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Written by RUGBYMag.com News Release    Thursday, 18 August 2011 10:48    PDF Print Write e-mail
Japan Now an IRB World Series Host
International - HSBC Sevens World Series

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced the expansion of the HSBC Sevens World Series, with Japan joining as the ninth venue for the upcoming 2011/2012 Series.

With 100 days to go until the start of the new Series, Tokyo's Prince Chichibu Stadium has been announced as the venue for the seventh round, one week after the renowned tournament in Hong Kong.

The expansion into Japan is another major boost for Asian Rugby, which has experienced an 18% increase in participation since Rugby World Cup 2007.
The continent is also building towards staging Rugby World Cup for the first time, when Japan will host the 2019 tournament.

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “I am delighted that Tokyo is joining the international roster of tournaments that comprise the record-breaking HSBC Sevens World Series, which last season was watched in 147 countries in 16 languages. I am sure that the Japan Rugby Football Union will host a successful and popular event that Japan, Asia and the global Rugby family will be proud of.

“These are extremely exciting times for Rugby in Asia, where interest in Rugby has been boosted by Japan securing hosting rights for Rugby World Cup 2019 and Olympic inclusion. The IRB is committed to ensuring all the processes are in place for the continued development of the sport throughout the Region so that even more men, women and children can enjoy Rugby.

“We very much look forward to working in partnership with the Japan Rugby Football Union to deliver an event that will benefit Asian Rugby and mark another significant milestone as we countdown to Sevens’ Olympic Games debut in Rio in 2016."

The IRB is committed to the development of Rugby across Asia and working in collaboration with the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU), it is currently investing over US$3 million annually in development, high performance and tournament programs across Asia. The awarding of this Tournament to Japan is a key step in the process.

Japan looks forward to welcoming the world
Chairman of the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU), Tatsuzo Yabe, said: "It is with great pleasure that we welcome the prestigious HSBC Sevens World Series to Japan. I am sure that the event will be extremely popular, especially at a time when there is unprecedented growth in the Olympic form of the Game.

“We are determined to take this opportunity to demonstrate the appetite for Rugby in Japan and give international fans a taste of what to expect at Rugby World Cup 2019. We want to deliver an outstanding Sevens tournament that Japan and Asia can be proud of. To our visitors from overseas, please come and enjoy the tournament and witness Japan’s strong unity through these tough times. We are truly looking forward to welcoming the international rugby community for the HSBC Sevens World Series.”

Japan's inclusion signals the first expansion of the World Series since HSBC was appointed title sponsor.  

Giles Morgan, Group Head of Sponsorship, HSBC Holdings said: “Following on from the record growth in attendance and broadcast coverage for the first year of the HSBC Sevens World Series, it is fantastic news that the Series is expanding to nine international tournaments. The addition of a leg in Japan, the week after the hugely popular Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, will give the sport of Rugby Sevens a real opportunity to be showcased across Asia.

“HSBC looks forward to the continued growth of the HSBC Sevens World Series over the coming years, as the Rugby Sevens world builds towards the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.”

Last season's HSBC Sevens World Series reached its bold attendance target by attracting over 500,000 fans around the world, and reached 332 million homes.
The 2011/12 Series will kick off and climax at different venues, with Australia's Gold Coast set to host the opener on 25-26 November 2011 and London's Twickenham Stadium the climax on 12-13 May 2012.

HSBC Sevens World Series 2011/12
Round 1 - 25-26 November 2011 - Australia
Round 2 - 2-3 December 2011 - Dubai
Round 3 - 9-10 December 2011 - South Africa
Round 4 - 3-4 February 2012 - New Zealand
Round 5 - 10-12 February 2012 - USA
Round 6 - 23-25 March 2012 - Hong Kong
Round 7 - 31 March - 1 April 2012 - Japan
Round 8 - 5-6 May 2012 - Scotland
Round 9 - 12-13 May 2012 - England

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Written by RUGBYMag Staff    Wednesday, 17 August 2011 23:14    PDF Print Write e-mail
Serevi Academy Kicks Off
Colleges - Camps & Clinics

Seattle – Serevi Rugby™ has officially kicked off the first-ever Serevi Rugby™ Academy for promising rugby athletes with Olympic aspirations. The Academy is organized like a national team camp to help better prepare 18- to 24-year-old athletes for the demands of international competition. The camp features New Zealand All Blacks’ coach Gordon Tietjens, winner of nine of the 12 World Rugby Sevens Championships, as well as Al Caravelli, the head coach of the U.S. national rugby team, who is planning on attending to evaluate prospective players. 

“This is the largest group of elite rugby athletes ever gathered outside of a national team setting,” said Waisale Serevi, co-founder of Serevi Rugby™. “It is a testament to the quality of coaches and other players, the intensity of interest in the 2016 Olympics, and the fact that Seattle is becoming known as a hotbed of rugby in the United States.”

Players attending the camp include athletes from the University of Texas, the University of Arizona, Notre Dame, the University of Minnesota and the University of Nebraska, among others. It also includes two current U.S. Eagles players, several former NFL players and a cluster of players from Bermuda. The camp features conditioning, strategy and game management “chalk talks” as well as drills. The camp will wrap up with a mini-tournament at Magnuson Park on August 20st from 9:00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. The tournament is free and open to the public.

Several partners joined Serevi Rugby™ to sponsor the camp, including World Rugby Shop, United Health Care, Sports Reaction Center, Gametapes, Garvey Schubert Barer, Kibble & Prentice and T3 Recovery Mattress.  Full details on the Serevi Rugby™ Academy may be found at www.serevirugby.com. Serevi Rugby™ apparel may be found at www.worldrugbyshop.com.

