Spaniards give the Asians a lesson of what it takes to be there!
View(s):A record 113,000 people turned up over the two days of the London Sevens last weekend at Twickenham where Hong Kong’s attempt to become the first Asian team to play in the HSBC Sevens World Series ended in failure.
Among the crowd was Ben Gollings, former England captain in the abbreviated version and presently Sri Lanka’s sevens coach, who was called upon to give his expert views on television.
Spain beat impressive Hong Kong, but failed to match Fiji as New Zealand went on to clinch the London Sevens at Twickenham.
Gollings had an interesting take on Hong Kong’s demise in the quarter-finals of the qualifying tournament where eight teams were vying for three spots as core teams who will play in the 2013-14 World Series. He said Hong Kong failed – they lost 29-14 to Spain in the quarter-finals – simply because they were not used to playing at the pace of the Spanish players.
Let’s rewind a bit. Hong Kong as Asian sevens champions gained automatic entry into the qualifiers. They joined Georgia, Russia, Tonga and Zimbabwe, all of whom won a ticket to London at the pre-qualifiers held alongside the Hong Kong Sevens in March. This five were joined by Scotland, Portugal and Spain who were core teams this season but were relegated after finishing at the bottom of the standings.
Yet, they were given the chance to regain their lost status at the top table by the International Rugby Board, and the trio did this promptly, finishing in the top three in London.
On the opening day on a cold and blustery Twickenham, the eight teams were split into two round-robin pools and Hong Kong did well defeating Georgia (17-12) and top seeds Scotland (20-19) but lost to Zimbabwe (12-7). On that first day’s results, the eight teams were ranked and Hong Kong finished fourth and came up against Spain, ranked fifth, in Sunday’s knockout round.
They lost. Spain rushed to a 19-0 lead by halftime as Hong Kong inexplicably failed to contest the kick-off and subsequent re-starts allowing their taller and more powerful opponents a monopoly on the possession. Without the ball, it is hard to play any sort of rugby, be it sevens or 15s, as Hong Kong discovered.
Gollings’ take was: “Spain was used to playing at a high level of intensity and a greater pace and Hong Kong couldn’t handle this.”
Spain had played all eight previous legs on the World Series this season and as such was used to playing at the intensity Gollings talked about. That plus their height advantage gave them a clear edge over Hong Kong who struggled to come to grips in a match played early in the day and in front of a few hundred fans (the thousands only turned up later).
Used to playing in front of their home fans (40,000) at the Hong Kong Sevens, Hong Kong clearly failed to rise to the occasion. The surroundings, an almost empty 82,000-seater stadium, wasn’t conducive to bringing out the best – Gollings said “you have to create your own atmosphere” – and it seemed as if their heart was not in it.
No matter how good you are, if you find alien conditions not to your liking, you will suffer as an athlete. So next time you berate the Sri Lankan cricket team for a poor showing on a wet and cold English summers’ day, remember it is tough playing away.
Only a champion outfit with steel nerves can quickly adapt to foreign conditions. And it helps if you are used to playing at a high level which Hong Kong clearly was not as Gollings pointed out.
And this calls into question the unfairness of the system. The IRB’s much-vaunted aim of spreading the game globally, especially sevens now that it is in the Olympics, takes a hammering when you consider the ‘promotion-relegation’ format used in the World Series.
True, Scotland, Portugal and Spain, were all relegated after finishing bottom of the 15-team standings (New Zealand won the series for yet another year), but by giving them the opportunity to play in the qualifying tournament right away, the IRB all but shut the door on the five aspiring teams, including Hong Kong.
In the real world, relegation means a team misses out for one year and has to fight its way back (promotion). But in this case, just a week after being ‘relegated’ (at the Glasgow Sevens the week before), Scotland, Portugal and Spain were given the opportunity to return to the top tier. And they promptly did so finishing top three in the London qualifiers
So instead of giving three new teams the chance to play in the World Series, and thus spreading the message of sevens, the IRB has just perpetuated the cycle.
It was obvious from day one that Spain and company were in a class above the rest of the wannabes. As Gollings pointed out, they were used to playing at a different level of intensity having been battle-hardened on the nine-leg circuit.
And this goes to show the hurdle facing Sri Lanka as they look ahead to the Asian Sevens Series in September, albeit on a smaller scale, for the likes of Hong Kong and Japan will always be a step above as they have played against higher quality opposition on a more regular basis. Hong Kong for instance played in two legs of the World Series this season – their own event at home and the London Sevens.Gollings knows the enormity of the task facing him and Sri Lanka but he is looking forward to the challenge.
He said his aim when he returns to coach Sri Lanka in July, is to shape a squad with the intent of finishing at least third in the Asian series.Such an outcome would earn Sri Lanka an invitation to the Hong Kong Sevens where they will come up against the big boys of world rugby. A lot of hard work awaits Fazil Marija and the sevens team.
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