Exciting Bulldogs squad for East Grinstead.....
All at Samurai are very excited by the announcement of the first Bulldogs squad of the year for the Sunshine 7’s on Sunday 28th April. The squad encapsulates everything that we are trying to achieve with the Bulldogs; it has an average age of 19, players are from Schools, Universities and Championship Clubs and players whose ability has not been picked up by National selectors or Premiership clubs.
After forming excellent relationships with schoolmasters, Directors of rugby at University and watching the Surrey U18 and Rosslyn Park 7’s, Sam Howard has selected a very exciting and talented squad. Many of these young men would not have the chance to accelerate their 7’s skills, which have been developed over many years and through much hard work at their schools, and hopefully the Bulldogs give them a chance to both continue enjoying the 7’s experience whilst also enhance their reputation and increasing their skills and understanding of the 7’s game.
A few of the players who we are delighted to have playing for us are Tommy O’ Flaherty who was the stand out schoolboy scrum half in the country for Dulwich College last year but had no representative selection or premiership club recognition but was snapped up by Blackheath and was playing National One rugby within two weeks of being at the club. We have the very exciting Treharne brothers – Luke and Dai - which also demonstrates how we are looking to include players from all over Britain. The youngest player in the Squad is George Wacokecoke, who is still only 17 but has shown blistering pace on the schools circuit this year.
Tournament | Sunshine 28th April |
1. Forward | Buchan Richardson - 18, Wellington College |
2. Hooker | Shaq Meyers - 19, Bedford Blues |
3. Forward | Hugo Kelly - 21, Cambridge Uni |
4. Half Back | Dai Treherne-18, Coleg sir Gar |
5. Half back | Luke Treharne - 20, Exeter Uni |
6. Centre | Will Smith - 20, Cambridge Uni |
7. Wheels | Joe Battle -18, Hampton School |
8. Forward | Matt Eliet - 18, Tonbridge School |
9. back/forward | Tom Brown - 22, Bath Uni |
10. Half back | Tom O Flaherty -18, Blackheath |
11. centre/winger | Tom Bellak - 19, Tigers |
12. Wheels | George Wacokecoke -17, St Jo's College |
Samurai pipped by Penguins in dramatic GFI HKFC Tens final
ULR Samurai International lost 21-14 to HSBC Penguins in a dramatic GFI HKFC Tens final at Hong Kong Football Club. A Fijian-dominated squad helped the third-seeded Samurai reach the Cup final for the second time in four years, after losing 10-0 to Aliens in 2010.
Sailosi Naiteqe, head coach of Naitasiri province and a Fiji Sevens selector, was in charge of the new-look side, two years after organising an all-Fijian team for the Safari Sevens in Nairobi, where Samurai beat Spain and hosts Kenya on the way to reaching the final.
Most of the Samurai players in Hong Kong had represented their country in the sevens or 15-a-side format and the Fijian focus represented a change in direction for the invitational team, whose previous squads for the GFI HKFC Tens were dominated by New Zealanders.
Nasoni Roko, Fiji’s record try scorer on the IRB Sevens World Series, and former Rugby World Cup Sevens-winning teammate Marika Vunibaka were among the recognisable faces in Hong Kong, where both had won the Sevens title many times.
The squad’s more recent internationals included forwards Pio Tuwai and James Brown, scrumhalf Kelemedi Bola, 2011 World Cup fullback Iliesa Keresoni and highly rated 19-year-old centre Josua Tuisova, Tuwai’s younger brother.
The new-look squad gelled quickly and topped Pool C on the first day with wins over hosts Newedge Club (52-5), Freshfields Wild Titans of Germany (26-0) and sixth seeds Tag Heuer Eyewear Pyrenees of France (7-0).
On day two, Samurai faced Hill and Associates Scottish Barbarians in the Cup quarter-final and scored two tries to win 10-0 against a side featuring six current Scotland Sevens squad players.
Naiteqe’s men faced a huge challenge in the semi-final against Tradition YCAC, an all-Kiwi team far stronger than its seventh seeding and who had beaten Penguins – the second seeds and eventual champions – in the pool stage.
Led by Kane Hancy, a three-time winner and two-time MVP, and featuring Jack Wilson and Iopu Iopu from last year’s New Zealand Sevens team, YCAC were rated as the team to beat, especially after Tana Umaga’s top-seeded BGC APB All Stars lost to Penguins in the quarter-final.
However, Samurai produced one of the finest performances of the tournament as they went 19-0 ahead in the first half with a blistering display of attacking rugby and aggressive, pressing defence. Pio Tuwai scored the first before the dreadlocked Roko ran in two tries to take his tally to five for the tournament.
YCAC bounced back and touched down twice in the second half through Jed Brown and Wilson, but Samurai held on for a famous 19-12 win and a place in the final against Penguins, who had beaten Malaysian club Cobra 22-17 in another competitive semi-final.
Both Samurai and Penguins – two famous UK-based invitational teams – were both seeking their first win in their seventh appearance, so the atmosphere was at fever pitch inside a packed Football Club for the 8.05pm kick-off.
Penguins went ahead through Australian flanker Dylan Sigg, but Samurai made it 7-7 when Paula Tiko sprinted on to collect Roko’s bouncing kick.
Sigg then set up former Hong Kong scrumhalf Johnny Gbenda-Charles to put Penguins ahead, but Samurai again drew level at 14-14, this time following an impressive break by Bola, part of the Flying Fijians side who played against England in front of 80,000 fans at Twickenham last November. Saula Rabaka made his second conversion to make it nine for the tournament.
The score remained deadlocked for much of the second half. However, with the clock ticking down, the crowd rose to their feet as Samurai’s Australian flanker Lala Lam – the squad’s only non-Fijian – raced to touch down near the right corner flag, where he was tackled by compatriot Richard Hooper. Fans waited for the decision, but after deliberation by the touch judge, there was a huge surprise when no try was awarded and a lineout was given. The TV highlights show later confirmed the try should have been awarded, but alas it was not to be.
Soon after, from a scrum near the Penguins 22, England Sevens scrumhalf James Lightfoot-Brown made a blindside break. After racing 50 metres down the touchline, he put through a grubber kick that bounced beyond the posts and teammate Hooper touched it down with 23 seconds left on the clock.
Although Samurai were disappointed to lose, Naiteqe said his players should be proud of an outstanding tournament.
“We did not stick to the game plan in the final two minutes, which ultimately cost us the game. We gave away possession and it turned out sour against us. If the try had been awarded as it should and we maintained possession in the final minute, I believe it could have been another story.”
Nasoni Roko top scored for Samurai with five tries, while Naresia Malimali scored three. Iliesa Keresoni, Iosefo Rakalavo, Kelemedi Bola, Paula Tiko and Pio Tuwai scored twice, while Marika Vunibaka and Hong Kong-based Lex Kaleca touched down once.
The APBs won the second-tier Plate after crushing Scottish Barbarians 41-0. Fijian winger Joe Lilidamu scored four tries to finish as the tournament’s top scorer with 10, four more than compatriot and teammate Filipo Nakosi – Tuwai’s brother – who missed the last two games through injury.
A year after winning the Cup, Umaga vowed the star-studded team would bounce back.
“We’re happy to take the Plate, but hopefully we can take back the main title next year,” said Umaga, who scored 36 tries in 74 tests for New Zealand.
“The standard has definitely improved from last year. We came up against some great defences and people very determined to do well. It’s great for the teams and the tournament and I think it’ll just keep getting better and teams need to be prepared.”
The 2013 GFI HKFC Tens was broadcast live on Now Sports 3 on Wednesday (2.15pm-9.00pm) and Thursday (3.00pm-8.45pm). Now Sports also produced a post-tournament highlights show.
In recent years, the GFI HKFC Tens has attracted rugby legends Joe Roff and Toutai Kefu (both 2006), Jonah Lomu (2007), Brian Lima (2008), Bobby Skinstad (2009), Waisale Serevi (2010), George Gregan and Christian Cullen (2011), Mils Muliaina (2012) and Justin Marshall (2011-2012), winning captain in 2012.
Now in its 28th year, the GFI HKFC Tens is sanctioned by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) and is held on the Wednesday and Thursday before the world-famous Hong Kong Sevens. Hong Kong Football Club has hosted the annual event since it was first staged in 1986 to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary.
Vunibaka, Roko headline Samurai’s all-Fijian charge for GFI HKFC Tens
Squad’s recent internationals include Josua Tuisova, 19, who made his Fiji Sevens debut last month
Hong Kong; March 13, 2013: ULR Samurai International have chosen a powerful all-Fijian squad, including legendary wingers Marika Vunibaka and Nasoni Roko, as they gear up for their seventh attempt to win the GFI HKFC Tens, which will be held at Hong Kong Football Club from March 20-21.
Most of the Samurai players have represented their country in the sevens or 15-a-side format and the Fijian focus represents a change in direction for the invitational team, whose previous squads in Hong Kong have been dominated by New Zealanders.
Sailosi Naiteqe, head coach of Naitasiri province and a Fiji Sevens selector, is in charge of the squad. Samurai founder Terry Sands has put his faith in Naiteqe, two years after the pair organised an all-Fijian team for the Safari Sevens in Nairobi, where Samurai beat Spain and hosts Kenya on the way to reaching the final.
“Sailosi and I have been friends for many years and I’ve invited many Fijians to play for Samurai over the years. Nasoni Roko played for us in the UK for three months as long ago as 2003,” said Sands, a former England Sevens and Saxons manager who will again manage Samurai in Hong Kong.“We’re now in our seventh year competing in Hong Kong, but so far the Cup has eluded us and it’s a title Samurai would love to add to our other sevens and 10s titles around the world.“The standard’s getting higher each year, with player availability also becoming harder, so securing top-level players is more difficult than ever. However, I think we’ve got a great blend of youth and experience this year with our Fijian players.”
Vunibaka, 38, will adopt a player/coach role in Hong Kong, where he’s remembered as the speedster who helped Fiji win the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 1997 and 2005. The former Crusaders flier remains the top scorer in the Rugby World Cup Sevens, with 23 tries in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 competitions.Roko, 33, was also part of the winning 2005 squad and the dreadlocked star went on to become Fiji’s record try scorer on the HSBC Sevens World Series and remains 10th highest overall with 123 tries since 2002. Roko won his last Hong Kong Sevens title in 2009. Saula Rabaka, also 33, is another famous name and still holds the Sevens World Series record for points scored in a game with 32 against Malaysia in Shanghai in 2001.Experienced lock forward Pio Tuwai will captain the squad and is among a large number of recent internationals.Josua Tuisova, Tuwai’s 19-year-old brother, made his Fiji debut on the Sevens World Series in New Zealand last month and the highly rated centre is set to join North Brisbane in the Queensland Premier League soon after the Tens.
Forward James Brown was still playing on the IRB circuit last year, while Tuwai and scrumhalf Kelemedi Bola have represented Fiji Sevens as recently as 2011.Bola played for the national 15-a-side team against England in front of 80,000 fans at Twickenham last November, while hooker Seremaia Naureure is another member of recent ‘Flying Fijians’ squads.Fullback Iliesa Keresoni, who has also played for Fiji Sevens, made his Test debut in 2008 and was part of the 2011 Rugby World Cup squad in New Zealand, where he played against Wales.
