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All Blacks Sevens dealt tough draw as SVNS Vancouver pools revealed
It’s déjà vu for the All Blacks Sevens. After being drawn in the so-called ‘pool of death’ for the SVNS Perth, the New Zealanders will have to do it the hard way in Vancouver next month.
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The All Blacks Sevens struggled at Perth’s HBF Park on Friday through to Sunday. Following pool stage losses to France and Fiji, the men in black finished in the final four.
That uncharacteristically poor run of form on Australia’s west coast could still come back to haunt them, too, after they were drawn in another frighteningly tough pool for the first of two stops in North America.
The pools for #HSBCSVNSVAN have arrived 👇#HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/1zooxEDoMc
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) January 28, 2024
New Zealand will need to overcome the challenge of Perth bronze-medallists Ireland, SVNS Dubai champions South Africa, and the ever-dangerous Great Britain as they look to return to the Cup finals.
“We’re slowly building towards the Olympics, the Olympics is our main goal,” All Blacks Sevens star Sam Dickson told RugbyPass on Sunday.
“We’ve got a lot of boys returning from long-term injury that’s going to really reinforce our team and bring a lot of energy and fire.
“We’re not stressing. We know what we’re doing and we’ve got a plan in place.”
Cape Town and Perth Cup final-winners Argentina have been drawn in Pool A along with two-time Olympic champions Fiji, Spain and hosts Canada.
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After collecting the silver medal at each of the last two events, Australia’s quest to go one better starts with pool matches against France, the United States and Samoa.
The toughest pool in the women’s draw is pretty clear. After missing out on Cup final glory for the first time this season, Australia’s SVNS Vancouver campaign starts with matches against the United States, Fiji and Japan.
The United States finished last season in third position on the overall standings, and Fiji knocked Australia out of the Tokyo Olympics a few years ago. Anything could happen.
Another pool to look out for is Pool C. Great Britain shocked the sevens world with a win over Australia on Friday, but they’ll have their work cut out for them against heavyweights France, hosts Canada and Spain.
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The other pool will see SVNS Perth winners Ireland come up against a hungry New Zealand side, Brazil and South Africa.
SVNS Vancouver gets underway on February 23 to 25. Those interested in watching some of the world’s best rugby while enjoying the best party in town can get tickets HERE.
SVNS Vancouver Women’s pools
Pool A: Ireland, New Zealand, Brazil and South Africa
Pool B: Australia, USA, Fiji and Japan
Pool C: Great Britain, France, Canada and Spain
SVNS Vancouver Men’s pools
Pool A: Argentina, Fiji, Spain and Canada
Pool B: Australia, France, USA and Samoa
Pool C: Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand and Great Britain
Comments on RugbyPass
Kok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
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