We are just 9 days away from the start of the National Sevens Series! Surely this inaugural event is one of the biggest things to ever happen rugby sevens in the UK?
With big events in Rome & Kenya this weekend, this is my penultimate Power Rankings before the action kicks off at Richmond Athletic Ground next Saturday on June 12.
Onto the rankings.....
1.Samurai International - Samurai didn’t play last weekend, but with the registration deadline having now passed we have an idea of who will be taking to the field for the favourites. Simon Hunt has been a Samurai man for many seasons and he once again will be the anchor this coming season. Spanish international Oriol Ripol will be spending the summer on the wing for the East Anglicans and he will surely be near the top of the scorers list come the end of the season. Tim Walsh ran out for the Australian Sevens team in previous years and he will be dangerous in the midfield. Questions continue to be asked about this side though. Will they click superbly like Manchester last summer? Or be disjointed as they were at Newquay?
2. HFW Wailers - The Wailers probably caused the biggest stir with the registration of their squad, including Newcastle Falcons such as Luke Fielden, Joel Hodgson and Sep Visser. When this quality is mixed with regular Wailers such as the Smales brothers (Jack and Hamish) and Scotland International Scot Riddell, this is a team that will be more than a match for most across the season. I am looking forward to keeping an eye on Llanelli Scarlet, Andrew Fenby and Bath’s Ross Batty as they are sure to make an impact.
3. British Army - I said last week that they had to win in Bournemouth last weekend and win well. They did just that. The British Army dispatched fellow National Series rivals the White Hart Marauders in the quarters before going on to beat the KS Crusaders and the Templars to take the title. They kept possession excellently throughout the tournament, and although perhaps lacked a little pace, they will be so tough to break down and retain ball against they are certain to be a factor in the business end of each of the NS tournaments. They are blessed with being able to register some outstanding players; Satala, Damudamu, Wessels and Mark Lee bring the star power to the forces side.
4. Gilbert Pups - The Pups were a little out of sorts in Bournemouth and were turned over by the Marauders in the groups. But they found some form later on in the day to top the groups on points difference. The Pups have registered a side that has a London influence with players hailing from Esher, Barking and Blackheath. Mark Odejobi has starred this season for a number of teams, especially Millfield in Amsterdam. Watch out for him alongside Matt Vaughn and former England Sevens man Jonny Hylton.
5. White Hart Marauders - Can the real Marauders please stand up! I think everyone knows that the Marauders are going to be a force to be reckoned with on the Series this summer but they need to be more consistent. A good win against the Pups at the weekend was followed by losses to the All-Stars and Army. It showed some of the deficiencies in the side. They had more pace than their opposition but couldn't get the ball and struggled to compete at the breakdown, given the way teams have been playing this season, you can have all the pace in world (Matt Williams) but if you don't have the ball, wingers just get cold. RugbyRocks is going to be to set the scene for how the season unfolds for the Eversley men.
6. Olorun ID – The ID have worked hard on putting a squad together that will be competitive with all of their rivals. It seems they have done a good job. Welsh international Chris Morgan is a big coup, and he performed well at the Adelaide Sevens. Fellow Wales player Ricky Thomas, England man Ollie Frost and former South African Sevens captain Marc de Marigny are also included. Add to that guys like Mike Penn and Swedish international Andy Daish and they have the tools to compete. Though as is always the case with ID, they can talk a great game but putting a whole tournament of performances together has always been difficult for them. Reminds me of Kenya in the IRB Sevens World Series - they flatter to deceive.
7. The Akuma Smurfs - The Smurfs have named a strong squad for the National Series which includes five Welsh regional players and a number of internationals from the IRB Series. I can't help but be worried that they might struggle early in the series with the side not having played at all this season, but the class is certainly there. Will they win at RugbyRocks? In short, no. Will they cause an upset or two across the season? Definitely.
8. Apache - When I got my hands on their squad list this morning ( via the guys at UR7s) I was expecting to have to eat my words with regards to Apache. I’ve given them a tough time recently. But I just can't take things back yet. The squad is not a great deal different from the one that has struggled at the bigger tournaments this season. Chris Cracknell will make a difference on the 19th in the West Country as will Sam Edgerley. But the majority of the Apache side is from an honest group of players from the Reading and Henley area and they might struggle against some of their esteemed rivals. I really hope that close knit team bond and well drilled approach can work for them - but it's high risk.
9. Raging Bull Ronin - Ronin went to Germany this past weekend and what happens at training camp stays at training camp! I'm sure they have addressed what went wrong in Ashby and will be coming to Richmond looking for an upset. The Ronin side have an armed forces influence and this will certainly be of help to them across the season. You won’t see a closer group of team-mates than these boys.
With Samurai off to Nairobi and the Army & Pups off to Rome this coming weekend, there will be a little more to watch before the final rankings are produced. The draw for Rugby Rocks will also be done by this time next week. So I am going to have a little play around and try and predict how the tournament will play out with group standings and winners of the knockout games.
Such is the unpredictability of Sevens and this being a brand new competition I am bound to get most of it wrong!
Taken from National Sevens Series