<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (danger @ Oct 12 2009, 03:56 PM)
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teh Mite @ Oct 13 2009, 12:20 AM)
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Yeah right, those look like 7's teams... Fiji would wipe the floor with them.[/b]
Well i chose the South African team largely on raw talent so id give you that.
But everyone in the NZ team i chose have sevens experience bar Carter and McCaw, and i dont think its too outlandish to assume they would be quite handy.
Messam captained the NZ sevens side when he was 20, Vito was a star in sevens, Nonu and Toeava were both in the NZ sec schools sevens but always had super 14 commitments so never had a chance to play for the NZ team. They would have waltzed in if they had the opportunity. Sivivatu speaks for himself.[/b][/quote]
Just because a player is a household name and has some experience doesn't mean he'll necessarily be good in international sevens - Most players who regularly train for the XV game can't even hack it at club level - Just look at the Middlesex Sevens and how the invitational teams like Samuari and the British Army can easily wipe the floor with with most club sides who play together at XV.
Lets look at your players;
McCaw - A fetcher and ground-worker at heart. Great at XV, but utterly useless abilities in 7s. His tackling is good, but he's too slow and doesn't have the ball in hand game to suit.
Messam - Decent enough blindside, not a world beater though. Wrong sort of player, nowhere near agile enough.
Vito - Bit more like it.
Carter - Most of his talents would go to waste on the sevens circuit. Not entirely sure on the need for and out and out standoff.
Nonu - Would be about as effective as Mike Tindall without the defensive abilities.
Sivivatu - Got the pace and talent... Not been particularly well as of late however.
Toeava - Agains, a sevens player anyway.
You put them up against a team of (I'll use England to highlight my point) John Brake, Andy Vilk, Ben Gollings, Tom Biggs, Uche Odouza, Ollie Philips & Chris Cracknell, it wouldn't be an upset of England won.
Then throw somewhere like Fiji or South Africa into the mix and they can forget about it.
NZ would want to use their experienced sevens players, the ones like Zar Lawrence & Julian Savea who finished 4th last year in the IRB sevens.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (feicarsinn @ Oct 12 2009, 03:30 PM)
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teh Mite @ Oct 12 2009, 02:57 PM)
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Olyy @ Oct 12 2009, 02:50 PM)
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How are the Scottish 7s team? I don't think i've ever watched them play,
Is it going to be fairly even in the GB team, or is it more likely to be a team England/Wales with a token scot on the bench?[/b]
The real cat amongst the pigeons will be separating the Irish from Northern Irish. Expect lots of arguing, followed by flag burning, to follow.
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I'd be surprised if that many play for GB. If they do fair play and all but Tommy Bowe will play for Ireland and
it would only be Ferris who'd be left then(a big loss but Heaslip would be my man for 7's)
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Why would you want either? I'd imagine players like Best and Wilson being better suited the Ferris and Heaslip tbh - Which being as they're from Ulster does throw the issue into the wringer.