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The great news is my broken jaw is fixed and all the metalwork has been removed which I means have been able to eat steak again! The only lingering frustration is that I have not made it back in time to help the guys in Hong Kong and Singapore, but look out London and Paris!
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I have been given the all clear and it’s now a case of easing my way back and I was able to take a bump in training and bounced up with a smile on my face after jumping in to try and make a intercept and collided with Ben Pinkelman. My reaction was “that feels really good” and I realised just how much I had missed it while the rest of the guys were all laughing.
All of the metalwork was taken out of my mouth a week ago and everything is healing well after the screws were removed which means I can eat anything I want. My team mate Danny Barrett is also back training after his arm injury which is great.
I would love to be running out here at the CathayPacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens because this is still a very special tournament on the circuit and one the USA have yet to win. We felt we could have achieved something last year and the post-match debrief we held highlighted areas where we needed to improve and I believe that Hong Kong experience was a key moment in our development. We really felt there was a great opportunity for us having won in Las Vegas and playing well in Vancouver but came up short.
Now, we return to Hong Kong as the No.1 ranked team in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series having made significant strides this year and there is a special vibe about this tournament. For the USA Sevens squad it is all about building on the success we have achieved this season. Making five finals is a truly amazing achievement but it doesn’t guarantee anything and what drives us on is the desire to remain in the No1 spot. However, we know that just how tough the Hong Kong leg is going to be with Fiji attempting to win it for a remarkable fifth successive time. Those guys get incredible support around the circuit but particularly here in Hong Kong and HSBC have put together a special film about why this tournament is so special to Fiji and all of their amazing fans.
When you are ranked No.1 then more people take notice of your achievements and that has been the case at home where rugby’s profile really is improving which is great for the sport. If you are successful in the States then people want to jump on board and be part of it and it came as a surprise to many that we were No1 so now fans want to see us in action. Before heading out to Hong Kong to support my teammates, I did some coaching with a successful High School team in Florida and it really is great to see so many youngsters playing the game at home. Getting into the grassroots in the US is absolutely key with parent being involved as well and more kids are playing. We are getting there and while it won’t happen overnight, we want people to get inspired.
That has happened in Hong Kong where the HSBC Try Rugby programme has seen over 30,000 children pick up a rugby ball for the first time. It is celebrating its second anniversary with HSBC working in partnership with HKRU and Hong Kong Education University to incorporate rugby sevens into the national curriculum which is great news.
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Unlike the majority of the fans at the Sevens here in Hong Kong, I won’t be wearing fancy dress at the tournament because the only thing I want to wear at the moment is our team kit and I cannot wait for London.
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
41 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
41 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
41 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
51 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
41 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
41 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
41 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
41 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments