Dave Carrey's Guide to the Coffs 7s - Pool 2Dave Carrey - Coffs Harbour, Northwest Kalactin
The AVBF Sevens was kind of a mixed bag for us. For a start, what would've been our newest player somehow managed to get himself injured in between the ERC Sevens and the start of the new season, so we had to drag Mike Decker out of retirement just so we could get a full squad. He still showed plenty of promise and was enough to keep things going but it was clearly obvious that he wasn't as good as he was years ago. Regardless, we got off to an excellent start in Burgenden. We kicked things off with a 35-7 thrashing on HUElavia (more on them later), a 14-14 draw at half-time that turned into a 38-14 win for us against Neu Engollon, a 26-10 win over North Alezia (who should really make a return to rugby), a 29-5 win over Terre Septentrionale and finally a 24-12 win over the Royal Kingdom of Quebec (which funnily enough was our narrowest win in the group stages). However for whatever reason, we just seemed to slow down when it came to the knockout stages. We had a rematch against Neu Engollon but were only able to pull off a narrow 28-24 win. We were up against Abanhfleft but fell short, losing 26-19. Maybe our offence just scored themselves tired, I'm not entirely sure. On the upside, Yevgeni Kolyanov was a referee for the final (where Abanhfleft beat Lisander 38-12) so at least there was some Elejamian representation there.
Riley Kroger, seen here in action for Avon last season, replaces
the outgoing Mike Decker up front for the sevens squad.
But let's put that into the past now. We've got the Coffs 7s! It's held in Coffs Harbour in Northwest Kalactin and it seems a bit anarchic at the moment due to some tragic events that went on. I've no idea what they were or the circumstances that lead to everything going to hell but all I know is that extra security has been added to protect fans and players. Some associations have even provided some security of their own just to make doubly sure that nothing bad happens to their players. On the upside, at least we're near the coast and we're in the Autumn so the cooler weather can easily add to the beautiful sights even when it's raining. Rugby-wise, we're at the Coffs Rugby Centre and, while I'm not sure what the total capacity is, I do know that it's the biggest stadium in the nation so there'll be plenty of fans in the stands watching some high-class sevens action.
But enough about the host, let's get right into the groups! And we are in Pool 2. While I have no idea what the order will be since there isn't a whole load of information on that front, all I know is who we're facing. It's not really group of death material for us or for another team I'll mention later on but it will be for the other three teams. One of them will be a newcomer, one is a team that comes and goes and the other is a team making their second appearance in a sanctioned tournament. Other than that we've got a team that's fairly decent and can be quite entertaining to the watch and, well, us. Obviously. Without further adieu, let's get right into them.
So who's the first opponent I should talk about? Kriegiersien. A team that usually does well when it comes to the Olympic side of things but still does respectably well when it comes to officially sanctioned tournaments. Case in point, the last sevens tournament where they were drawn into a group with Lisander, Copper Cuprum, the Hannasean Federation (or just Hannasea as I'll call them for the remainder of this article), Boda and Ko-oren. They thrashed the one-and-done team 38-0, beat Ko-oren 31-7, lose their next two to Lisander and Copper Cuprum before finally getting a narrow 21-19 win over Hannasea to make it 3-0-2 and through to the plate stage. They then beat the Natanians and Nosts 26-12 to make their way to the semi-finals, where they would be beaten fairly badly by Nova Anglicana (who went on to win the Plate) 31-19.
Next up, HUElavia. They were also with us in Burgenden. As in, they were in our group back there. And we blew them out of the water in our opener when we beat them 35-7. They managed to get a narrow 19-17 win over Terre Septentrionale but they were shut out in spectacular fashion in a 36-0 loss to the hosts. A 24-10 defeat to the Royal Kindgom of Quebec followed and a 29-5 loss to North Alezia rounded off their group stage run and saw them finish dead last in our group. They had the same record as the RKQ but they lost out on points difference: -34 to -100. I am not making that up. They would also go on to lose their Bowl quarter-final match up to The Jovannic, 26-12.
Then it's Qasden to talk about. They weren't at the last AVBF Sevens, though. I actually can't remember the last sevens tournament they were in. They weren't in the last Union World Cup either. They weren't in the last League World Cup either, though since I don't follow league that much I would've had to have asked Elan about how they did if they were. I think it's fair to say that they're a team that occasionally shows up to tournaments but doesn't stick around enough to get a proper momentum, which is sad because there are some bright spots that shine through but they don't really do a whole lot with it.
Vili Cinorim, in action during
the last ERC Sevens back in
Playa de Rocas.
And, finally, we have Yerapia. The obligatory one-and-done team. The sort of team that shows up to a tournament and you don't know who's playing for them or what the scene's like there. Essentially a team to pad out stats. They might grab a win or two and they might even pull off a shock win against a team much better than them but it's not something you should really bet on. And indeed I think we're going to get an easy win here, maybe we might end up allowing a try or two or maybe even a penalty or drop goal but overall it's nothing we should really fear.
So where do I think we'll end up? First or second, of course. Hard to believe that in just a few short years of existence our sevens team's turned into quite the formidable force. They're not perfect, of course, and I suspect that Kriegiersien will give us a hard enough time that a first place finish will seem doubtful. HUElavia, Qasden and once again Yerabia will be easy enough and I suspect that it'll be a hard-fought battle to see who'll be competing for the plate and bowl but overall it'll main be a two-horse race between us and Kriegiersien.
Any other big names? Yes. Abanhfleft, who again won the Cup back in Neu Engollon, are drawn into Group 4 alongside the United States of Devonta, Nova Anglicana, Heemstra and Saint-Domingues. Lisander are drawn into Group 3 where they take on the Natanians and Nosts, the bowl-winners in Burgenden in TJUN-ia, Sannyamathland and Hebitaka. And finally Group 1 has our hosts in Northwest Kalactin, the chicken slaughterers in Copper Cuprum, the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, San Ortelio and the Grearish Union. Yes, we're the only group that doesn't feature a newcomer from the AVBF Sevens or the most recent Rugby World Cup.
Any other big news I should talk about? A second yes. This will be Vili Cinorim's first tournament since graduating from the EUXV. The 23-year-old from Rosetta normally plays as a centre when it comes to the 15-a-side side of the sport but, when it comes to sevens, he'll be a prop. Kind of a surprise because Mike Decker was a prop in both sevens and union but hey, maybe he really wanted to play sevens for the international squad. Besides, I've seen his work at the last ERC Sevens and he actually did a fairly amicable job at it, so I'm sure he'll easily slip into the role. He won't be starting any matches, of course, as Riley Kroger got that promotion instead but should he start or be substituted on I'm sure he'll make his presence known and felt. Other than that, it's been fairly quiet on the sevens front but hopefully there'll be some big news coming soon.
I believe that'll be that for this article. There's nothing else I should say, other than there should hopefully be fewer union and union-related tournaments in the next few months. I'm starting to get a bit travel-sick from flying from home to Neu Engollon then back home then to Hutanjia then back home then to Northwest Kalactin and then back home once more. Plus I'm sure there are some Bullfrogs games I would happily sit down and watch and be just as entertained. With that out of the way and my piece now over I'm just going to sit back and enjoy some quality rugby. I hope you all are doing the same thing. Dave Out.
More from Dave Carrey:
- Dave's Blog: Let Me Show You My Kalactin
- Dave Carrey's Brief Guide to the 2020-21 ERC
- Dave Carrey's Brief Guide to the Sixth AVBF Rugby Sevens, Group B
- Dave's Blog: In With The Neu (Engollon)