Samurai, Cup finalists in 2010, are seeded third and grouped in Pool C with a Hill and Associates Scottish Barbarians side that will include up to six Scotland Sevens internationals, first-timers Lloyd’s of London and an Irish Vikings side making their 13th straight appearance.Top seeds BGC APB All Stars begin their campaign in Pool A with Tradition YCAC, A-TRADE Overseas Old Boys and Rwanda, who will be coached by former Scotland boss Frank Hadden.Second-seeded Penguins are in Pool B with Tag Heuer Eyewear Pyrenees of France, a Wild Titans side featuring many Germany internationals and hosts Newedge Club, winners of the fourth-tier Shield last year.Pool D features Fijian giants Nadroga and leading Malaysian club Cobra, fourth and fifth seeds respectively and both making their tournament debut. Borrelli Walsh Australian Country Invitational, winners of the second-tier Plate in 2011 and third-tier Bowl last year, and fellow Aussie side Lloyd McDermott Warriors complete the group.
Now in its 28th year, the GFI HKFC Tens is sanctioned by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) and is held on the Wednesday and Thursday before the world-famous Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.Entry is free on the Wednesday, while on the Thursday, spectators aged 17 and over are required to make a HK$100 donation to receive the Official Souvenir Programme, with all proceeds going to Operation Breakthrough, the tournament’s Official Charity. Youngsters from Operation Breakthrough, which focuses on sport as a means to rehabilitate young people, will play in a 10-a-side exhibition match on the Thursday, taking on a visiting ICEF Public Schools side from Los Angeles at 1.35pm, before the semi-finals of the four trophy competitions.Pool games on the Wednesday will be held from 11.00am-9.00pm, while Thursday’s knockout matches run from 10.15am-8.30pm, culminating in the finals of the Shield, Bowl, Plate and Cup competitions.
The event will be broadcast live on Now Sports 3 on Wednesday (2.15pm-9.00pm) and Thursday (3.00pm-8.45pm). Now Sports will also produce a post-tournament highlights show.GFI Group, a leading provider of brokerage services and trading support products, has title sponsored the event since 2006. Other supporters include UBS (Gold Sponsor), Swire Properties and Allied World Assurance Company (both Silver Sponsors), Heineken (Official Beer) and Tsunami Sport (Official Apparel).
In recent years, the GFI HKFC Tens has attracted rugby legends Joe Roff and Toutai Kefu (both 2006), Jonah Lomu (2007), Brian Lima (2008), Bobby Skinstad (2009), Waisale Serevi (2010), George Gregan and Christian Cullen (2011), Mils Muliaina (2012) and Justin Marshall (2011-2012), last year’s winning captain.
Hong Kong Football Club has hosted the annual event since it was first staged in 1986 to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary.
Fijian Flair for Samurai in Hong Kong
ULR Samurai International have chosen a powerful all-Fijian squad – including legendary winger Marika Vunibaka – as they attempt to win the GFI HKFC Tens at the seventh attempt. Most of the squad have represented Fiji at sevens or 15s and the Fijian focus represents a change in direction from previous Samurai Hong Kong 10s selections, where predominantly New Zealanders have been selected.
Sailosi Naiteqe, head coach of Naitasiri and a Fiji 15s selector, is in charge, two years after he and Samurai founder Terry Sands organised an all-Fijian Samurai team for the Safari Sevens in Nairobi, where they beat Spain and hosts Kenya on the way to reaching the final.
“Sailosi and I have been friends for many years and he also runs the Samurai Fiji Barracudas,” said Sands, a former England Sevens and Saxons manager who will again manage Samurai in Hong Kong. “I’ve invited many Fijians to play for Samurai over the years. Naisoni Roko played for Samurai as long ago as 2003 when he came to the UK for a few months to play for us. Watisoni Votu recently signed by English Premiership side Exeter Chiefs also played for Samurai in 2011''
Vunibaka, 38, will adopt a player/coach role in Hong Kong, where he’s remembered as the speedster who helped Fiji win the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 1997 and 2005. He remains the competition’s top scorer, with 23 tries in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 competitions.
Nasoni Roko, 33, is Fiji’s record try scorer on the HSBC Sevens World Series and 10th highest overall with 123 tries since 2002, last helping them win in Hong Kong in 2009. Saula Rabaka, also 33, still holds the series record for points scored in a game after racking up 32 against Malaysia in the 2001 Shanghai Sevens.
Locks Pio Tuwai and James Brown, scrumhalf Kelemedi Bola and winger David Batiratu have represented Fiji in the Sevens World Series in recent years.
Fullback Iliesa Keresoni, who has also played IRB Sevens, played fullback for Fiji’s XVs in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, while Bola and front-row forwards Vesi Rarawa, Manasa Saulo and Seremaia Naureure are also in the national team.
Head Coach: Sailosi Naiteqe (FIJ)
Assistant coach: Jon Curry (UK)
Manager: Terry Sands (UK)
Assistant Manager: Destry Gourlay (NZL)
Physio: Lorcan McGee (UK)
Samurai wins the R1 million.
Saturday, 15 December 2012
ULR Samurai International RFC wins the R1 million in the 1st inaugural NBM 7s Premier League beating the Cheetahs 27 – 14 in a pulsating final in front of a large crowd.
The inaugural NBM 7s Premier League was deservedly won by Samurai who had played some fantastic 7s over the 2 days, when they beat the Cheetahs in the final. The two defining moments of the day however were when Breyton Paulse did his trademark back flip after scoring a try and when Makhaya Ntini took the field and made two telling tackles for Kaizer Chiefs.
The tournament was a huge success and the atmosphere at Outeniqua Park was electric for every game.
Overall, the standard of Sevens played was top-class and the competition proved a welcome addition to the South African rugby calendar.
The introduction of commercial outfits Kaizer Chiefs, All Stars, Mighty Mohicans, Vikings, Plate winners Living Ball and inaugural champions Samurai added extra spice to the two-day spectacle and the presence of provincial teams and stars like England ace Ben Gollings, Zar Lawrence, Sarel Pretorius, Willie le Roux, Johann Sadie, Derick Minnie and Subura Sithole underscored its credibility as a high calibre, professionally organised tournament.
Willem Strauss and company has successfully identified a previously untapped Sevens market, took the game back to George and delivered a product that has the potential to boost nation-building and strengthen player depth on an annual basis, with the Blitzbokke bound to benefit from the emergence of promising talents such as Samurai hero Justin Geduld.
NBM SEVENS PRESS ARTICLE
SAMURAI INTERNATIONAL HEAD TO DUBAI AND SOUTH AFRICA
The Samurai team face a busy 3 weeks as they jet off to Dubai to take part in the international invitational tournament and then to George in South Africa, to participate in the £100,000 NBM 7s event on 14th/15th December.
With direct cost effective flights from SA to Dubai, the Samurai selection committee decided to look to invite South African based players to play in both events.
With so little time to prepare when bringing players together, Samurai hope to have the same team playing in both tournaments to bring consistency to the team.
The team will be coached by ex Samurai players Marius Schoeman and neil Powell who have now turned their 7s expertise to coaching.
Martin Warburton the Samurai International RFC President will host the team in Dubai and will also travel to South Africa to support the team.
Samurai Dubai Squad
1.Pieter Engelbrecht
2.Albertus Smith
3.Reuben Johannes
4.Bernado Botha
5.Carel du Preez
6.Cheslin Kolbe
7.Shannon Rick
8.Justin Geduld
9.Werner Kok
10.Derich Badenhorst
11.Ruwellyn Ishel
12.Seabelo Senatla
13.Marius Schoeman - Coach
14.Neil Powell - Coach
SAMURAI CUT DOWN AT CENTRAL COAST 7s
Westfield Barbarians are the new champions of the Fitness First Central Coast Sevens after a comprehensive 41-17 victory over Sunnybank. The Fijians ran riot over the defending champions to claim the $20,000 first prize showing exceptional speed across the park to score several long-range tries.
Samurai International RFC found themselves in the Plate Final after a narrow loss to Fijian side Nabua in the Quarter final. Despite the Samurai’s star studded team which included Orene Ai'i, David Raikuna, Kylem O'Donnell, Belgium Tuatagaloa and Iopu Iopu (New Zealand) Nabua edged them out in a close encounter.
Earlier, in the men's semis Westfield beat fellow Fijians Nabua 19-10 in what turned out to be Westfields toughest game of the tournament. Sunnybank rallied from 0-10 down against Wardens to win their semi final 19-17 with the final kick of the match.
Samurai proved too strong for Australian invitation team Iconz winning the Plate 36-12, with Nafi Tuitavake and Pita Ah-Ki scoring twice.
Australia coach Michael O'Connor was an interested spectator at the event. Results; MEN'S Cup; Westfield Barbarians 41 Sunnybank 17 Plate; Samurai 36 Iconz 12 Boot; (Bowl) Island Breeze 33 Kwaussie 17 Ball; (Shield) No 8 All Stars 52 Sid Vaka 12
SAMURAI FACE TOUGH CHALLENGE
A Fijian invasion of Australia's east coast will take place this weekend at the fourth annual Fitness First Central Coast Sevens in the 16-team event at Wyong Leagues Club, about 90 minutes north of Sydney.
Two weeks after the national team stormed to the winners' podium on the Gold Coast in the IRB WSS, most of the squad return to play for their club Wardens, the current champions of Fiji's Coral Coast Sevens, Westfield Barbarians and Nabua bring extensive amounts of island flair to the Central Coast and will be favoured to challenge for the $20,000 AUD first prize.
Reigning champions Sunnybank, along with West Harbour, Southern Districts and Randwick will fly the flag for the hosts while the Samurai International invitation team are also strong contenders.
Sunnybank (Brisbane) headline Pool A which also features Deadwood, Island Breeze and home team Central Coast. The Sunnybank Dragons defeated the Aussie Thunderbolts 14-12 to win the event a year ago while more recently took out last week's Byron Bay Sevens 48-19 over Iconz.
Wardens, who have current Fiji players Joji Ragamate, Lepani Botia, Ilai Tinai and Alipate Ratini amongst others in their side, should dominate Pool B ahead of Southern Districts, Sid Vaka and Iconz.
Samurai, the UK-based invitation side, face the toughest pool with West Harbour, Associates and Nabua joining them in Pool C.But captained by former IRB Sevens Player of the Year Orene Ai'i and coached by ex-All Blacks Sevens captain Ed Cocker, (pictured back row 3rd from left) the side has a Kiwi roster who will certainly bring enormous experience.
Kylem O'Donnell, Belgium Tuatagaloa and Iopu Iopu all featured in the black jersey in the opening round of the IRB Sevens, while Nafi Tuitavake and David Raikuna are also former New Zealand players. Jon Rudd who has guested for the Samurai team now for almost 12 years is also on the team rosta.
Pool D has a Fijian presence with Nadi’s Westfield Barbarians, who boast current international Samu Saqiwa, Pio Tuwai and Josua Tuisova, playing alongside Randwick, Kwaussie Sport and No 8 All Stars. Tournament Director Craig Morgan says he is thrilled with the field.
"This is our fourth year staging the Fitness First Central Coast Sevens and it is by far the best line up of teams we've had," said Morgan. "Samurai bring a number of internationals and have a global reputation, but they will face the best clubs in Australia and Fiji on Saturday and this could well be a trip to far for the Invitation team. "The beauty of sevens is its unpredictability and reputations can often count for nothing."
