7s in 37 seconds

Posted on December 27, 2013 by 7 Bamboos Rugby

7s Rugby is famous for its unique carnival atmosphere. Here are 37 seconds that proves it. The summer can’t come quick enough.

South Africa Sevens: Day 2

Posted on December 8, 2013 by 7 Bamboos Rugby

Fans at the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens. – Photo courtesy of Martin Seras Lima

On the second day of the Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens, the 16 teams once again showed some world class 7s during the highly dramatic knock-out matches. 7s Rugby, at the top level, has now such a high standard that it attracts fans all over the world.

Congratulations to @bokrugby winning their first home title since 2008, and first at the @NMB_Stadium pic.twitter.com/UaDxicS2sI

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) December 8, 2013

One thing that is so special about professional 7s rugby are the close margins between the top teams. At the HSBC Sevens World Series almost every team can beat anyone. Therefore you’ll never know what happens next.

This weekend however, was all about Nelson Mandela, the fans and South African rugby. The big crowd in the stadium named after the former president, paid an incredible emotional tribute to the popular leader.

And the script for the weekend couldn’t be written any better, as the Springboks claimed the title in an intense high-class final clash against their rivals from New Zealand. The All Blacks started as usual with waves of attacks securing a two tries lead, but couldn’t stop the incredible powerful respond by the Boks, which came back with three tries in a row to claim the title.

In the other knock-out competitions, Samoa became third after 21-7 victory over Argentina, Fiji settle for Plate trophy with win over France, Scotland won the Shield trophy with 19-12 over Canada and England claim the Bowl trophy, 28-19 winners over Australia

Here's the #SevensDreamTeam from the @SouthAfrica7s! What do you make of it? @JosephWebber27 @Tim7Geduld pic.twitter.com/9Mh8WnAjyS

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) December 8, 2013

Results Day 2:

New Zealand	14 – 17	South Africa	Final Cup
Samoa	21 – 7	Argentina	Third Place
Fiji	45 – 19	France	Final Plate
Australia	19 – 28	England	Final Bowl
Canada	12 – 19	Scotland	Final Shield
Argentina	0 – 31	South Africa	SF Cup
Samoa	5 – 19	New Zealand	SF Cup
France	17 – 12	Portugal	SF Plate
Fiji	52 – 5	Kenya	SF Plate
England	33 – 14	United States	SF Bowl
Australia	33 – 21	Wales	SF Bowl
Scotland	33 – 10	Spain	SF Shield
Zimbabwe	10 – 24	Canada	SF Shield
South Africa	45 – 0	Portugal	QF Cup
Argentina	14 – 7	France	QF Cup
New Zealand	19 – 0	Kenya	QF Cup
Fiji	12 – 28	Samoa	QF Cup
Spain	14 – 19	United States	QF Bowl
England	19 – 7	Scotland	QF Bowl
Wales	24 – 19	Canada	QF Bowl
Australia	38 – 5	Zimbabwe	QF Bowl

Standings after Round 3

1		New Zealand
2		South Africa
3		Fiji
4		England
5		Australia
6		Argentina
7		Kenya
		Samoa
9		Wales
10		France
11		Portugal
12		Scotland
13		Canada
14		United States
15		Spain
16		Russia
		Tonga
		Zimbabwe

Video Highlights

For extended results and tables, statistics and reactions please visit the IRB SEVENS homepage.

South Africa Sevens: Day 1

Posted on December 7, 2013 by 7 Bamboos Rugby

It was a highly emotional first day at the Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens. Only 48 hours after the death of the iconic former South African president, the 7s rugby world came together in Port Elizabeth to honour Nelson Mandela. The tournament organisers decided to go ahead with the event on Friday.

The 16 teams of the South African Sevens pay tribute to Nelson Mandela.
Photo courtesy of Martin Seras Lima

A moment of silence before the first game of the South African Sevens team against Canada was followed by an impressive get-together of all 16 teams and referees in the middle of the stadium which Mandela bears his name.

The world of rugby mourns the passing of Nelson Mandela, one of he great leaders of our time.

— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) December 5, 2013

Similar to last week in Dubai, the teams on the pitch again showed some very high standard 7s. New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji and Argentina all topped their pools unbeaten. France, Kenya, Portugal and Samoa became second in their respective groups. The three British teams England, Wales and Scotland had a disappointing first day all three sides missed the qualification for tomorrows Cup quarter-finals.

