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Singapore 7s returns bigger and better - Neil Best

HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens 2017

Latecomers to industrial development have had to catch up by finding ways of closing the gap

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And successfully closing the gap has been the Singaporean way for many years. When Singaporeans take hold of something new, they add their own twist or brand and end up with something close to the best. Just as it has happened with Formula 1, it will happen with Sevens Rugby. I have absolutely no doubt that this year’s incarnation of the Singapore Sevens will be bigger and better than last year, and next year we’ll host something a level up again.

Singapore’s been my home leg of the Sevens Circuit for the past couple of years – and maybe in small part due to climate – the traditional Sevens names don’t always feature at the business end of day two. Last year we had a Canadian win, beating their North American rivals the US in the final, and the year before it was Kenya who collected the victory in Singapore.

As individual performances go last year Perry Baker stole it, not least with the kids and young fans in the Singapore National Stadium. Whilst Scotland could confidently lay claim to having had the most “lively” fans, as all too often with Scottish sport the team didn’t get close to matching the fans’ performance -yet with sporting masochism in the blood, I don’t expect the kilt count to drop in two weeks’ time.

Singaporean Rugby is definitely on the up, the National team setup is growing in professionalism and capacity and has an expanding youth and amateur tier underneath. And whilst we are an occasional home to Super 15 Rugby and the Sunwolves franchise -the Singapore Sevens is still seen as the premier rugby event of the year.

Ireland’s failure at the last hurdle in Hong Kong, to qualify for next year’s World Sevens is hugely disappointing but at least there is an appreciation of the need to be involved. They can have another crack next season to cure the anomaly that Ireland, ranked second globally in 15-a-side, are the only team in the top ten not involved in World Sevens.

As for Northern Ireland not having a team at the Commonwealth Games Sevens in Australia – it absolutely defies logic. For a small country with limited sporting resources and talent, having a Sevens team is a no-brainer. It’s one area where Northern Ireland has an established pool of professional sporting talent and a Club side -Ulster -who can genuinely claim to be operating at the higher levels of their sport. And unlike the Ireland selection policies that bar some players plying their rugby trade in England, France or elsewhere, a Northern Ireland Commonwealth games team would be without restriction.

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If there are any prospective sponsors out there keen to get involved, I would be delighted to manage or coach Northern Ireland Sevens squads through qualifying for the 2022 Commonwealth Games – even if it’s in dreary Birmingham.

Back to the Singapore Sevens, my prediction is any one of Fiji, South Africa or Kenya to win. Like most things in sport it will come down to who wants it most.

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.

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HSBC Singapore 7s returns bigger, better & bolder this year. 

Join the biggest celebration of rugby in Southeast Asia at National Stadium Singapore, 28-29 April

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Nothing beats the experience of living through the highs (and the lows) of your team with your bestest mates. Round up your pals and come to the biggest celebration of rugby in Southeast Asia!

Ticket starts at SGD120 for Mates4 Package*

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M
Mzilikazi 25 minutes ago
Does the next Wallabies coach have to be an Australian?

Great read on a fascinating topic, Nick. Thanks as always.


My gut feel is that Joe Schmidt won't carry on through to the next RWC. He is at the stage, and age, in his life , that a further two years in a very high pressure coaching job would not be a good thing for either himself or his family. The fact that he remains based in Taupo seems a significant pointer, I would have thought. I believe he has a round trip of 12 hrs driving just to get on a plane to Australia.


Amongst the many good things Joe Schmidt has achieved to this point is that the WB's are now a more enticing prospect to coach going forward.


Tbh, the only Australian coach I would see stepping up and developing the WB's further would be Les Kiss. He has far more in his CV than any other Australian. He now has 23 years of coaching Union,starting with a defence role with the Boks, then back to Australia with the Waratahs. Overseas again for nine years in Ireland, which included 5 years as defence coach with the national team, during which he was interim head coach for two games, both wins. His last years in Ireland were with Ulster, even then a team beginning a decline. So that spell was his least successful. Finally the spell with London Irish, where I felt Kiss was doing very well, till the club collapsed financially.


Of the other Australian options, Dan McKellar has a lot to prove post the year with Leicester. Stephen Larkham has not, in my view, yet shown outstanding qualities as a coach. Nether man has anything close to Kiss's experience. Some may see this as being harsh on both men, ignoring good work they have done. But is how I see it.


Looking outside Australia, I would see Vern Cotter as a strong possibility, if interested. His time with Scotland was outstanding. Ronan O'Gara, I would think, might well be another possibility, though he has no international experience. Jake White ? Maybe .

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