2016 Rio Olympics | RUGBY SEVENS | August 6th thru August 11th

[BMann]

If top players have come through this route I don't really understand why they didnt just send them to this tournament. I watched this thinking someone like Mike Brown or a quick running scrum half like Rhys Webb would do a good job for GB.

Maybe is it because it's a different type of fitness and stamina required and they've moved away from that and have got used to the fitness they need for 15s?

Yes. And different tactics and also training regimes. A lot of the players once they graduate to 15 a side rugby cannot escape their contracts. As Morozov says the top unions are using it as a tool to enhance ball and thinking skills on the field particularly forwards.

You only to have to look at some of the offloading skills of the forwards and see them implementing it in the full game.

And some of the players returning to sevens like Kolbe for the Boks have forgotten that spontaneous need to think and create. After all when playing sevens you have the ball far more in hand than in the full code.

And the US ? They have plenty of players especially at recreational level. The fact is until now there has been no system of professionalism and a clear route to becoming an Eagle.

 

[Very Stable Genius]

delete.

 

[Morozov]

If top players have come through this route I don't really understand why they didnt just send them to this tournament. I watched this thinking someone like Mike Brown or a quick running scrum half like Rhys Webb would do a good job for GB.

Maybe is it because it's a different type of fitness and stamina required and they've moved away from that and have got used to the fitness they need for 15s?

The fitness requirements are different, but also not every player wants to do it considering they need to give up a lot of time playing 15s which is their livelihood.

In the case of New Zealand, the Sevens coach mandated that if you wanted to play Sevens at the Olympics, you needed to play at least two Sevens tournaments before August to be considered.

Some players opted to play out the whole Sevens campaign and forego Union e.g. SBW.

Some players played the amount of Sevens required to be eligible for an Olympic spot per the coaches requirements and then went back to Union e.g. Ioane.

Some players opted to just stick with Super Rugby. Guys like Ben Smith and Beauden Barrett in particular were signaled out as players that the Sevens side wanted, but they didn't want to do it because they wanted to focus on Union. If you think of someone like Barrett in particular, he's in the thick of a battle for the All Black 10 jersey, he's probably put himself to the front of that race after this season. Had he went and played Sevens instead he would have undoubtedly fallen behind Cruden in the pecking order.

Not playing Sevens at the Olympics is probably going to be the best thing Barrett has ever done because instead he was on fire all season, led the Canes to their first championship and probably became the best 10 in New Zealand if not the world.