The 16 teams face an intensive examination on Saturday, playing five matches in the highlight of the Australian domestic sevens calendar. Only one team from each pool progresses to the Cup semi-finals at 3:30 local time with the Final scheduled for 7:30 pm. The winner receives an invitation to next month's Fiji Coral Coast Sevens.
“We are delighted to have such a great relationship with Fiji and especially the Coral Coast Sevens tournament in Sigatoka," said Morgan. "To have three teams who are regarded as some of, if not the very best of, Fiji is great for the Coast with teams staying in the region for up to a week."
Morgan is also pleased with the quality of the women's draw where twelve teams will line up for the Jobs on the Coast Cup and $5,000 (AUD) first prize.
Sydney, Sunnybank and Hunter headline the women's competition while the local presence is provided by the Central Coast Academy of Sport.
"Women's sevens is exploding in popularity ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and that includes here on the Central Coast," said Morgan. "Local product Cobie-Jane Morgan, a member of the Australian national team, is our Ambassador and we look forward to following her career with interest.
"We are also looking forward to the debut of the Central Coast Academy of Sport team here tomorrow."
The tournament opens tonight with a dinner for the Black Dog Institute featuring Paralympic gold medalist Curtis Palmer as the guest speaker. The wheelchair rugby athlete has competed in four Paralympics for the New Zealand Wheel Blacks and took home gold at Atlanta 1996.
The Fitness First Central Coast Sevens on Saturday 27 October at Wyong Leagues Club kicks off at 9.00am. Further details can be found at www.centralcoastsevens.com.au
SAMURAI 7S PLAYER PATHWAY DELIVERS AGAIN
Warwick Lahmert, Sam Dickson, Belgium Tuatagaloa and Gareth Williams-Spears all made Tietjens training camp this week and have subsequently been selected to earn their first All Blacks 7s Caps.
Lahmert who has an English Passport, first played for Samurai in the 2011 UK Super Sevens Series. Lahmert also played in the UK for Birmingham Bees who at the time were being coached by current England 7s coach Russel Earnshaw. Lahmert is pictured 3rd from the left.
The Samurai 7s management team would like to wish the players every success in the upcoming tournament.
SAMURAI OFF ON SAFARI
The ULR International RFC team have received a late invite to participate once again in the Safaricom 7s in Nairobi on 22nd/23rd September.
The Samurai team have been fortunate to secure part sponsorship from Safaricom themselves and coupled with funding from the teams principle sponsor ULR form Norwich, they are able to make the journey to Kenya once again.
Samurai were beaten in last years final by IRB WSS team Samoa in a pulsating final and this year the team will be hoping to go one better and take the spoils in a competition they have never won.
Winning certainly wont be easy that's for sure as South Africa, Spain, Scotland, Portugal and a Mike Friday coached Kenya team, will all stand in their way.
Samurai will once again be Captained by Lote Raikabula who will be joined by Samurai regulars Warwick Lahmert, Mikey Davis and Rocky Khan. Mark Jackman will win his first cap for the team. Several young players have also been selected where as always, Samurai have one eye on player development.
SAMURAI DRIVEN ON BY HILLMAN SPIRIT
The Samurai team that participated in the inaugural Colin Hillman 7s at the South Wales Police ground in Bridgend, was a mixture of young, new, old and experienced in a fitting tribute to Colin Hillman the Samurai's departing coach.
Colin sadly past away on the 2nd July 2009 but not before he was able to play a part in the Wales 7s RWC success.
Teams from all over South Wales entered the tournament in memory of a person that epitomised everything good about a man that always had time for everyone. Nick Wakely and Jon Hooper coached the Samurai side both having played under Colin for Wales 7s.
With almost all of the teams just about to start their 15s season, very few were ready or prepared for a 7s competition but enter and play they did with several talented individual performances on show.
The Samurai team with the young Treharne brothers in excellent form, improved with every game and it was fitting that the Samurai team who had been coached at tournaments all over the world by Colin were being Captained by Humphrey Kayange. A player Colin knew well from the many times that Wales had played Kenya on the IRB WSS.
The Samurai team bonded well as a team and saved their best till last not doubt after a few words of wisdom from Colin himself. In a 10 minute each each way final Samurai beat the the Colin Hillman Select 7 - a team that had been supported by the WRU. By 8 tries to 2 in front of a supportive crowd.
Joe Lydon (WRU) and Richie Pugh (Wales 7s) presented the trophies at a well run event. Let's hope there will be many more Colin Hillman memorial 7s for years to come!
Samurai close, but not close enough.....
Infinity Park, Glendale, Denver, Colorado was a venue that the City could be proud of and one that should be used for Rugby events for many years to come. The organisers did a fantastic job from start to finish with perhaps one exception. referee appointments. With names like Ben Gollings, Emossi Vucago, Waisale Serevi, Ratu Kolinisau and Zar Lawrence all involved in such a prestigious tournament, the correct blend of development referees and experienced referee's is of paramount importance and this was lacking in the heat of Denver.
The Samurai team started well in the one day tournament disposing of US 7s Champions Belmont Shore, OPSB and All American Colleges 7s in the pool stages to win their group and jump straight to the semi final where they would face the US Eagles IRB WSS team. Samurai would start the first semi final against the Eagles with the Serevi Select team facing Belmont Shore immediately after.
It was evident from the first minute that the game would be close, making referee's decisions all the more important for both teams. It was a see saw affair with the Eagles taking a 7-0 lead and then Samurai making it 7-5 through a Ratu Kolinsau try. The Eagles (or Falcons athey are known for domestic comps) then went ahead again after a shocking contact area decision led to a try from Luke Hume, to make it 12-5 and then further ahead after Samurai were penalised at a ruck in a decision that even Eagles Coach Alex Magleby found somewhat surprising! At the half time break it was 17-5 to the Eagles with heads continuing to shake from the samurai coaching team.
Samurai Coach Ed Cocker rallied his men at half time changing their physical approach to a game where they needed to ''keep ball at all costs'' to take referee decisions out of the game and this they did as Will Brock scored on 11 minutes to make it 17-10 to the Eagles. The team knew the restart was crucial and Luke Smart leapt like a Salmon to win the ball only to be penalised for something that was clearly not in the rule books. With the Samurai forwards looking for a reason the ball the was taken quickly and spread wide by Hume to Rokko Mauer who sped to the line for a crucial score to make it 22-10 Hume used all his guile to take an absolute age with a missed conversion attempt to take the Eagles to a 22-10 lead.
From the restart Samurai won a very rare penalty and Jack Walsh took it quickly and sped to the line to make the score 22-17. the Samurai coaches looked again at their stop watches knowing they had time to take the game at least to extra time, only to then hear the referee's whistle go for full time!
The Samurai Rugbytown 7s experience had ended somewhat prematurely in a number of ways, to a USA Eagles team that went on to demolish the Serevi Select team 33-0 in the final at Rugby Park however, the people of Glendale, the City and the Venue itself made the long player and management journies worthwhile.
SAMURAI OFF TO SEREVI RUGBYTOWN 7s
Samurai International RFC have received a late invitation to attend the Serevi Rugbytown 7s in Glendale, Denver, Colorado.
Rugby in Colorado took off in 2007 with the opening of Infinity Park in Glendale. Infinity Park has hosted Rugby Colorado programs, USA Rugby National Championship Series and dozens of national and international rugby tournaments including the Churchill Cup, an alliance between England’s Rugby Football Union, Rugby Canada and USA Rugby.
Samurai International RFC will complete the eight-team lineup for the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens tournament to be held at Infinity Park in Glendale on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. Competing along with Samurai for the $10,000 winner-take-all prize will be the USA Eagles, Tiger Rugby, the USA Rugby Collegiate All-Americans, the Chicago Lions, Old Puget Sound Beach, Glendale RFC and the favourites to take the trophy - the star studded 'Serevi Selects' that amongst others will include Ben Gollings and Emossi Vucago.
Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon expressed his delight at the announcement by saying, “Having the caliber of players such as that of Samurai International’s here at Infinity Park for the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens is sure to add a new competitive edge to the overall event.”
Dunafon continued by adding, “We look forward to all the teams participating and can assure all rugby fans that this will be a tournament not to be missed.”
The Serevi Rugbytown 7s was a tournament that Samurai International had never expected let alone budgeted for. The Samurai principal sponsor ULR from Norwich has assisted once again to help fund the trip together with additional individual player sponsorship from JAS Freight, Orbana Health Drinks, Swain Summit Ltd, Allport forwarding and Gap Corp. Further assistance is being sort but without these sponsors Samurai International would be unable to give their players this opportunity.
Players selected so far are Will Brock, Rhodri MaCatee, Jack Walsh, Liam Draycott and Ed Telwright. Playing Chairman Terry Sands will manage the team.
SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR…
The 2012 Super Sevens Series ended on Saturday at the 4th leg of the series in the beautiful setting of Caldy Rugby Club on the Wirral. In 2010 and 2011 the ULR Samurai Barracudas took the title but it was a new name on the trophy for 2012 as the Templars 7 did just enough, at Caldy.
Barracuda’s surprising and uncharacteristic loss in the quarter final at the 2nd leg of the series in Worthing, proved to be the difference between the 2 sides. Barracudas needed Templars to go out at the same stage in Caldy and with Templars finishing 2nd in their pool the unlikely looked possible. Templars were to face the HFW Wailers in their quarter final on pitch 2 with the Barracudas facing a much improved Burrda Ronin team on the main pitch.
HFW Wailers along with our old friends the Marauders have had disjointed seasons during 2012 but both teams hoped to go out on a high at Caldy. The Marauders were pipped to 3rd place in their pool by Caldy and so just missed the knockout stages, but the HFW Wailers had topped their pool. The Barracudas disposed of a very spirited Ronin side in their quarter final and so it was all eyes on the Wailers. Despite a gallant comeback by the Wailers, Templars did just enough to gain the result they needed to take the 2012 Super Sevens Series title.
In the other quarter finals North Wales exiles disposed of the Apache 7s who have had their best ever season, while Caldy stunned the Russell Earnshaw and Richard Hodges coached British Students, in front of their home crowd.
The first semi-final now pitched North Wales Exiles against the surprise team of the tournament Caldy, who had assembled a very useful side. The game was virtually a local derby and it was certainly played as such. The Exiles were stunned by the pace and power of Caldy as the home side edged it by 12 points to 10.
Next up was the Barracudas to take on the now series winners Templars. The crowd could have forgiven Templars for fielding their fringe players as the Super Sevens series title was now theirs, but it was not to be as there was much needed prize money to be won. Templars to their credit came at the Barracudas with all guns blazing not only for the prize money, but also to be able to take the head to head spoils as the 2 teams were now facing each other for the 3rd time in the series.
Templars scored first to take a 7 point lead after 2 minutes but then the Barracudas found their feet after Simon Hunt scored the first of his hat trick of tries. The final score line ended 31 points to 7 to the Barracudas with further tries from Jamie Broadley and Michael Fedo. Peter Jerevich added to the Barracudas tally with 3 conversions. The final pitched home side Caldy against the ULR Samurai Barracudas, who were odds on in the betting stakes to carry out a demolition job on Caldy.
