Sevens 'gap is really not as big as it used to be'

Hong Kong China Sevens halfback Hugo Stiles says the gap between the Challenger Series and the HSBC SVNS is narrowing.

Stiles was happy with how his side fared on Day 1 of the HSBC Challenger Series in Munich, crediting the talent within the squad for their perfect 3-from-3 results in the Bavarian capital.

Stiles – who was born in the UK – stressed the importance of a game-by-game approach as they aim to finish ahead of fourth-placed Germany in the series.

“We’re starting to play the brand of rugby we know we’re about,” Stiles told RugbyPass pitchside in Munich. “We’ve got some really talented players who, ball in space, can look really dangerous. It’s my job to put those boys in space and then get on the end of it, which I managed to do a couple of times.

“The coaches are pretty happy. We’re quite a momentum team so building into the tournament like that is exactly what we want to do. So, Uganda up next, we’ll see how that goes but like I said, momentum is good and the boys are really on top today and it’s perfect conditions, so no complaints.

“We can’t predict what’s going to happen in the groups, it’s very much a game-by-game mentality and we do know we’ve got to finish on top of Germany because it looks like the top three have found their space in Madrid.”

The prospect of joining the SVNS circuit was described as ‘huge’.

“It would be huge [getting onto the SVNS circuit]. It’s quite an interesting setup now with the bottom four playing the top four and then it all comes down to the quarter-final, but we fancy our chances. We’ve just got to make it happen this weekend.”

Stiles insists that the gap between the Challenger Series and the HSBC SVNS top flight isn’t all that great.

“You look at the top four teams, and they’re pretty unstoppable forces, some of them. But the gap between that bottom four and top four [of the Challenger Series], you’ll probably see in Madrid. I’d like to think there will be a few teams in and out and switching, and that makes it even more interesting for World Rugby, whether or not it should be back up to more teams.

“I don’t know, but the gap’s really not as big as it used to be. This Challenger Series, these three legs, are such fantastic opportunities for second-tier nations to play rugby and play against each others because I think we’re all improving as the tournament goes along.”