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2016 Olympic Games, Rio

What are you referring to?

SBW confirmed out with an Achilles rupture.

Not setting up any centralized year round training, not encouraging super rugby level players to continue with 7s for the games. What this team could have achieved with a few of the faster wingers in NZ, rather than just big guys. Looks like SBW is out, but I'm not sure what exactly he offered to begin with. Why not a Tivita Li or a Jone Macali? All the problems we've seen with this team over the last few world series - having a fit team but without real speed - Gillies Kaka is a good player but he's not in the same level as a play maker as Tomasi Cama. Why was none of this addressed? And seeing as we saw it happening, as our dominance in 7s continued to decline, why didn't we do what the teams catching up were clearly doing and have them with year round contracts for most of the players?
 
Not setting up any centralized year round training, not encouraging super rugby level players to continue with 7s for the games. What this team could have achieved with a few of the faster wingers in NZ, rather than just big guys. Looks like SBW is out, but I'm not sure what exactly he offered to begin with. Why not a Tivita Li or a Jone Macali? All the problems we've seen with this team over the last few world series - having a fit team but without real speed - Gillies Kaka is a good player but he's not in the same level as a play maker as Tomasi Cama. Why was none of this addressed? And seeing as we saw it happening, as our dominance in 7s continued to decline, why didn't we do what the teams catching up were clearly doing and have them with year round contracts for most of the players?

i think it was a combination of cockiness and just not caring about 7s

they thought that they didn't need to put a whole bunch of resources into the sport and still end up with a medal. and even if they don't get a medal it's just 7s
 
Thing is, in the US they play these sports that are secondary elsewhere in the world, only basketball is somewhat popular in Europe, American Football and Baseball are almost non existant elsewhere.

So you come to a point where 19 of the 20 best players in the world of a sport play for the US. Then what is the point of international play?

I'd argue that the US women soccer team is a lot more important to the US than their soccer league. because these women actually have someone to play against that matches them, and they win more often than not representing their country internationally.
I don't disagree with why the mentality happens. But I can't agree with sports being in the Olympics which the players don't think it's the top of their sport.

I use to play Squash and you see the players and the sport try desperately to get in. Changing huge amounts of how spectators view it to make in TV friendly. The players want it as well and it still isn't bloody selected. It's annoying as hell.
 
I don't disagree with why the mentality happens. But I can't agree with sports being in the Olympics which the players don't think it's the top of their sport.

My point was only that it is not an "american view it differently" thing, but it has to do with the actual state of each sport worldwide.

I guess you could take basketball out of the olympics... I would argue that for most players that are there (IE: Those not from the US) winning a medal is a pretty big frickin deal. For the US players, they are at a no-win situation: If they get the gold, well, OF COURSE!, and if they don't, they SUCK so hard.
 
i think it was a combination of cockiness and just not caring about 7s

they thought that they didn't need to put a whole bunch of resources into the sport and still end up with a medal. and even if they don't get a medal it's just 7s

Absolutely, but I think they have fundamentally underestimated the NZ public's desire to do well in the Olympics. Even for their own standards they have set in the past they have been terrible. Think about the side they have had in the Commonwealth Games prior to the last one:

1998 had All Blacks: Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen, Bruce Reihana, Joeli Vidiri, Rico Gear, Roger Randle, Caleb Ralph, Dallas Seymour (basically the premier of New Zealand rugby outside backs - and Dallas Seymour). The only non All Black was sevens specialist Amasio Valence.

2002 had All Blacks: Mils Muliaina, Rodney So'oialo, Chris Masoe, Bruce Reihana, Anthony Tuitavake, Eric Rush, Roger Randle, Craig Newby - with a few more specialist 7's players such as Karl Ta Nana and Valence thrown back there. Most of the players were also playing Super Rugby.

2006 had All Blacks: Cary Jane, Liam Messam, Tamati Ellison, Sosene Anesi, Tanerau Latimer

2010 had All Blacks: Hosea Gear, Ben Smith, Liam Messam, Zac Guildford

Now in fairness some of the 7s players may go on to have careers as All Blacks (I suspect the Ioane brothers will), but what you can see if the NZRU has severely been cutting off the availability of these players as they have expanded the Super Rugby season and test series. It just makes no sense why a guys who aren't quite in that All Black frame weren't told to have a go at 7s. People argue that 7s is a different game - but obviously with the list I have just shown its not so different that the players didn't return even better 15s players afterwards.
 

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