The Barracudas were perhaps guilty of thinking the game was going to be easy against a Caldy side that they had disposed of in their first pool game by 41 points to 5 but, it was not to be. Caldy stunned the Barracudas with an early try by JJ Dickinson and the crowd roared with delight as they got behind their side as they took a 7 points to nil lead. Andy Vilk then levelled it for Barracudas and the game became an exciting end to end affair. Caldy took the lead again to make it 14 - 7 and then Barracudas scored in the corner thanks to Simon Hunt but the conversion was missed and the favourites were now behind.
The home supporters were making themselves heard which spurred Caldy on as they believed an upset was in sight and with a minute left on the clock they held a slender 34 – 32 lead.
Barracudas Captain Mark Bright led from the front as he had done in all 3 previous legs of the Series. A smart pass by Fraser Harkness enabled Bright to power his way forwards brushing of 3 tackles on the way before being bought down. A one handed off load to Fedo was moved onwards to Simon Hunt, who silenced the crowd with a well taken try. Jerevich converted to make the score 39 – 34 to the Barracudas with the final whistle being blown 30 seconds later.
The Caldy team had fought to the last just missing out to an experienced Barracudas side and the home crowd showed their support with loud applause as they left the field.
As for the ULR Samurai Barracudas team, it was a well deserved victory in the 4th leg at Caldy to add to the victory at Bury St Edmunds and a runners up spot in Caerphilly but despite beating Templars twice in the series, it was rightly the most consistent team that deservedly took the Super Sevens Series title, by the smallest of margins.
Samurai Regain Silver Pier at Amsterdam 7s
The ULR International RFC team regained the coveted Silver Pier Trophy last weekend (20th May 2012) at the Amsterdam 7s tournament in the National Stadium, Guezenveld, Holland. Despite a scare in what was effectively the quarter final against Templar 7 where Samurai scraped through 24 - 19, they put is some excellent performances over the weekend.
Mark Bright led his team well throughout and in doing so helped the team to a record total pool scorings on day 1 of 244 points for and 5 against. The team would have certainly preferred to have tougher fixtures on the Saturday if for no other reason than to test their defence.
The IRB's current world record points scorer Ben Gollings donned the Samurai shirt once again and despite not playing Sevens for almost 12 months, ochestrated proceedings as though he had never been away. Gollings had 2 roles to play over the weekend and as well as running the Samurai games from fly half he was also mentoring young Welsh player Will Thomas, who at only 18 years old is destined for great things in the coming seasons.
Kenya's WSS Captain Humphrey Kayange and Portugal's talented Scrum Half Pedro Leal were also once again wearing the Samurai shirt as indeed was John Rudd and Will Brock with these 7s regulars blending fantastically well with the rest of the Samurai players.
Samurai faced the 7s specialists and last years winners HFW Wailers in the semi final. For the second year running and at the same stage in the competition the 2 teams met but on this occasion, the Samurai team were victorious running out winners by 33 points to 19.
Amsterdam 7s regulars Suzies Saloon who are always one of the top 6 teams at the Amsterdam 7s were the Samurai opponents in the final. It was a fired up Samurai team that took to the field and they found themselves on the score board with only a minute gone, as Will Thomas showed some great footwork to score. The Samurai forwards starved Suzies of possession despite the attempts of Angus Martin at every breakdown. You cant score without the ball as the saying goes and that was the story of the day as Samurai went on to regain the Silver Pier with a 45 - 21 victory over a very competitive Suzies Saloon team.
ULR Samurai International Team
Mark Bright (Capt) Ben Gollings, Humphrey Kayange, Will Brock, Pedro Leal, Will Thomas, Jack Walsh, Mike Canty, John Rudd, Luke Smart, Ed Telwright, Brad Linklater,
Coaches Mike Friday & Tim Walsh, Manager John Elliott, Physio Lorcan McGee.
Barracudas take first leg of Super Sevens Series
The ULR Samurai Barracudas won the 1st leg of the UK domestic Super 7s Series on Sunday with a convincing 45 - 14 win against Templar 7.The Samurai team coached by former Australian 7s international Tim Walsh and Captained by Mark Bright of Tasman Mako's put in a businesslike performance in the final. Templars had faced a tough semi final against Northampton Saints who scored 2 tries through Noah Cato but Templars Matt Hodson scored a well taken try a minute from the end, to take them through to face the Barracudas.
The Barracudas had not had it all their own way despite coming from their pool unbeaten. Apache gave them a real scare as they went 2 tries up to lead 14 - 5 at half time in the first quarter final of the day. Barracudas held their nerve fighting back with 3 second half tries from Andy Vilk, Luke Smart and Ed Telwright to add to John Rudd's first half effort.
The Semi final also ended up as a close affair despite Samurai scoring 3 first half tries against their old foe's HFW Wailers. The Wailers team coming back in the second half with 2 with tries from Hamish Smales and Ollie Marchom with Samurai running out winners 19 - 14 to make it to the final of the Bury Premier Sevens tournament.
The next stop for Samurai is the Amsterdam 7s on the 19th/20th May.
ULR Samurai Barracudas Team.
Mark Bright (Capt) Luke Smart, Will Brock, John Carter, Andy Vilk, Jack Walsh, Will Thomas, John Rudd, Mike Canty, Ed Telwright & Tim Walsh (Player/Coach)
Welcome Back Walsh
One of Samurai Internationals most capped players will use his vast 7s knowledge as a coach for the Samurai Barracudas team in the Super Sevens Series.
Tim Walsh who joined Petrarca Padova after signing from the Queensland Reds in Super14s rugby 2 years ago, will coach the team at the ULR Premier 7s in the UK domestic Series.
The Super Sevens Series is a UK domestic 7s series that will take place over 4 legs throughout the UK starting at Bury St Edmunds RUFC on 6th May, followed by Worthing on 26th May, Cardiff on 9th June and the final leg - where the Series will be decided, being played at Caldy on 23rd June. The Super Sevens Series is now in it's 2nd year and is bigger and better than ever, with 12 specialist Sevens teams taking part in the 4 leg Series that stages each event at a grass roots club throughout the UK.
Tim Walsh a seasoned Australia 7s player who has also Captained the side, has been a committed Samurai stalwart for many years. Walsh last played for Australia in the Edinburgh and Twickenham legs of the IRB World Sevens Series in 2010.
Samurai also welcome back Dominic Shaboo and Andrew Vilk for the 1st leg of the SSS both players having previously played for England 7s. Vilk also played for Samurai in last July's excellent victory in the Middlesex 7s at Twickenham. The Samurai Barracudas Bury St Edmunds team will be a mixture of youth and experience, but have the management team got the mix right? for what promises to be a very competitive tournament. Only time will tell.........
Nadolo stars as BGC APBs edge Legends to win GFI HKFC Tens
Nemani Nadolo (who had previously played for Samurai International at the 2011 Amsterdam 7s) powered the star-studded BGC APBs to victory at the GFI HKFC Tens as the giant Fijian winger scored two first-half tries in a gripping 10-7 win over New Zealand Legends in the Cup final.Legends battled back with a try early in the second half by Dan Tuivabi, converted by outstanding flyhalf Trent Renata, but the APBs showed the character to match their class to hold out for a much-celebrated win at Hong Kong Football Club.
Standing 1.95 metres tall and weighing 123 kilogrammes, Nadolo wowed the crowd on day one and carried on in a similar vein in the knockout stages, finishing as the Player of the Tournament and top try scorer with 11 tries.
APBs captain Justin Marshall paid tribute to the star winger. “He’s sensational. Marshall was one of a host of APBs who returned from last year, when they reached the final in their tournament debut but lost 28-24 to Valley.
New Zealand’s most-capped scrumhalf admitted that last years final defeat provided much motivation for the star-studded squad, which was coached by former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga and featured current and former internationals from New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Japan and USA.
“Last year it was just an amazing tournament. We performed really well but we felt we were beaten by a better side on the day. That was disappointing and we made sure we made reference to that this year,” said Marshall, whose teammates included fellow All Black legend Mils Muliaina.
“To be honest, for all the superstars we have in the team and unique individuals, it was teamwork in defence that probably won us the game, which goes to show we had that belief and also that motivation from last year. We wanted to right the wrongs.”
Legends, also runners-up in 2009, upset second seeds HSBC Penguins 19-0 in the semi-final and came close to pulling off another surprise win in the final, with head coach Brendan Laney praising his young Kiwi compatriots – and Nadolo.
The APBs reached the final with a 24-5 win over 2010 runners-up ULR Samurai International, who lost flanker Jack Wilson to the New Zealand sevens squad and Chiefs A winger Glen Robertson with a thumb injury on the first day. To cause further problems they then lost scrum half Lewis Hancock to injury prior to theior semi final game.
Samurai coach Blair Larsen said losing Jack and Glen on day one did not help their cause but suggested his stripped down squad were beaten by the better team on the day.
“The APBs had a lot of players out there who are heroes to a lot of our boys. We lost Glen and Jack, who were two of our key players, and we had some key injuries at a pretty important time, but injuries are part of the game and the team we played out there were just too good,” Larsen said.
“They’ve got players with a lot of experience of the highest stage. Some of them are getting to the end of their career, but they still know how to play. They’ve got some size and some good attackers as well. I’m sure we’ll be back again next year and every time Samurai play, we play to win.”
Third seeds SRC Borneo Eagles, representing the Sandakan Rugby Club in East Malaysia, won the Plate after beating beat Hill and Associates Scottish Barbarians 26-7, with speedster Ritchie Ah Chong scoring two tries.
BGC APBs, HSBC Penguins on course for GFI HKFC Tens showdown
Giant Fijian winger Nemani Nadolo of favourites BGC APBs and former New Zealand sevens star Nafi Tuitavake of second seeds HSBC Penguins stood out on the first day of the GFI HKFC Tens as the top eight seeds progressed to the Cup quarter-finals.
The APBs, Penguins, fourth-ranked ULR Samurai International and sixth-seeded New Zealand Legends - all former finalists - each won their three pool games at Hong Kong Football Club, where all of the leading contenders are aiming to win the trophy for the first time.
The Bowl quarter-finals kick off at 10.40am on Thursday before the Cup quarters commence at 12.20pm, with the four losing teams entering the Plate semis.
With Rugby World Cup winner Mils Muliaina in their ranks, the star-studded APBs left it late before winning their Pool A decider 7-0 against an impressive Hill and Associates Scottish Barbarians side featuring four Scotland sevens internationals.
The game was scoreless with two minutes left when the 1.95-metre Nadolo powered down the left flank and slipped the ball inside to flyhalf Stephen Brett before Samoa centre Seilala Mapusua touched down to set up a quarter-final clash with International Panthers, runners-up to Penguins in Pool B.
Tana Umaga, head coach of the BGC APBs, paid tribute to his team and his star player, who are seeking to go one better than last year, when the side lost in the final on their tournament debut.
"We got there in the end, but that's the talent we have. All credit to the Scottish, they really took it to us. They played the corners, put in a driving maul, then a ruck, kick and go, and that's not our strength. It was really just a set-piece kind of game," said Umaga, the former New Zealand captain who won 74 caps for the All Blacks.
"Nadolo's break was the defining moment for us. That's why we've got him in there. We give him the ball and hope something happens.
"I first saw him here in Hong Kong for our first runaround and he came and stood with the backs. I said: 'What are you doing, mate? The forwards are over there.' Then everyone laughed at me and told me he was a winger! He has so much power and pace."
