Teams peaking nicely for the SCC 7s
October has been a great month for Rugby in general and sevens in particular. The Olympics finally welcomed back rugby into its fold, and with that a new spate of tournaments opened in Asia with the ARFU Asian Rugby Sevens Circuit.
The last couple weeks has seen great rugby action from the ‘driest’ Sevens of Brunei, to the great tournaments held just last weekend, namely the Borneo 7s and the Bangkok 7s.
Many of the teams that have played over the last few weeks will feature in what is widely regarded as one of the best and most competitive Sevens tournaments outside of the IRB and ARFU Circuit – the 62nd Singapore Cricket Club International Rugby 7s, or more fondly known as the ‘SCC 7s’. Played in the heart of the island nation on the Padang, the SCC 7s welcomes a unique blend of serious club sides, social club sides and national development sides.
The tournament this year looks highly competitive, if the last weekend’s results are any yardstick. Four time Ablitt Cup Champions and 2008 Finalists Davetalvu lost out to NS Wanderers in the final of the Borneo 7s, which will surprise some observers out there, who saw the Fijians battle the SA Vipers from South Africa, in a very hard fought and close 2008 final on the Padang. Rest assured though, that under the leadership of seasoned coach Jon Lotu, who has been to Singapore for over a decade now, that the Fijians will be a very different team come 7th November.
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Form team NS Wanderers |
The great win in Kota Kinabalu will definitely boost the spirits of the NS Wanderers from Malaysia, as they look to extend their winning streak in Singapore. They won the Blacks Midnight 10s in August, and will look to secure a place in the elite cup competition on the Padang.
The SA Vipers, South Africa’s national development squad are again looking very dangerous. They are looking to win the Ablitt Cup for the 3rd year running, and coach Paul Treu has enlisted the core of the 2008 IRB 7s Champions, including captain Mzwandile Stick. The side will also include young up and coming star Cecil Afrika who shone for South Africa in the recent Junior World Cup in Tokyo. Treu regards the SCC 7s as a very important part of his IRB World Sevens Series preparations.
A very competitive on field rivalry has developed between the SA Vipers and their 2007 final opponents and arguably New Zealand’s both successful club, Ponsonby. The ‘Ponies’ have won in Singapore a number of times, but in the last two years have been stopped by the SA Vipers. This year’s side is a young side, with only six returnees to Singapore. That might not be a bad thing though, as you would expect the Ponies to be very competitive, and with Kane ‘Weasel’ Hancy returning as captain, expect them to be in the top eight on Sunday.
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India chasing down China in last weekend's Borneo Sevens |
2009 will see a whole host of new teams compete for the first time as well, including the Indian National team, the ‘Invaders’ who have recently competed in tournaments in Brunei and Borneo. They are relative unknowns, but are sure to be a great treat for rugby fans on the Padang.
Also making their debut this year are the Flying Kukris, a British Army team based in Brunei. The regiment has just returned from action in Afghanistan, and are looking to spread the forgotten notion of gentleman rugby to Asia.
So what about the hosts then? The SCC Sevens team has been in training for close to five months, three times a week, a great feat if you know that all of the team are full time working professionals with day jobs in the areas of finance, law and the like. They come off a Plate win in the Bangkok 7s, and fourth place finished at the Jonah Jones 7s, and a win in the local Guinness National Sevens Competition. Under the tutelage of player/coach Hairul Naim, expect the hosts to surprise a few come the weekend.
Text courtesy: Paul Kung
Image courtesy: ZZEBRA Public Relations Private Limited and Rodney Holt
This article is also available in the following Country/s. Singapore, India