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Written by RUGBYMag.com News Release    Wednesday, 17 August 2011 18:58    PDF Print Write e-mail
Pilot Geographical Unions Announced
Clubs - Men's DI Clubs

the USA Rugby Board of Directors, in conjunction with Territorial Union representatives, has named four Geographical Unions (GUs) as part of a pilot program to review a new streamlined union structure. GUs are designed to support anticipated growth in the game and to provide increased member services at the local level.

The Northeast Rugby Union (NRU) split into two GUs: New England RFU (a former LAU) and Northeast (formerly Met New York and New York State LAUs). Texas, a former LAU within the West Territorial Union, is now a standalone GU. Southern California, a former TU, is the fourth pilot GU.

Geographical Unions are defined based on a combination of club density in an area and natural geographical boundaries. A GU may be a single state, multiple states, or parts of a large state.

The template for a GU's organizational structure, financial models and bylaws were developed over a two year period by a committee commissioned by USA Rugby CEO and President of Rugby Operations, Nigel Melville, to research the best and highest performing models from existing LAUs and TUs, other rugby-playing nations, and other national governing bodies (NGBs).

One predominant feature of GUs is a full-time USA Rugby administrator who will live in the GU and partner with local rugby organizations to help facilitate and implement USA Rugby programs at the local level while supporting growth. Pilot GUs will start with part time administrators and transition to full-time over a two to four year period.

The TU/LAU Review Committee is made up of members from around the country including: John Coppinger (Pacific); George Durocher (Mid-Atlantic); Martin Gardner (South); Jeremiah Johnson (Midwest); Danita Knox (South/Committee Chair); Bill Middleton (USAR Board of Directors); Joe Olzaki (Northeast); Bill Sexton (West); and Steve Vent (Southern California).

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Written by Alex Goff    Wednesday, 17 August 2011 21:51    PDF Print Write e-mail
Emerick: Familiarity Breeds Tries
RUGBYmag Premier - Exclusive News

USA center Paul Emerick has some thoughts on why his big runs (such as those against Canada) can be converted into tries.

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Written by Alex Goff    Wednesday, 17 August 2011 16:46    PDF Print Write e-mail
Magleby Looking to Replicate US 7s Assembly
Colleges - All Americans

Pati as a 2010 All American. Ian Muir photo

Kelm as 2010 All American. Ian Muir photo

Lambert playing 15s for Life. Pat Clifton photo

Jones in action for SMC. Mike Geib photo

Dave Martini making a tackle for UCLA in Las Vegas. Numina photo

Eloff in 15s DI final. Dobson Images

Muhn in CPD final. Paul Meyers photo

Acker in CRC Qualifier final in Vegas. Numina photo

Stanfill in same game as above. Ian Muir photo

Tiberio with the Lions at Club 7s Nationals. Dobson Images

All American Head Coach Alex Magleby knows a little bit about elite-level 7s assemblies.

The former USA 7s team captain hopes to replicate a national team 7s assembly when the All American 7s squad arrives in Chula Vista Saturday.

But he also knows his experience isn’t the be-all and end-all.

“The game and the IRB circuit have evolved since I played,” Magleby told RUGBYMag.com. “We have a lot of intellectual capital to draw from. Not just me, but Matt Hawkins, who will be in camp, Al Caravelli, our analyst Paul Golding, and former players such as Jason Raven and David Fee. There’s a lot of international 7s experience there.”

The All American players will arrive in Chula Vista on Saturday, get acquainted, and then get run through a series of fitness tests under Caravelli’s watchful eye on Sunday morning.

National Team Coach Caravelli will run the fitness tests in part because Magleby and Caravelli want all measurements to be consistent. Caravelli knows the numbers from his national team players, and he knows how he runs tests.

After that, the All Americans will play against the newly-named Southern California team. That type of hard-nosed scrimmage, too, is what players experience on the HSBC Sevens World Series.

“Our job is to see how these players do in an assembly,” said Magleby. “We put them under some duress on Sunday, recover, work through the week, and play a tournament on the next weekend. We try to replicate what they do on the IRB circuit. That way we can start to develop these players and not have Coach Caravelli have to do it in his camps.”

Several players who could have been involved in this camp are not there because of injury, school and work. Several players who performed well in the USA 7s Collegiate Rugby Championships now have started careers and can’t get away. Military commitments keep some away also. Others have injuries (highest-profile among them might be Ryan Roundy, who broke his leg playing for the All Americans in July).

But the 18 players in camp are impressive (even if some are a little banged up). They are coming in fit as all have been doing workouts through the summer and sending the results in to the coaching staff.

Twelve of the 18 will be chosen to play in the National All-Star Championships in nine days, while the remaining six will either be allocated to the injury player pool, or added to all-star squads to make teams 13-strong (with Caravelli adding one or two more prospects to fill out the squads).

“We have to be clear to the players what the goals are,” said Magleby. “In 15s we have two goals: the All American list, which lists the best collegiate players, and then the second is to develop players at the international level, where we pick players who have potential as Eagles. In 7s, we don’t have a specific college 7s season right now, so we’re picking an All American team based on players who we think can be international 7s players.”

USA All American 7s Squad
Muhammed Abdul-Shakoor (Dartmouth), Timothy Acker (Kutztown University), Nate Brakeley (Dartmouth), JP Eloff (Davenport University), Kyle Grossheider (Life University), Will Holder (Army), James Bubba Jones (St. Mary's College), Gareth Jones (Temple), Duncan Kelm (San Diego State University), Garrett Lambert (Life University), David Martini (University of California - Los Angeles), Rocco Mauer (Bowling Green State University), Dustin Muhn (University of California - Berkeley), Don Pati (University of Utah), Jayson Rego (University of Hawaii), Tim Stanfill (Central Washington University), Peter Tiberio (University of Arizona), Brett Willis (California State University - Sacramento)

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