Penguins racked up 57-0 wins over both China Agricultural University (CAU) of Beijing and the HKRFU Chairman's X before running out 69-0 winners over a Panthers side featuring former All Black winger Caleb Ralph. Penguins will face the Scottish Barbarians in the last eight.
Tuitavake scored six tries to top the scoring stakes after day one and the winger said Penguins were determined to finally win in Hong Kong after reaching the final in their two first appearances in 2007 and 2008.
"I wasn't expecting our scores to be so big, but we played well and obviously a lot of our boys know each other well from NZ," said Tuitavake, whose elder brother Anthony was set to play for the APBs but had to withdraw through injury.
"We were very surprised at the APBs because we expected them to be ahead of Scottish when we arrived at the pitch, but it was scoreless until that big winger (Nadolo) came running down the side. If Scottish can give them a game, other teams can as well. It's my first time in Hong Kong with Penguins and we've come to win. "
New Zealand Legends, Cup finalists in 2009, upset third seeds SRC Borneo Eagles 12-0 in the Pool C decider, and will take on Tag Heuer Pyrenees of France.
Samurai, finalists two years ago, beat Pyrenees 17-0 to top Pool D and will have a tough encounter against Borneo in the Cup quarter-finals.
Samurai are also eager to triumph in Hong Kong and add to last year's wins in the UK National Sevens Series, November's Paradise Sevens in Australia and December's Dubai Sevens.
Team hit by late changes for Hong Kong 10s
The ULR Samurai International Team that was selected for this week’s Hong Kong 10s (21st/22nd March) at the Hong Kong Football Club, have been dealt several late blows with player unavailability.
James McGougan, Irwin Finau, Shane Christie, Robbie Malneek, Cameron Goodhue,Jono Malo and Joe Webber have all had to call off this week due either to injury or club call ups.
Jack Wilson may also be missing, as he was called up to the NZ7s training camp yesterday (16th) pending a late fitness test on one of Gordon Tietjens Hong Kong 7s squad members.
The Samurai management and coaches are currently working on quality replacements to ensure they maintain the competitive quality the Samuraiteam are renowned for.
Damian Bailey from the Hong Kong Cricket Club in Hong Kong has also been selected to win his first Samurai cap.
Penguins star Nafi Tuitavake wary of big brother at GFI HKFC Tens
Nafi Tuitavake has been included in a strong HSBC Penguins squad for next week’s GFI HKFC Tens in Hong Kong, where he could come up against his elder brother Anthony, the tough-tackling former All Black. The 16-team tournament will be held at Hong Kong Football Club from March 21-22.
The younger Tuitavake, a four-year New Zealand sevens player who scored his first international try at Hong Kong Stadium in 2007, captained Penguins to victory in the 2010 SCC Sevens in Singapore and will star for the second seeds at Sports Road.
North Harbour head coach Liam Barry, a one-cap All Black, is in charge of a Kiwi-dominated squad of players who, following hooker Paul Ngauamo’s withdrawal, are all playing for Penguins in Hong Kong for the first time.
Forwards include flankers Matt Vant Leven and the giant Mat Luamanu, who played Super Rugby for the Chiefs and Blues respectively last year.
Scrumhalf Chad Tuoro and winger Leka Tupuola have played sevens for New Zealand, while other key players include flyhalf Willie Walker, the former New Zealand Maori who played in the English Premiership, and South African Frank Wagenstroom who played wing for Sharks and Cheetahs.
Despite the strong support, the 23-year-old Nafi will be wary of his big brother, who’ll play for Tana Umaga’s top-seeded BGC Asia Pacific Barbarians along with World Cup winner Mils Muliaina and Justin Marshall. Both Tuitavakes play centre or wing and could go face to face in the final, if not earlier. “I’d be excited to play against him, but I don’t want to get hit by him. He’s a really good defender, knows how to put a good shoulder in and makes some big hits. He’s also very fast. I’d need to put brotherly love aside for the match and just give it my best,” said Nafi, who has been in good form the Chiefs Development team this year.
“We’ve never played against each other in competition, but I guess the most competitive level was in training for North Harbour. It was the academy guys against the first team and it was live, you had to prove yourself. We went up against each other a couple of times.” Nafi admits he’d rather play with Anthony than against him and retains good memories of teaming up for North Harbour’s first team in the ITM Cup, New Zealand’s top domestic competition. “We played a lot together during my first season in the first team and it was an awesome experience,” said Nafi, who helped New Zealand’s U-20 side win the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship in Japan. “Sometimes he’d play second five (inside centre) and I’d play outside centre, or he’d play outside centre and I’d play wing.”
Anthony, now 30, won win six caps for the All Blacks in 2008 and played Super Rugby for Highlanders and Blues before his move to NEC Green Rockets in Japan, where he plays today.Nafi is now looking to trump his brother in Hong Kong and continue his winning record for Penguins, having also helped the side retain the COBRA 10s in Kuala Lumpur last November when he played as a guest in the final. “I’ve only played Tens once, at the COBRA 10s, and it’s a completely different game from sevens – you get shut down really quickly. It’s not as free flowing,” Nafi said. “However, I think Penguins have a good squad for Hong Kong. I’m friends with Mat Luamanu because we play ITM Cup for North Harbour and also Ray Niuia, who’s in the North Harbour development squad. I know Willie Walker because when I was young he was playing with my brother at North Harbour.” The speedster is also looking forward to returning to Hong Kong, the scene of his greatest career memory after New Zealand sevens coach Gordon ‘Titch’ Tietjens selected an opportune moment to unleash the then 18-year-old. “The first time I put on the New Zealand jersey was in 2007, in Hong Kong, and I scored with my first touch,” Nafi says. “We were playing against Chinese Taipei and ‘Titch’ put me on the final minute. Victor Vitu passed me the ball and I managed to get away and ran about 50 or 60 metres for the try.”#
The BGC Asia Pacific Barbarians will kick off the GFI HKFC Tens at 11.00am on March 21 with a Pool A match against Playmore’s Shanghai Devils, which will be followed by Hill and Associates Scottish Barbarians taking on Irish Vikings.
HSBC Penguins, finalists in 2007 and 2008, will play in Pool B against International Panthers from Australia, HKRFU Chairman’s X and China Agricultural University.
Third-ranked Borneo Eagles from the Sandakan Rugby Club in Sabah, East Malaysia, will play in Pool C with 2009 runners-up New Zealand Legends, Lloyd McDermott Dingoes of Australia and hosts Newedge Club.
ULR Samurai International, runners-up in 2010 and top seeds last year, are seeded fourth and play in Pool D with Tag Heuer Eyewear Pyrenees of France, Australian Country Invitational and A-Trade Overseas Old Boys.
Pools:
Pool A: BGC Asia Pacific Barbarians (1), Hill & Associates Scottish Barbarians (8), Irish Vikings (12), Playmore’s Shanghai Devils (16)
Pool B: HSBC Penguins (2), International Panthers (7), HKRFU Chairman’s X (11), China Agricultural University (15)
Pool C: SRC Borneo Eagles (3), New Zealand Legends (6), Lloyd McDermott Dingoes (10), Newedge Club (14)
Pool D: ULR Samurai International (4), Tag Heuer Eyewear Pyrenees (5), Australian Country Invitational (9), A-Trade Overseas Old Boys (13)
Sevens player gains national honours
On the back of winning the National Sevens and the Gold Coast Sevens with Samurai International RFC, Lolagi Visinia from Auckland has been named in Gordon Tietjens' 15-man squad in the lead up to the Hong Kong Sevens.The 20-year-old said his inclusion in the squad was ''a dream come true'' for him.
Samurai International teams continue to show that the team has a fantastic role to play for player development, providing a valuable stage for players to show their skills and ability.
Barracudas in to Win ?
The Samurai Fiji Barracudas will once again take part in the Uprising 7s International 7s at the weekend.The team will face a very big task with New Zealand, France, Fiji and Australia all entering International teams at the event.
The Samurai Barracudas team is as follows:
1. Pio Tuwai (capt)
2. Filimone Seru
3. Lekima Tuidraki
4. Selema Bainivalu
5. Rafaele Tokona
6. Lemeki Duidomo
7. Samuela Raileqe
8. Kaminieli Turagalada
9. Nasoni Roko
10. Filipo Nakosi
11. Tu Seru Cavuilati
12. Josevata Bola
Manager : Peni Muakalou
Coach : Sailosi Naiteqe Snr
SAMURAI PATHWAY WALKS THE WALK ONCE AGAIN
Congratulations Kylem and Junior we wish you great success..........
Samurai squeeze Win at Dubai 7s 2011
It has certainly been a succesful few weeks for the ULR Samurai International RFC team with a runners up spot at the Nairobi Safari 7s a win at the Gold Coast 7s last weekend and now a win at the coveted Dubai 7s.
Samurai went into the weekend with a young and untested team of South African provincial players, coached by Marius Schoeman and led on the field by experienced duo MJ Mentz and Neil Powell. This was their first outing as a team and expectations were high, but also with a little bit of trepidation as they had no warm up tournaments prior to the Dubai showpiece. During the week leading up to the tournament the Samurai team had trained alongside the Springbok 7s team and had had a run out against the Jumeirah English Speaking School watched by the whole school.
Day 1
There was also no easing their way into the tournament as first up on Friday morning was an opening round pool fixture against old foes HFW Wailers. Wailers drawing on their core of Newcastle Falcons players and with a few England Sevens players also in the squad fancied their chances of upsetting Samurai as they had in the semi finals in Amsterdam earlier on in the year. The game got off to an intense start with defences on top – Samurai testing the Wailers defence out wide and vice versa. First score went to the Samurai as a breakaway try saw Cornell Hendricks score under the posts – Samurai did not see further possession in the first%
SAMURAI SELECT HIGH CLASS LADIES TEAM FOR GOLD COAST 7S.
The Samurai management team, which includes ex-Wallabies Cameron Lillicrap and Pat Howard (who also coached Leicester Tigers for the Gold Coast 7s) have selected a star studded ladies team for the Gold Coast 7s. The team will be captained by Cheryl Soon who will be winning her first Samurai cap.
Samurai Team for Gold Coast 7s.
Iliseva Batibasaga
Representative honours Queensland (2006-), Queensland Sevens (2009-), Australia (2006-), Australian Sevens (2008-)
The daughter of former Fijian international Isimelo Batibasaga and cousin of former Qantas Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri. Iliseva is an experienced campaigner on the international womens Rugby circuit. A Brisbane girl, playing out of historical Queensland club Brothers. Great ball skills and foot work she will be one to watch.
Nicole Beck
Representative honours Australia (2008-), Australian Sevens (2008-)
The baby-faced speedster from New South Wales coastal town Bulli, Nicole Beck made her debut for Australia in both the full and 7’s versions of the game in 2008 after an impressive club season with Sydney University. Nicole is a proud member of the World Cup-winning Australia Women’s Sevens team which beat New Zealand in the final in Dubai in 2009. Nickname Pup from the late Shawn MacKay she put one of the BIGGEST hit in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2011. Speed to burn and fearless in defence.
