USA Men Sevens: That QF Loss Hurt
USA Men Sevens: That QF Loss Hurt
After getting turfed out of the Perth SVNS quarterfinals the USA Men's 7s team capped off their weekend with a win over Spain to take 7th.
It was a bit of a galling finish considering the USA lost just the one game. However, the SVNS system now judges quarterfinal losing teams based on their losing margin. So if you're one of the two worst losing margins you play for 7th, and the top two you play for 5th, no argument.
“When we look at the performance over the weekend, to go 4-1, it’s real progress from Dubai and Cape Town with the more experienced boys coming in," said Mike Friday. "More importantly, the chemistry and the continuity in attack was improved. We played with real purpose, freedom, and we played some really exciting stuff. Defensively, we were relentless. We caused real havoc. When we take a step back and look at the performance over the weekend, I’m really pleased and proud of what the boys have achieved and moved forward to actually be more like themselves."
Imploding somewhat against Australia in the quarterfinals undercut a pretty good performance from the USA, and it showed that if have a bad showing at the wrong time, you can suffer for it.
"In that quarterfinal against Australia, I don’t think we showed up," said Friday. "Our attitude was slightly off, and a very shrewd, wily Australia team who learned from the pool game pushed the boundaries on some of the breakdowns. As a consequence, they were able to win the moments and get momentum to score some tries. That was hugely disappointing but a lesson for the guys to learn the brutality of knockout rugby. If you’re just slightly off, whether that’s in attitude or work ethic, then you get punched in the face.
"The important takeaway is that we should be confident that the series realizes that we’re a proper handful with ball in hand. Our Dawgs aggression and work ethic in defense is clear to be seen. The big lesson is that we have to do that every time all the time, and we can’t afford to be slightly off in any moment, any game. Games can quickly run away from you, so there are lots to build on as we head to Vancouver and our home stop in LA.”
Net up, of course, is SVNS Van and SVNS LAX—tickets available now. The USA is now 8th in the SVNS standings, having inched up after Perth. The top eight play in the championship tournament in Madrid, while the next four play for the chance to come back.
There will be two more tournaments, Hong Kong and Singapore, following Vancouver and LA, before the finals in Madrid.
