Rio 7's. What team?

[Adder]

Hi,

I was wondering who would ve representing team GB(&NI) at the Olympics? What was decided in the end? An all English team? A mixed team?

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[Eugene Wrayburn]

Hi,

I was wondering who would ve representing team GB(&NI) at the Olympics? What was decided in the end? An all English team? A mixed team?

Sent from my LG-H320 using Tapatalk

Mixed team, I think selected by the English coach whose name currently escapes me.

Our regular male 7s players are a bit pish. With an influx of talent we might scrape a medal but we look a long way from that at the moment, even combining the best that all 3 have to offer.

I'd like to see Joe Simpson, Justin Tipuric and Stuart Hogg all given serious consideration. Actually Paul Marshall - Ulster reserve scrum half - might actually make a decent 7s player but I'm not sure the IRFU are prepared to release any of their players to play for the UK.

[Adder]

Hi,

I was wondering who would ve representing team GB(&NI) at the Olympics? What was decided in the end? An all English team? A mixed team?

Sent from my LG-H320 using Tapatalk

Mixed team, I think selected by the English coach whose name currently escapes me.

Our regular male 7s players are a bit pish. With an influx of talent we might scrape a medal but we look a long way from that at the moment, even combining the best that all 3 have to offer.

I'd like to see Joe Simpson, Justin Tipuric and Stuart Hogg all given serious consideration. Actually Paul Marshall - Ulster reserve scrum half - might actually make a decent 7s player but I'm not sure the IRFU are prepared to release any of their players to play for the UK.

Its going to be hard to condition the team in so little time. One of the big inconvenience of representing 4 nations in one. I know the French, the americans and the kiwis are already gearing up for the games.

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[Adder]

I think its going to be very interesting to see smaller rugby nations compete. A real chance to promote the game. 7's is probably the fairest form of the game.

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[rowan]

Main point of interest for me will be whether Fiji can win a medal - and, if so, what color. If it's gold, they'll go crazy in the South Pacific. There'll be a week of celebrations - and some - and the day will undobutedly be declared an annual national holiday. If it's silver or bronze they might initially be a tad disappointed, but it would nonetheless be the first medal Fiji had ever won in Olympic history, and I think they'd eventually come round to recognizing the merit in such an achievement. To date Tonga is the only Pacific Island to have received an Olympic medal. They also became the smallest independent nation to do so when superheavyweight boxer Paea Wolfgramm won silver at the 1996 Games.

[morepork]

I'm really looking forward to the golf. What a sport. True Olympic spirit.

That and BMX.

[Lizard]

My aim for this Olympiad is to really get to grips with Handball.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

My aim for this Olympiad is to really get to grips with Handball.

Got tickets for handball in 2012. Was looking to get anything in the Olympic Park. Thought it would be shit but we cold leave at half time of the first game if it was and hang out in the park. It's a brilliant game live.We stayed for both matches and picked up whateer tickets we could after.

I'm really looking forward to the golf. What a sport. True Olympic spirit.

That and BMX.

BMX is cool.

[Digby]

Handball is much bigger across much of Europe than in the UK, lots of pro leagues. Always thought it a shame it has such a low profile in the UK, cheap to get a game going, brilliant exercise, and as it happens brilliant cross over training for rugby.

[Adder]

Handball is much bigger across much of Europe than in the UK, lots of pro leagues. Always thought it a shame it has such a low profile in the UK, cheap to get a game going, brilliant exercise, and as it happens brilliant cross over training for rugby.

Womens handball is fierce

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[rowan]

Brazil, Fiji, Britain, NZ, SA, Argentina, US, Franca, Japan, Australia, Kenya to be joined by one of Chile, Uruguay, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Hong Kong, Skorea, Sri Lanka, Samoa, Tonga, Morocco, Tunisia & Zimbabwe. You'd have to go for Samoa, Ireland or Canada from that lot, I suppose. So what's the format - 4 pools of 3? 2 pools of 6? It would be a little ridiculous to travel all that way for just two games, I suppose, so the latter seems more likely.

[rowan]

Could Olympic 7s devalue test rugby? Interesting report from CNN here: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/12/sport ... index.html

[Lizard]

I don't think 7s will devalue XVs as much as prevent it growing. The proper game will stay strong in its current strongholds but the likes of China, USA etc will focus resources on winning gold medals, not on climbing the international XVs ladder.