Kristy Giteau
Representative honours Australia (2009-), Australian Sevens (2010-)
Yes she is the Sister to Matt Giteau but has forged her own reputation in the Rugby world as an electrifying winger with a radar for the tryline. Kirsty is coming off a outstanding World Cup and looking to bring that to Samurai 7’s on the Gold Coast. The second eldest of four children and a self-confessed reality tv tragic, Kristy earned the nickname “Tri Nations” from her teammates for her inability to name her favourite sporting team, besides the Wallabies. Its must run in the Family leave half a gap and this Gitz is gone. Footwork, pace and a eye for the tryline Kristy will change a game up.
Alex Hargreaves
Representative honours Australia (2002, 2006-), Australian Sevens (2008-)
World Cup-winning Rugby Sevens star Alex Hargreaves is just what this team needs. She is fearless and a player most teams don’t want to play against. Her hard nose approach to the game on Rugby set the tone for how the game should be played. A teacher by trade, Alex enjoys surfing, camping, bike riding and wake boarding when away from the classroom. A strong ball carrier with her style of play will set the tone for the game.
Cobie-Jane Morgan
Representative honours Australia (2009-)
From the Warringah club in Sydney Northern Beaches a talented centre who has successfully made the switch to Rugby after honing her skills on the touch football field. Cobie made her debut for the Wallaroos in 2009’s Rugby World Cup qualifier against Samoa and is also a promising Rugby Sevens player. Cobie outstanding passing game and speed will be a great help to her team.
Kate Porter
Representative honours Australia (2006, 2008-)
This second rower was spotted at the Army Vs Navy/Air force national game in Canberra this year. Kate has a great understanding for that game of Rugby. A line out specialist who is always in the middle of the hard stuff. Kate attended the Australian Defence Force Academy and completed an Arts Degree majoring in Politics and History, she holds the rank of Lieutenant. Kate style of play will help the backs get the space they want great ball carrier with the skill of getting pass away under pressure.
Cheryl Soon
Representative honours Australia (2001-2010), Australian Sevens (2008-2010)
Cheryl is one of the most influential and respected women to have worn the Green & Gold jersey. Cheryl is at the top of her game after almost a decade of service to the national squad, the dynamic No.9 famously captained the Australian Women’s Sevens team to World Cup glory last year. Her leadership & experience with her rugby understanding will guide this team well for the Gold Coast 7’s.
Rebecca Trethowan
Representative honours Australia (2006-)
Rebecca is a very experienced backrower in the 15 a-side game. She coming to the 7’s with a style of play to back up with Alex Hargreaves and form a very strong forward back. Rebecca lives in Country New South Wales, Dubbo a great sporting country areas. Great good forward and defence Rebecca will make massive in roads for the backs.
Sharni Williams
Representative honours Australia (2008-)
Sharni was a stand out at the Rugby Union World Cup. A talented centre Sharni Williams hails from the rural New South Wales town of Batlow. A hard ball runner with great running line Sharni will be a hand full for any defence she is will come up against. A player to watch over the weekend of the rugby 7’s.
Rebecca Tavo
Representative honours Australia (2008-), Australian Sevens (2008-)
Rebecca Tavo was apart of the World Cup winning 7’s team. Rebecca comes from a touch back ground with super feet and passing game. She will be one of the players looking to show what she can do in the Gold coast 7’s.
Hayley Sullivan
Representative honours Australia Army(2010-) Australian Services Rugby Union(2010-)
Very much a new comer in rugby but has taken to Rugby like a duck to water. A outstanding performance in the Army Vs Navy and the Women’s National has gain her a lot of respect from some Senior Wallaroo’s and a player to watch for the future. With a super boot in her Hayley can get you out of a hard spot in a heart beat. A development player who is gain a lot from the experience.
Hayley Jane Neville
Representative honours Australia Army(2010-) Australian Services Rugby Union(2010-)
Apart of team Hayley. Hayley Sullivan & Miss Neville form Team H. Another new comer to rugby but has not stopped her turning head on the field. Fearless with ball in hand and a willingness learn Hayley will gain a lot from this 7’s. Speed and footwork will be her strong point. A Development player.
NINE SAMURAI PLAYERS TO REPRESENT ENGLAND AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES.
The England 7s team for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in India was announced yesterday with no less than 9 of the squad having been capped by Samurai International RFC in recent years.
Ben Gollings who first played for Samurai in Amsterdam and Lisbon almost 10 years ago will Captain the team and he will be joined by Kev Barratt, John Brake, Dan Caprice, Chris Cracknell, Simon Hunt, Dan Norton, Tom Powell and Matt Turner who have all been part of the Samurai pathway to International honours.
Samurai International RFC has a proven track record of finding future Internationals since its conception way back in 1996. With the 9 Samurai-capped players heading off to Delhi to represent their country, it is a great showcase for Samurai, showing that representing the famous club helps to both develop the player and also put them in a fantastic 7s shop window to help them achieve their aspirations and to go on to greater things.
Be sure to check out England's progress as they face Sri Lanka, Australia and Uganda on the first day of the 16 man tournament on 11th October.
SAMURAI CONFIRM SEVENS IN THE SUN ON THE GOLD COAST.
Samurai International RFC have accepted an invitation to take part in Australia's Gold Coast 7s on November 13th/14th.
With the English domestic season well underway, player availability will be difficult for the management team.
Ant Sauer a former Australian 7s player who played in Darwin last year for the Samurai International team, will Captain the side. More announcements to follow...
To keep up to date with the latest announcements and get the inside track on all things Samurai remember you can follow us on Twitter.
BARRACUDAS LOSE OUT TO ENGLAND AT HARPENDEN
A young Samurai Barracudas side just fell short at the Harpenden Sevens, only being stopped by an impressive England side in the final. The Samurai development team gelled well as the day progressed but were eventually outclassed after some fine performances.
The day started with the Samurai Barracudas meeting for the first time at Harpenden RFC. The group matches got underway against the hard working Crazy Dawgs a team from Nottingham led by playmaker Rory Jones. A physical contest ensued as the Barracudas worked to find their structure and shape. An early try from promoted Samurai Shark Stuart Mackay gave them the lead only for the Crazy Dawgs to score from an interception. As the team started to gel under the guidance of coach Billy May, they started to find their shape, and a quick fire brace from James Greenwood helped the Barracudas run out comfortable winners 28 points to 5.
The Barracudas continued to improve throughout the next two group games with 36-0 win over Adinburians and a 45-0 win over Hollywood 7s who went on to win the plate competition. The Barracudas topped the group having only conceded one try so far and were drawn against Merlins in the last 16 of the cup. A clinical performance with trys from Greenwood, Stephenson and Mackay saw the Barracudas progress to the quarter finals with a 58-0 win. Next up was the RAF who Barracudas had met at the same stage last year. A tough game followed with the Barracudas failing to take chances and the RAF scoring several break-away tries. The Barracudas worked hard and ran out eventual winners 35-21 against a spirited RAF side.
The semi final was against the highly rated Apaches who scored first to take a 7-0 lead. Good work from Edwards and Mackay put speedster James Greenwood in against his old team and the Barracudas pulled it back to 14-14 at half time. A half time pep talk from coach Billy May saw the Barracudas close out and dominate the second half with an accomplished performance to win the semi final 31-14 and set up a final with England who had beaten Marauders in the other semi final.
The Barracudas came out firing and came close to scoring in the opening seconds but were punished by a clinical England side after an unforced handling error near the England line. England’s superior fitness and experience began to show with tries for Matt Turner and James Rodwell giving them a 19-0 lead at the break. Despite determineD pressure from the Barracudas with both Greenwood and Stephenson going close England’s defence held firm and the Barracudas conceded two more ties leaving the score at 31-0 at the final whistle. A clinical performance from a sharp looking England side, on the way to the Commonwealth Games in India, but a spirited performance from a young Barracudas team marking a great improvement from the start of the day.
Squad: Stevenson (c), Thirlby, Cain, Jones, Mackay, Edwards, Ball, Stephenson, Greenwood, Porter, Fleximan, Brown
Coach: Billy May
Physio: Emma Mark
Manager: Mark Dean
SAMURAI TURN THE TABLES AT MIDDLESEX
ULR Samurai International turned the tables on London Irish at Middlesex 7s on Saturday. In a repeat of last year's final, Samurai got their revenge against the Premiership outfit finally coming out on top 15-12 in a breathtaking contest.
The prestigious competition's unusual structure means that to win, a team must progress unbeaten throughout the tournament. This provides a huge challenge to the invitational teams such as Samurai as they look to bond and gel as quickly as possible, often having only two or three days to prepare as a squad.
Samurai shot out of the blocks in their first game against invitational arch-rivals The White Hart Marauders. After a disappointing semi-final loss in the final leg of the UK National Series at Newquay, the Samurai were keen for revenge and put in a brutal display that squeezed the life out of the Marauder's attack. Marius Schoeman, Ryno Benjamin, Zar Lawrence and Humphrey Kayange were among the scorers in an impressive display.
The quarter-final stage saw Samurai face the 14-time winners Harlequins with a star-studded line-up including Danny Care, Chris Robshaw and Nick Easter. In a hotly contested contest Harlequins looked to have the upper hand for most of the match but dogged determination from the Samurai kept them in the game and they came from behind to win 17-12 after Quins went down to 6 men following a late hit by Danny Care. With some typical British summer rain making for greasy conditions, this was a real test for the Samurai but their win set up a semi-final with their National Series rivals, the British Army.
Following a summer of intense rivalry in the National Series, where the two sides were only separated by points difference, there is certainly no love lost between the British Army and Samurai. After some epic clashes over the summer, this was billed to be one of the games of the tournament. Samurai, however, had other ideas.
Another devastating defensive display saw Samurai nil The Army – no mean feat against one of the most potent attacking forces on the circuit.
After some clinical finishing brought around by tenacious defence, Samurai ended the game as victors 29-0, setting up a repeat against last year's winners, the ever impressive London Irish.
The final proved to be an absolute thriller with the difficult conditions making for a low-scoring war of attrition. Schoeman got Samurai off to a great start after a sustained period of possession led to the South African legend bundling over in the corner for an unconverted score.
The Londoners responded well with a 5-pointer of their own before delivering a hammer-blow before half time with a converted try on the whistle to bring the half time score to 12-5. The Samurai would have to come from behind for the second time that day if they wanted to claim the Middlesex trophy.
From the kick-off Samurai retained possession superbly and recycled through a number of phases to carve an opening for for Humphrey Kayange who off-loaded well to the supporting Paul Delport who scampered in for the score. The conversion was missed so Samurai remained behind at 12-10.
Great work from the restart saw Samurai claim possession and send Kenyan international Collins Injera in to the corner for a quick-fire score, completely turning the tables giving Samurai a 15-12 lead.
With two minutes to go, London Irish looked to have blown their chance at the title by losing a player to the sin-bin for a high tackle. Despite this, the Premiership outfit rallied superbly to put huge pressure on the Samurai defence in an exhausting 3 minute passage of over-time play. It went right down to the wire with Delon Armitage chipping over the defence in the Samurai 22 to initiate a foot race to the ball, winner takes all. Samurai won the race and kicked the ball off the pitch, sparking joyous celebrations from the management and supporters as some of the players collapsed to the ground in exhaustion having given their all in the gruelling 20-minute final.
The ULR Samurai International team at Middlesex 7s really showed the value of playing for each other. On paper the team was world-class but throughout the day they had to rally together to work as a unit to overcome some excellent teams. A brutal and relentless defence was the cornerstone of the team's win which allowed their class to shine through in attack.
