the top tier nations right now are professional sevens players, so i don't know how they will handle that. i know in the U.S. they are scouting at tournaments starting a couple months ago. mostly looking for college age kids. i imagine nations will be allowed to send their full national teams though. i could be wrong though.
well given that the dutch are 6'1 on average whilst americans are 5'9 on average this is just flat out flawed. There are just a ton of yall though
another thing, the national sevens teams now i think are exclusively sevens players. (i could be wrong again) but there aren't sevens teams like fifteens where you sign contracts or anything. so that could factor in as well.
It's a shame they're playing 7s instead of a full game but I guess it makes sense for the Olympic format. The games are so different.
things are more even in sevens as well. more teams have a chance of winning. cheaper as well i imagine.
Fitness isnt preached like it is in the US. Common misconception in Europe is being skinny means you're fit. That plus selective breeding have put our nation ahead.
nah, you're advantage is way easier to explain, college scholarship system. Unless you actually find out you have pro potential european kids have nothing to play for when they are younger. Purely physical y'all also have a combination of differen geneologies that not many countries have but bad healthcare does mean that y'all are relatively undersized.
Its cheap diets not healthcare. Theres a reason why people come to the US to get treatment. (best doctors make the most money here/discovering medicines is very profitable)
its general healthcare as well, there is an availability of revolutionary stuff as there are more research opportunities in the US then any other country except switzerland but basic healthcare is pretty bad. Bad diets and the total lack of education in home cooking dont help either
Sura will revolutionize the way rugby is played Spoiler unfortunately there will still only be 20 ppl in the stands
I watched Rugby college champs yesterday and was def entertained despite not understanding a damn thing. The Utah Samoans were insanely good.
I don't understand why the sport isn't more popular here. It has the brutality of football, the continuous movement of basketball and soccer, and is inexpensive to play. I'd love to see its popularity take off. I mean if Nascar can become the 2nd biggest "sport" in the country, why can't Rugby?
I am not the biggest fan of 7's, but 15's is second only to CFB in my book. I am currently watching The Amlin Cup on DVR and what I wouldn't give to go to RWC in NZ and watch the All Blacks on their own turf. It is an amazing game and such a great spectator sport. I do not ever see it becoming a big sport in The US, but I would love to be wrong.
Agree with a lot said here. I don't like watching 7s on TV. Don't mind playing it, but it doesn't really translate well to the tube. It also won't ever be that big of a sport in the US. It may get a weird-bizarro following like soccer has now, but that's as far as it would go. I also agree that if our all-sport superstars were given time, the US would be HIGHLY competitive internationally. The talent is there, but they're all football, baseball, and basketball players (maybe some hockey guys, too). I'm looking forward to the WC this year, but not to the performance of the US. Prepare your anus.
Because it's too close to football, most likely. If we weren't so defiant to the rest of the world it would've been our #1 sport, most likely. But our defiance is what makes us the US and I love it: -Oh you drive on the left side of the road? Fuck you. We're driving on the right? -Metric? Fuck you. We have our own system. -Soccer? Rugby? Fuck you. We'll make our own sport. -Celsius...what? -World Series of Baseball. Yes, we said World.
here are the nominees for player of the year in the world series. Cecil Afrika was the leading scorer. Sevens Player of the Year nominees
there are tons of pro athletes in the olympics....pretty much every basketball and soccer player is a pro plus others have endorsements and compete on circuits like track athletes and skiers which also makes them pros
Yeah I know. But they are weird about that in some sports. I don't really follow the olympics that closely, but baseball comes to mind as an amateur only olympic competition.
Those sports were not amateur only so much as MLB doesn't release it players to play in the Olympics or stop the season for 2 weeks to allow players to play in the Olympics, so it effectively was limited to only college players in the US and in other countries outside of Cuba. Same with NHL until they decided to have an break for the Olympics. Soccer occurs during the offseason, so their is more leeway their, but not sure why the U-23 rule for the Olympics. I think because nobody cares due to the World Cup.
nah it was actually different, they didnt want a second huge ass global tourney, in the 50s or something the olympic soccer tourney was overwhelming for the rest of the olympics
Starts September 9th. USA ALL THE WAY! kind of. Here is the TV schedule. http://rugbymag.com/index.php?optio...dule&catid=82:2011-rugby-world-cup&Itemid=264 http://rugbymag.com/index.php?optio...dule&catid=82:2011-rugby-world-cup&Itemid=264
what a match. So happy for Radike and Rocky. Still think the AB's will be unbeatable at home in The WC.
don't people say that every world cup? i've only followed this one and 2007, but they are pretty much favored in every game they play. France has been their demise several times and it's interesting that they are in the same pool now. i doubt the AB's lose a pool game though.
Read's injury won't help them. Last night shocked me...I not only thought AB would dominate, I had no idea that the Wallabies had that intensity. As far as The WC, the AB have had this circled for years and I think they will re group, solidify the back line and not drop a match.
It was clear at the beginning of the second half that the AB's possess the power to dominate possession. The pounded in with the forwards then spun wide and Carter will do what he usually does. I'd have to watch it again, but somehow the Wallabies were able to spring back from that.
I hope the WRU continue their great play and they are going in hot after beating England and Argentina. Unfortunately, they are in the pool of death with the Bokke, Fiji and Somoa.
we can help. that is tough. hasn't fiji or samoa upset wales in one or two world cups? i'm really pulling for a northern hemisphere team to win it this year.
Just got my tickets for Austrailia vs. USA..Won't be much of a game, but I'll put the fuck on for the USoA Trying to get a hook up with some quarterfinals/semi's..But I'm going to have to do something terribly demeaning to get those I'm sure.
fuck that's awesome. in typical US fashion it will be a good game for a half, so have fun for a while. what are you doing in NZ?