England succeeded where their 15-a-side counterparts failed at the recent Rugby World Cup and blitzed a brutal Pool D as the 2015-16 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series began with a bang in Dubai.
– INTERVIEW: New Zealand legend Sonny Bill Williams
– SEVENS: Ireland star gives insight into life as a player
– SEVENS: South Africa welcome Test stars in Dubai
The Red Rose crushed Wales, Kenya and Australia in the last game of a gala day to join Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens holders South Africa and reigning Series champions Fiji with a perfect three wins from three.
The impressive 21-5 victory at the close of play against the hotly-tipped Thunderbolts saw James Rodwell, Tom Mitchell and Phil Burgess all crash over on Pitch 1 at The Sevens.
This saw them avoid a killer quarter-final contest in the Cup today against the Fijians but coach Simon Amor insisted England would have their “hands full” against Argentina.
He said: “If you watch sevens, it is brilliant and every pool is a ‘group of death’ now. We’ve given ourselves a good chance of having a good day two.
“You play who you play. If you turn up and your attitude is right, then you can beat any team. Our attitude has been excellent these last three games. Argentina are a brilliant team as well, excellent at the breakdown. We have our hands full there, that is for sure.”
The great drama on Friday came in Pool C, United States winger Perry Baker’s dancing feet allowing him to crash over in the corner in the last play of the last game to secure a famous 14-12 triumph against New Zealand and dump France into the Bowl on points difference.
“For me, it is about the spirit the crew have shown all day,” said coach Mike Friday, whose charges play South Africa in the last eight.
The old man raises a fair point: @Dubai7s is a fun/great spectacle but does the shift towards sprinter-based teams (USA) make it comical?
— Andrew Binner (@AndrewBinner) December 4, 2015
“There is plenty to play for tomorrow, as we have sailed close to the wind today. The reality is all we’ve managed to do is get a ticket to the cup and our ticket is to play South Africa, who are the holders.”
The Blitzboks were only truly tested against Scotland in Pool B, a brace from six-try winger Seabelo Senatla helping the reigning champions to prevail 26-12. They also thrashed runners-up Samoa 33-7 and bottom-placed Russia 45-0 during a day demanding coach Neil Powell described as “a mixed bag”.
“It is always good to have one of those games [against Scotland],” he said. “We will learn things from that game, especially in the first half. It has been a little bit of a mixed bag. We gave too many points away.”
Fiji – who next meet Australia – roared past Canada 63-14 in their Pool A opener, with nine separate try scorers registering. They then required a last-gasp Vatemo Ravouvou effort to make it 21-17 and deny Japan a famous victory before they wound up with a 28-0 thrashing of Rio 2016 Olympic dark horses Argentina.
“We scored 16 tries today and every single one of them was converted, which is awesome,” coach Ben Ryan said. “We haven’t fully revealed our hand as yet. We haven’t played at full throttle and we’re going to need to.
“We’re three games away from winning the Dubai Sevens and if we play to our potential, we will win the Dubai Sevens.”
It was a special occasion for Scott Curry, who was playing in his first tournament as permanent All Blacks Sevens skipper after he succeeded veteran DJ Forbes.
The giant forward – who is likely to miss the quarter-final clash against Samoa with a shoulder problem – admitted he was still growing into the role.
He said: “It’s a little bit strange, but it is great having experienced guys like DJ Forbes still in there. It is run by the leadership group and I am just the figurehead, in a way.
“I don’t get any special treatment. I am just making the decisions on the field and having a few more discussions with [coach Gordon] Tietjens.”
