GRR: USA Men 7s
After putting together a string of results that were, quite frankly, a pleasant surprise, the USA Men’s 7s team is just playing some bad rugby.
Gone is much in the way of variety of play. Gone is the idea that time and space are precious.
Analysis/Opinion by Alex Goff
The USA Men’s 7s team were 2nd in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series before Sydney, and then dropped to 7th.
Little issues with the team’s performance made that big change.
“It’s just ruthless,” said USA Head Coach Mike Friday. “If you get things slightly wrong, a couple of ball presents wrong, that’s the difference between winning and losing.”
Well we almost predicted it.
Goofing around with the Men’s World Series Standings we speculated that we might see all of the top teams tied … or at least most within a point of each other.
That second scenario is basically happening.
The USA Men's 7s team faltered in pool play in Sydney, losing in rather extravagant fashion to Samoa and Ireland.
The team that had surprise so many in recent weeks seemed to hit a bit of a wall against both of those sides. Just a shade slower to the ball, and not as dominant in the tackle, they found themselves scrambling to get going.
Despite being one of the most consistently good team in the World Series, and now 2nd in the standings, the USA Men's 7s team is by no means in a secure position.