[rowan]

the likes of China, USA etc will focus resources on winning gold medals, not on climbing the international XVs ladder.

If it helps raise the profile of the sport there, that's still have a spin-off effect for the orthodox version of the game anyway and increase registrations and funding avenues.

[OptimisticJock]

Hi,

I was wondering who would ve representing team GB(&NI) at the Olympics? What was decided in the end? An all English team? A mixed team?

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Should just be Scotland tbf

[Big D]

Brazil, Fiji, Britain, NZ, SA, Argentina, US, Franca, Japan, Australia, Kenya to be joined by one of Chile, Uruguay, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Hong Kong, Skorea, Sri Lanka, Samoa, Tonga, Morocco, Tunisia & Zimbabwe. You'd have to go for Samoa, Ireland or Canada from that lot, I suppose. So what's the format - 4 pools of 3? 2 pools of 6? It would be a little ridiculous to travel all that way for just two games, I suppose, so the latter seems more likely.

Would have to fancy Samoa after their performance last week.

I believe the format is stretched over 4 days so I think 2 groups of 6 with top 2 playing semis and final makes sense. I can't see how else they would do it.

To be honest I don't know why they didn't just follow the standard 16 team tournaments. It works well all year round. Granted they need to fill an additional 2 places due to Sco/Eng/Wal = GB+NI but it wouldn't have been a problem really except the odd heavy defeat.

[rowan]

Hopefully Samoa gets that final spot at the Olympics. It's love to see both them and Fiji on the podium in Rio. Neither country has ever won a medal at the games, of course.

[OptimisticJock]

Hi,

I was wondering who would ve representing team GB(&NI) at the Olympics? What was decided in the end? An all English team? A mixed team?

Sent from my LG-H320 using Tapatalk

Should just be Scotland tbf

It's hard to argue with myself.

[rowan]

Just noticed that Hong Kong is included in the Olympics repechage tournament. How is it that they can compete as an "independent" nation but Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland can't?

[OptimisticJock]

Because we don't want to.

[rowan]

Just curious because I was born in Hong Kong & have a UK/EU passport as a result but no longer qualify for an HK passport since its part of China again.

[rowan]

The World Rugby organization exonerated Alexei Mikhaltsov, who tested positive for the prohibited substance meldonium, head of Russian Rugby Federation's elite rugby department Dmitry Afinogenov told Interfax.

"All sanctions against Mikhaltsov have been lifted. We received a notification today, and from this day he has been cleared of all restrictions on participation in competitions," Afinogenov said.

Word Rugby announced the decision to temporarily ban Russian rugby players Alyona Mikhaltsova and Alexei Mikhaltsov from competitions due to traces of the prohibited substance of meldonium in their doping tests on March 12.

Mikhaltsov was suspended from competing starting February 4, 2016, and Mikhaltsova was suspended starting February 26, 2016.

https://rbth.com/sport/2016/05/25/world ... ase_597291

[rowan]

Nice story about Ben Ryan on CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/27/sport ... index.html

[Adder]

If you want to Watch Both Team GBs today: http://www.rugbyeurope.tv/en/content/16 ... 2016-day-1


GB Royals
Cory Allen
Tom Bowen
Alex Davis
Jamie Farndale
Alex Gray
Warwick Lahmert
Ollie Lindsay-Hague
Ruaridh McConnochie
Luke Morgan
Scott Riddell
Joe Simpson
Luke Treharne (c)

Fixtures (all times in BST with a live stream available via http://www.rugbyeurope.tv)
9.28am v Georgia
12.28pm v Lithuania
3.28pm v Russia

GB Lions
Mark Bennett
Dan Bibby
Phil Burgess
Sam Cross
James Davies
Richard de Carpentier
Lee Jones
Gavin Lowe
Tom Mitchell (c)
Dan Norton
Mark Robertson
Marcus Watson

Fixtures (all times in BST with a live stream available via http://www.rugbyeurope.tv)
8.22am v Portugal
11am v France
2.22pm v Poland

[Adder]

GB Lions vs France is the next game. Probably the only noteworthy game for the UK.