SAMURAI CAPTURE CWMTAWE
Despite a brave fight back from Welsh specialist 7s outfit Tonmawr in the Cwmtawe Sevens on Saturday, (7th August) the ULR Samurai International RFC team ran out winners 29 – 17 in the final to secure their 4th Cwmtawe title.
The Samurai management had a difficult few days in the run up to the tournament as they lost 3 players during an eventful week. Mark Odejobi, Charlie Marr and Sam Cain all stepped in at short notice and did an excellent job in helping Samurai bring home the trophy.
The UK National Sevens Series champions beat the Warriors 29 – 12 and Kamikaze 34 – 12 in their pool games before defeating the Ponty Butchers 29 – 14 in the quarter final.
In the semi-final Samurai faced a Llanelli team that had looked very strong throughout the tournament, but the Samurai team put in their best performance of the day as they ran out winners 38 - 0 points with Kayange (2), Odejobi, Tellwright, Schoeman and Injera all getting on to the score sheet.
In the gruelling 20 minute final Samurai scored 2 early tries through Kayange and Odejobi but were then guilty of taking their foot of the gas with Kevin James pulling a try back for Tonmawr. Injera then helped himself to a well taken try to maintain their buffer as they went into half time 17 – 5 up.
Samurai were again guilty of relaxing and so allowed Tonmawr’s sprightly scrum half to score a well taken and converted try in the left hand corner.
With the score now standing at 17 – 12 Tonmawr could sense an upset, but 'man of the tournament' Humphrey Kayange stepped up a gear and helped himself to 2 well executed tries before Kevin James scored again just before the final whistle with Samurai taking the title with a well deserved 29- 17 victory.
On Sunday (8th) a young Samurai development team 'Samurai Sharks' took the first ever Wild Boar 7s title in Camberley as they defeated a spirited Redingensians team 19 – 17 in the final.
MARIUS SCHOEMAN TO CAPTAIN SAMURAI AT MIDDLESEX
ULR Samurai International have named South Africa 7s stalwart Marius Schoeman as captain for the upcoming Middlesex 7s.
The versatile Schoeman called time on his international 7s career following South Africa’s victorious 2008/09 campaign. Playing in 39 IRB tournaments since 2001 and accumulating 103 tries, only a handful of players have more experience in the international sevens arena, making him the perfect leader for last year’s finalists as they look to go one better this time around.
Marius knows what it means to play for the Samurai, having won Amsterdam in 2008 and finished as a runner up at Middlesex 2009 and will be determined to go one better this year and lift the trophy.
ULR Samurai Manager Terry Sands said “We are delighted to have Marius on board for this world-famous tournament. Having played for us before, he knows what is required in terms of effort and performance and his experience, versatility and professionalism make him an ideal leader for the Samurai as we look to continue our success on the back of the National Series victory.”
Sands has been busy building another typically competitive squad for this year’s event and can confirm that Samurai International RFC’s player of the UK National Series, Mark Bright will also be pulling on the famous shirt at Twickenham on August 14th. Mark captained the Samurai to victory in the inaugural competition and will look to put his physical presence to good use at Twickenham.
SAMURAI WIN INAUGURAL NATIONAL SEVENS SERIES
ULR SAMURAI INTERNATIONAL have been crowned inaugural National Sevens Series champions despite suffering a shock defeat at the semi-final stage of Newquay Surf 7s.
Reaching the cup final would guarantee a series win and having a number of regular players unavailable for selection, the Samurai team would have to gel quickly to achieve their goal. The group stage provided a good opportunity to do this with Samurai brushing aside the Kamikaze followed by the Ronin with ease, only conceding one try in the process. One disappointment from the group stages came in the loss of Dom Shaboo to a hamstring injury that would rule him out of the rest of the tournament.
The Akuma Smurfs were confirmed as Samurai's quarter-final opponents. They would be looking for revenge following their loss in the group stages of the Manchester leg of the series.
A bright start by the Samurai saw the score stand at 17-0 at half time, primed to push home for the win in the second period. However, in typical Smurfs style, the Welshmen hit back and took the lead with only time for one last play. A superb take by Samurai captain Mark Bright from the restart was the catalyst for some patient play that led to a fantastic Errie Claassens break, finished off by Josh Drauniniu. The referee blew the final whistle and Samurai proceeded to a semi-final against fierce rivals White Hart Marauders by the skin of their teeth.
Knowing that a semi-final victory would confirm Samurai as National Series champions, the pressure was on to deliver against the Marauders and the favourites got off to the worst possible start with the lively Paul Jarvis catching Samurai asleep and darting over after a quick tap penalty. In an arm-wrestle of a match with few chances, it looked like it would be a tense, low-scoring affair and it certainly proved so. With Samurai struggling to find any fluency or rhythm to their play, Jarvis claimed a second score to leave the Samurai facing an uphill battle at 12-0 down on the half-time whistle. With time running out Errie Claassens showed great strength to score under the posts and reduce the deficit to 12-7 as Samurai looked to complete a miracle escape for the second game in a row. A frustrating final 3 minutes failed to produce another score and the Samurai were architects of their own downfall, providing the shock of the tournament and failing to reach the final for the first time in the National Series.
All eyes were now on the final in which the British Army (equal on Series points) would have to beat the Marauders by 47 points to claim the Series title. With the Marauders looking tired following their surprise win against the Samurai, the Army raced to a 24-0 half time lead with Apo Satala pulling the strings for the military men. Things were looking ominous for the nervous Samurai who could only watch as their fate was in the hands of others.
The second half saw the Marauders up their game. A number of penalties against the Army meant that time was beginning to run out for them. The Marauders clawed a score back which meant the Army had it all to do and despite a late score, the Marauders had done enough to restrict the Army to a 29-7 victory prompting wild celebrations from the Samurai, winning the overall National Sevens Series title on points difference by 25 points.
Fantastic victories at RugbyRocks and the West Country 7s provided the platform for Samurai's victory, with a great effort just falling short at Manchester. Keeping three or four quality core players throughout the series benefited the Samurai as they provided a bit of selection continuity which helped to play some fantastic sevens. The Army had the luxury of calling on an almost identical squad at every tournament and training a number of times a week as a team which makes the magnitude of this achievement even more impressive. Credit must go to all the players involved as they bought in to the Samurai ethos and bonded very quickly each event to develop a huge amount of camaraderie and team ethic that, under normal circumstances would take a considerable time to develop. A below par performance at Newquay made for a nail-biting finish but ultimately Samurai deserved their title as inaugural National Sevens Series Champions.
SAMURAI INTERNATIONAL CONFIRM TEAM FOR NEWQUAY
The Samurai management have finally been able to confirm their team for this weekend's final leg of the UK National Series at the Newquay Surf 7s.
Mark Bright (Capt)
Rhys Jones
Gareth Davies
Martin Purdy
Rob Lewis
Lee Beach
Josh Drananui
Dominic Shaboo
Errie Claasens
Michael Fedo
Gav Dacey
Tom Wiley
SELECTION SETBACKS FOR SAMURAI
The ULR SAMURAI INTERNATIONAL team have suffered a selection setback for the final leg of the UK National Series that takes place on Saturday in Newquay.
This weekend's tournament is make or break for the ULR Samurai International team as they hold a slender 8 point lead going into the final leg of the National Series, with the British Army team hot on their heels. Player unavailability could not have hit the team at a worse possible time.
Final selection has been a topsy turvy affair with further changes being necessary on Wednesday Morning with the final team selection still unable to be confirmed.
Mike Friday, Paul John and Russell Earnshaw are also not available to coach this weekend meaning Amsterdam-winning Mark Hewitt will take over the reigns for this all important series decider.
One player that can be confirmed is ever present Samurai Captain Mark Bright who will be accompanied by fellow Samurai's Gavin Dacey, Tom Wiley and Rhys Jones.
Former Wales 7s player Rob Lewis will hopefully be available and will certainly have big boots to fill with Lee Rees and John Brake both being unavailable for selection, along with the influential Carl Murray and Geoff Griffiths.
This weekend will now prove to be a real test of Samurai's trademark team spirit and resolve, with management and players all needing to pull together to jump the final series hurdle!
FINAL HURDLE TOO HIGH FOR SAMURAI
ULR SAMURAI INTERNATIONAL will have to wait until Newquay Surf 7s to see if they can claim the inaugural National Sevens Series crown. After narrowly missing out in another hotly-contested final against the British Army in Manchester, The Samurai will need to make the final on 17th July to secure the title; no mean feat with every team out to beat the series leaders.
Fielding a much changed team from the West Country 7s, The Samurai looked to bond quickly on the pitch and a 10.20am start against the ever-improving Akuma Smurfs certainly provided a stern test to start the day. Samurai scored three well worked tries before the Welshmen worked their way back in to the game but a Geoff Griffiths try sealed a relatively comfortable 22-12 win.
The Samurai looked to improve their defensive display in their second game against the Ronin but a scrappy game combined with some odd refereeing decisions resulted in a frustrating 19-7 win for the series leaders with new-boys Martin Purdey and Billy Ngawini touching down along with captain Carl Murray.
The quarter finals brought a new opposition to The Samurai, Olorun ID. The prospect of the unknown ID sparked a brutal defensive performance by Samurai, with their systems working well and capitalising on the pressure they created. Angus Martyn grabbed a hat-trick while Geoff Griffiths and Jamie Hearn Wrapped up a ruthless 33-0 victory.
Familiar foes HFW Wailers provided a tough obstacle to the final, eventually going down 17-14 in an intriguing tie. A steely performance saw The Samurai starve their opponents of the ball in the latter stages to secure a hard-fought win despite the best efforts of Hamish Smales and Steve Parsons. This victory set up a rematch of the West Country 7s final against the British Army.
Samurai started the brighter in the final with John Brake and Gavin Dacey both showing good pace to finish well-worked scores. After an arm-wrestle of a first half the Army reduced the deficit to 10-7 thanks to a Gus Qasevakatini effort just before the break.
In an increasingly tense and absorbing encounter, Gerhard Wessells and Tom Wiley exchanged well-taken scores to give Samurai a 15-12 advantage before the turning point of the match. Apo Satala found Qasevakatini who scampered in for his second of the game under controversial circumstances. In an attempt to score under the posts, it appeared the Fijian had put a foot out of bounds on the dead ball line, but despite protests from the covering John Brake, the try stood. With a few dropped passes and decisions going against them it looked as though it would not be the Samurai's day and when Qasevakatini completed his hat-trick, the mountain was too high to climb even for the never-say-die Samurai.
The final score saw the Army victorious 26-15, condemning Samurai to their first National Series defeat and staying in the hunt for the Inaugural title.
An appearance in the final at Surf 7s will be enough to guarantee a Samurai victory but every team will be out to beat them...
DOUBLE BLOW FOR SAMURAI
The ULR SAMURAI INTERNATIONAL team were dealt a double blow today, with the news that Simon Hunt AND John Rudd are unavailable for this weekends UK National Series event at Manchester. Hunt, who was man of the tournament at the Amsterdam and Richmond 7s, will not have recovered from the ankle injury he picked up at the West Country 7s last week. John Rudd is unavailable due to a family wedding.
The ULR Samurai team will also be without West Country 7s player of the tournament, Lee Rees this weekend as he returns to Llanelli Scarlets for pre season training.
The close knit spirit and resolve of the Samurai team will now be needed more than ever this weekend as they look to secure a top 4 place to keep ahead of the series leader board.