Results Day 1

South Africa	27 – 7	Kenya	Pool B
Canada	12 – 26	Spain	Pool B
Fiji	29 – 12	Scotland	Pool A
Australia	12 – 19	France	Pool A
England	19 – 21	Argentina	Pool D
Samoa	43 – 0	Zimbabwe	Pool D
New Zealand	48 – 7	Wales	Pool C
Portugal	33 – 17	United States	Pool C
Kenya	24 – 12	Canada	Pool B
South Africa	38 – 0	Spain	Pool B
Scotland	19 – 31	Australia	Pool A
Fiji	27 – 7	France	Pool A
Argentina	26 – 19	Samoa	Pool D
England	35 – 7	Zimbabwe	Pool D
Wales	17 – 28	Portugal	Pool C
New Zealand	43 – 7	United States	Pool C
Kenya	28 – 0	Spain	Pool B
South Africa	24 – 7	Canada	Pool B
Scotland	21 – 33	France	Pool A
Fiji	26 – 5	Australia	Pool A
Argentina	31 – 5	Zimbabwe	Pool D
England	14 – 24	Samoa	Pool D
Wales	26 – 10	United States	Pool C
New Zealand	43 – 0	Portugal	Pool C

Fixtures Day 2

Australia	vs	Zimbabwe	QF Bowl
Wales	vs	Canada	QF Bowl
England	vs	Scotland	QF Bowl
Spain	vs	United States	QF Bowl
Fiji	vs	Samoa	QF Cup
New Zealand	vs	Kenya	QF Cup
Argentina	vs	France	QF Cup
South Africa	vs	Portugal	QF Cup

For extended results and tables, statistics and reactions please visit the IRB SEVENS homepage.

Update on South Africa Sevens

Posted on December 6, 2013 by 7 Bamboos Rugby

The Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens, round three of the HSBC Sevens World Series, will go ahead as planned this weekend. The event organisers decided not to re-schedule the tournament.

Teams and fans will pay tribute to the former South African President in the stadium that bears his name. Before South Africa’s first match against Canada, a moment’s silence will be observed. Later in the day, all 16 participating teams will join together on the pitch, wearing black armbands, for the playing of the South African national anthem, followed by a minute’s silence.

Many personalities from the world of rugby honored Mandela as a remarkable man:

IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset:

“Mr Mandela was a truly remarkable man. I was honored to be with him during the historic days of Rugby World Cup 1995 and saw his incredible impact on his nation and his people. His wisdom, intelligence and sheer presence was a wonder to behold. I am so proud that the Rugby family could play its small part in supporting Mr Mandela’s efforts to establish the new South Africa and that our tournament came to symbolise the emergence of a new nation. He changed the world and we were privileged to witness and embrace his work.”

IRB Sevens Tournament Director, Beth Coalter:

“It is extremely humbling to be here in South Africa at this time. For these international players it will be a huge privilege to turn out for their countries this weekend and honour the memory of Nelson Mandela in this beautiful stadium named after him.”

7 Bamboos Rugby paid tribute to Nelson Mandela today with a personal letter, thanking him for his inspiration.

Updates for South Africa Sevens 2013:Team Profiles

Posted on December 5, 2013 by 7 Bamboos Rugby

Do you want to know everything about your favorite team? Here are the official profiles of all 16 teams competing in Dubai this weekend. All information are provided by the Official HSBC Sevens World Series website:

POOL A

Fiji, Scotland, Australia, France

POOL B

South Africa, Kenya, Canada, Spain

POOL C

New Zealand, Wales, Portugal, USA

POOL D

England, Argentina, Samoa, Zimbabwe

South Africa Sevens 2013: Team Updates

Posted on December 5, 2013 by 7 Bamboos Rugby

Only one week after a Dubai Sevens full of exciting and high-class 7s rugby, there is not much rest time for the teams, with the next big event just around the corner. This weekend the 16 teams travel to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, to comepte at the third round of the HSBC Sevens World Series.

The high intensity of the Dubai Sevens, forced some changes on the team sheets across several squads. To keep you updated, we provide you an overview of the latest squad changes: