European Sevens Preview
The top 12 seven-a-side European nations will be descending upon Moscow this weekend for the Europeans Championships. Heading into the event Russia will look to defend its title, while strong performers France and Italy, as well as 2008 champions Portugal should give Russia a tough time in their attempt to repeat.
Rugby Sevens
Rugby sevens is a form of rugby union play. The field maintains the same dimensions, however instead of 15 players, each side has only seven. The games are also shorter at only seven minutes a half instead of the usual 80-minute matches. The short games allow tournaments to be played in a weekend and due to the field size and minimal amount of players the score margins are usually high. Sevens is the most accessible form of rugby and is played all around the world, because of this popularity Rugby sevens has recently been voted into the Olympics for 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
European Sevens Layout
The European Sevens is a tournament between the 12 top seeded in the discipline in Europe. The 12 teams are then split into two pools of six. They play one another twice on the first day to determine the order. The second day marks the beginning of the knock out stage, which they play until there is one team remaining.
2010 Sevens Tournament
To decide which teams make it into the tournament teams play six heats throughout the year, judged by how well you perform in these heats, you may be able to make it into the top 12, and qualify for the tournament. This year the first round took place in Poland and was won by Spain, the second was held in Denmark, where Spain once again took home top prize. The third heat took place in Romania, where the home team came out on top. The fourth heat was won by Portugal in Croatia, and the fifth and final heat was held in Cyprus and was again won by Portugal.
Heading into the tournament the rankings are: 1. Portugal 2. Spain 3. France 4. Italy 5. Russia 6. Romania 7. Netherlands 8. Moldova 9. Ukraine 10. Georgia 11. Lithuania 12. Poland. There is no doubt that the two victories a piece have helped to put Portugal and Spain at the top of the rankings, while strong performances from France, Italy and Russia have cemented them in the top five.
This tournament Portugal looks to take its title back from Russia. The strong play from the Portuguese this season comes as no surprise considering the squad is always in the thick of it. They will however face strong opposition from Spain who’s two tournament victories have made them a real force this season. Unfortunately for Spain they came early in the campaign, and there is some question as to whether or not they can return to form. Late charges from the likes for France and Italy have helped to put their names on the map in terms of favorites. In addition, you cannot discount the home side, as the Russians are known to step up their game when playing in Moscow. The underdog in all this might be the Romanians, as they proved earlier this season they have the capabilities of beating the perennial favorites.
The 2010 European Sevens will see the defending champs and home town favorites Russia trying to retain their crown, while European powerhouse Portugal looks to take back what they believe is rightfully theirs. Regardless of the outcome sevens rugby always makes for exciting play. With high scores and quick matches this version of the popular game is sure to be a fan favorite in Moscow this weekend.
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