GoWalesGo says...

APV1

Oh come off it,

The whole idea of the modern Olympics is a sham. From start to finish, each Olympiad is wrought with controversy. Years before the competition even begins, the Olympic Committee faces allegations similar to FIFA surrounding the choice of host cities.

Look at the Summer Olympics host cities since the beginning of the modern games, only 4 of 30 games have been held outside of North America and Europe. Are you telling me that no country in South America, Africa, the Middle East, India, Asia, the Caribbean or Antarctica have ever been worthy of hosting the ¿world¿s games?¿.

The many ¿international¿ athletes training in countries they aren¿t competing for, or competing for countries they aren¿t natives of. Many athletes got to countries to train and live in a western society that they come to love, then represent a flag that they either don¿t want or are obligated ¿ simply to make The Olympics.

The even greater contradiction is the fact that professional athletes are competing in an amateur competition. What is the point?!

Posted 15:18 30th July 2012

Jmanngod says...

... a trophy to NZ that is....

Posted 20:03 29th July 2012

ArmchairGeneral says...

A 5 day cricket test means some prefer the shorter game. I've never heard people saying they love the 15 man game of rugby but if only it were less than 80 minutes. It's more like comparing chess to draughts. Would adding draughts to the Olympics effect the world chess game? NO.

Posted 19:44 29th July 2012

ShamanSheep says...

though for the record I do think 7s is a great game, especially to play

Posted 16:02 28th July 2012

ShamanSheep says...

'It's unlikely that we'll see the same effect as cricket, where the Twenty20 game has had an obvious adverse impact on the more traditional forms' - why? The difference between 7s and 15s is greater than that between 2020 and test cricket. Will Kenya have a competitive 15 a side team in 10 years? Maybe, probably not, but the spread of 7s to countries that don't traditionally play rugby by no means guarantees anyone in these countries will suddenly become excited by the scrum or lineout.

The model is essentially the same as that of 2020 cricket - shorter, more exciting, more 'fan friendly'. If the model succeeds and draws more fans than 15s does then there will be more money and players will jettison 15s for 7s. True, easier in cricket as the sub continent market is already addicted to the game and jumped on 2020 in a flash but to say it wouldn't happen in rugby is silly.

Posted 12:24 28th July 2012