BACK TO BACK FOR SAMURAI IN THE NATIONAL SERIES
The ULR SAMURAI INTERNATIONAL team overcame a 14-0 deficit to defeat a visibly pumped up British Army side in a pulsating final at the West Country Sevens. With effort, work rate and clinical finishing paying dividends later in the day, the win puts them firmly in the driving seat on maximum points at the half way stage of the series.
An early start saw Samurai kick the tournament off at 10am with a 56-0 win over Raging Bull Ronin. Despite finishing off chances and taking advantage of some lacklustre defending, it was far from a perfect performance as the team looked to gel as quickly as possible.
A well organised Apache team were eventually disposed of in the second of the group games, securing the Samurai a quarter-final tie with the Gilbert Pups.
Domination at the restart proved to be the key to victory in a bruising encounter with the men in pink. After falling behind 7-5 Samurai quickly went through the gears to assert their authority. Two late tries by the Pups both brought some respectability to the scoreline and raised some concerns over the physical state of some of the Samurai team. Despite the 36-21 scoreline, the team looked tired and lacking in energy and would have to pick themselves up for a tough semi-final some 2 hours later.
The semi-final saw the strong rivalry between the Samurai and Marauders resumed in a clinical performance by the series leaders. Geoff Griffiths, John Rudd, Jake Abbott and Mark Bright all crossed the line before a consolation try brought the score to 26-5. A strong period of energetic second-half defence defined this performance by the Samurai, a big boost before the final against the potent British Army.
With the crowd in good spirits enjoying the early evening sunshine, the stage was set for a hotly contested final that would not disappoint. Some slack midfield tackling and a defensive mix-up saw the Army capitalise to take an early 14-0 lead however a devastating dart through the heart of the Army's defence saw Lee Rees put Geoff Griffiths away for a try that kept the Samurai hot on their heels. John Rudd powered over before half time reduce the Army'slead to 14-12 at the break. The close-knit team spirit developed throughout the weekend was clear to see in a passionate but focussed half-time team talk, with every member of the squad ready to work for each other for the last 10 minutes of a gruelling day. A piece of individual skill from man of the tournament Lee Rees saw him collect his own chip to score after some robust work from the Samurai forwards.
Buoyed by the success of their structured, clinical play Samurai began to turn the screw on the Army with Jake Abbott and Rhys Jones both crossing the line for well worked scores. Mike Davis scampered in for a try in repost to an Army score and with time running out, it looked as though the title belonged to the Samurai.
The Army grabbed two late scores to keep the crowd on their toes but the devastating post-half-time surge by the Samurai proved enough to claim their second win in two weeks and enhance their lead on the top of the National Series table.
SAMURAI WIN RUGBYROCKS
THE ULR SAMURAI INTERNATIONAL won the first leg of the UK National Series on Saturday at the Richmond Rugby Rocks event.
The team certainly did it the hard way with wins in the last second against Apache in the pool games and again in the ¼ final against HFW Wailers. It’s fair to say that the Samurai players had a never say die inner belief throughout the tournament however, the management team were often left biting their nails on the side lines! The tournament as expected was of a high standard with every core side being of a similar standard. It was often the case that a single mistake from a player, a poor decision or poor bounce of the ball would decide the outcome. Samurai narrowly disposed of the White Hart Marauders at the ¼ final stages but once again it was only in the latter stages of the game that victory was secured. Simon Hunt continued his rich vein of form as he helped himself to 9 tries and the man of the tournament award. The team had gelled together well for their recent Amsterdam 7s victory and continued in the same vein at Richmond, to win a pulsating final against Esher. All team managers have now been fully alerted to just how close this series is going to be and next week’s tournament at the West Country 7s is bound to see games that are even more closely contested. Can Samurai stretch their lead or will another core team take control? Make sure you log into www.ur7s.com to catch up with all the latest news……….
ULR SAMURAI EARN PLACE AT THE MIDDLESEX 7S
The ULR Samurai International team, after reaching the final in 2009, is honored to be invited to return to attend the 2010 tournament, to be held at Twickenham Stadium on August 14th.
The team will be coached by Mike Friday and Managed by John Elliott in what promises to once again be a great day out for the Samurai players and their supporters.
Friday, Elliott and playing Chairman Terry Sands have now started the selection process where they intend to continue the invitation team ethos by selecting players of varied nationalities.
England, Wales, Scotland, British Army and teams from the Guinness Premiership, will form part of the 16 team tournament.
Tickets for what promises to be a fantastic day of exhilarating rugby, are available from the link on the Middlesex Sevens banner on our home page.
SAMURAI SAVE THE BEST TILL LAST
The ULR Samurai International team put in a faultless performance in the final of the Amsterdam Sevens on Sunday, to extend their Amsterdam winning run to 6 consecutive wins.
With many new faces in the Samurai Team and a distinct lack of training time, it was always going to take the team time to gel and to get used to the structures and game plan, put in place by Samurai coaches Peter Richards and Mark Hewitt. As each pool game was played the team got better and better and the last pool game against the Nike Bowerman team, proved to be exactly what they needed.
The full size Dutch National pitch came as a big shock to the team, having played their previous games on the smaller satellite pitches. It took the Samurai team a while to get into gear before finally running out winners by 3 tries to 1
The Sunday pool games pitched the Samurai Team against Castricum from Holland and VGA from France. Despite early resistance from both teams, the Samurai ran out comfortable winners.
With the Samurai now facing CSR Nanok in the quarter finals, (surprise winners against Wooden Spoon in the pool games) team performances were improving at a rate of knots and despite Nanok putting up a spirited fight, Samurai took the spoils to set up a re run of last year’s semi final to face the Gilbert Stoned Pups.
Samurai came out in a spirited mood which saw Gavin Dacey help himself to a well taken try after only 2 minutes ably converted by Mikey Davis. For the next couple of minutes the game went from end to end before the Pups pulled one back to level the scores. Samurai then tightened their grip on the game with a great try from Simon Hunt to help them sneak ahead. 2 more tries from Tom Wiley and again from Hunt meant, the Samurai never looked back as they reached their 6th consecutive Amsterdam 7s final.
The ULR Samurai International team now faced the much fancied Millfield Old Boys 7s team in the final. The Millfield Old Boys team included John Brake (England 7s) Miles Mantella and Tom Parker from London Irish, and Adam Clayton from Pertemps Bee’s. They had played some wonderful 7s rugby in the lead up to the final beating strong HFW Wailers and Marauders sides along the way.
The final was to be played in front of a close to capacity crowd in the Dutch National Stadium and as the whistle blew crowd favourites Millfield received the ball. Samurai pressured the Millfield team and in doing so turned the ball over in midfield. The Samurai team maintained possession and pushed forward with a fine display of 7s rugby. Despite a passionate Millfield defence, Geoff Griffiths was on hand to score a really well worked try centre field, followed by a Mikey Davis conversion.
Millfield struck back through Miles Mantella in the far left corner after some excellent work by John Brake to make the score 7 – 5 to Samurai.
Samurai Captain Carl Murray, rallied his troops and having led by example throughout the tournament his team mates immediately rose to the challenge. Samurai gained possession straight from the kick off and after further outstanding interplay between forwards and backs, Oriol Ripol went over to stretch the Samurai lead.
The tone was set and in an almost faultless display of 7s rugby Samurai starved Millfield of possession, leading to 2 further outstanding tries for ‘’man of the tournament’’ Simon Hunt.
As the second half kicked off it was clear to see that Samurai had saved their best till last. Millfield were turned over time and again as the Samurai front 3 dominated the contact area. Hunt scored again to complete his treble, with further tries being scored by Murray (2) and Dacey to bring the final score to 44 – 5. It was an excellent team performance to extend the Samurai run of consecutive victories, at the Amsterdam Sevens to 6.
The next stop for the Samurai team will be the Rugby Rocks 7s in London on 12th June, where they will compete in the new UK National Sevens series. One thing is for certain, they will be hard pushed to better their final performance in Amsterdam..............
SO CLOSE SAMURAI..
The ULR Samurai International team put in a fantastic performance at the 2010 GFI Hong Kong Tens to reach their first ever Tens final.
The Samurai team were playing in honour of their former coach Colin Hillman who was also the former Wales 7s coach, who had died last July after a long illness.
The ULR Samurai team certainly had the toughest of draws where they had to play and beat Penguins International, French Pyrenees and New Zealand Legends on their way to the final. Whilst the experienced Aliens searched for their 9th victory the Samurai were looking for a maiden win at the Tens and this year it was going to be even harder as the standard was exceptional.
With the Aliens being top seeds they rightly earned the longer rest period after their semi final and in humid conditions this was a worthwhile advantage.
Both teams started the final in a nervous fashion in what was the events major showpiece and was being played in front of a capacity crowd.
Samurai International RFC…...Helping players, to help their team and to help themselves!
SAMURAI TO PLAY IN HK TO HONOUR EX-COACH..
Samurai International RFC will play in memory of former Wales Sevens coach Colin Hillman at this month's GFI Hong Kong Football Club Tens. Hillman, who died in July after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, was part of the Welsh national sevens set-up which won the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai last March. He was also a longstanding coach of the Samurai International team at the HKFC Tens and many other Global tournaments.
"Colin's favourite tournament and indeed his favourite city was Hong Kong and it is therefore fitting the team will return in his honour," said Terry Sands, founder of the ULR Samurai International team. "Colin was my closest friend and I thought the absolute world of him. He has assisted me with the Samurai team for many, many years and without him the team would never have seen the success they have. It was a privilege to work with him. "He will be sadly missed by everyone," Sands added.
The Welsh Rugby Union now awards caps to the all Wales sevens internationals which included the Rugby World Cup Sevens winning players. In recognition of all the players who have previously played the shortened game for Wales under Hillman, a ceremonial `first cap' was presented to Janine Hillman, Colin's widow, as a tribute to her husband's services to sevens rugby in Wales. Samurai International have a tough group at the 10s where they will play the Penguins, Cardiff University and hosts Hong Kong Football Club in the preliminary rounds at the 16-team tournament on March 24 and 25. They have never progressed past the Cup semi-final stage, but will be hoping to go further to give a fitting tribute to Hillman.
Colin Hillman is pictured sitting front bottom left of the picture above when the team last attended the 10s in 2007.
Samurai win in Sin City..
ULR Samurai International RFC cruised to victory in the Las Vegas Mens Elite 7s tournament on Saturday, having only 2 tries scored against them throughout.
In a near perfect 7s display at this event the Samurai Invitation team disposed of their 3 opponents in the pool games without conceding a try.
In the quarter finals Samurai put in a relentless performance as they disposed of Hawaii 65 – 0 then in the semi final, Samurai put in another fantastic display to brush aside the Grizzlies, who included 5 Fijians in their side, by 53 – 7 to move into the final where they would face Fiji Uprising who had disposed of a good Les Bleus team 26 – 14
Samurai moved into top gear with a clinical performance to demolish Fiji Uprising by 39 – 7 with Henry Speight (2) Simon Hunt, Nick Wakely and Chad Tuoro all getting on the score sheet. Aaron Myers was the final try scorer with his reward for a fine tournament going on to be on standby for England the following day.
The ULR Samurai team will now move on to Hong Kong in March where they will participate in the Hong Kong Football Club Tens competition.