Army 7s - Match Reports
Summer Season 2008

Middlesex Sevens 2008
The Ecstacy and the Agony
16 Aug 08

Reporter/Photographer: Roger Thompson

The British Army came into the Middlesex 7s having won their previous seven tournaments, most recently at Cwm Tawe in Wales. They played wonderful 7s to reach the final of the Middlesex Charity event but sadly, and somewhat inexplicably, fell to a strong '7s savvy' Harlequins team in the Final.

A Twickenham crowd of over 25,000 increasingly supported the Reds as their own teams fell by the wayside.

Skipper and former Scotland international 7s player Mark Lee (ALS) set a fine example with two tries in the opening moments of the first round against a strong Saracens squad. It was effectively game over and a similar story as the Army flew past Leicester (31-7) and Gloucester (27-12) in the second round and the semi- final.

With Malakai Magnus (RLC) and Peceli Nacamavuto (RE) roaming freely Rokoduguni added 'fizz' to finish some well thought out movements that owned their origins to natural genius as much as to the time spent on the training ground.

The final against the Harlequins was a different kettle of fish. Fielding a squad with eight full internationals / 7s internationals the Quins included England captain Nick Easter and England international backs Mick Brown and David Strettle who performed strongly in the company of Epi Tai'one, the Tongan Sevens star.

None of that would have mattered had the Reds taken advantage of a 12-10 pts lead and moral ascendancy at the break. After half time it was the Quins that struck first as the Army struggled to find the space and throttle so evident in the opening games. The final score 12pts - 22 was, on the day, a fair outcome. The Army team went down to a genuinely star studded professional outfit that had a 'sevens plan'.

Disappointment-certainly for the players and the 20,000 'new' Army supporters that championed the Reds in the final. But make no mistake this was only a 'missfire' from a first class outfit that will return -possibly stronger-- when England international Isoa Damudamu (RLC) is again fit.

There are some for whom the Silver Medal can never be good enough. This wasn't the expected result but it is generally recognised that 7s is 20% rub of the green which, in a pretty even contest in 2008, went Harlequins way. Well done a fine Quins outfit on their twelfth success since the inauguration of this fabulous event in 1927.

See more at www.middlesex7s.com

Posted: 22 Aug 08

Cwmtawe Sevens
2 Aug 08

Reporter: Maj Greg Ehlen - Team Manager

This competition has been one of the most successful for the British Army having won it four times before over the last 4 years. The playing standard of the opposing teams was also a step up compared to some of our previous UK competitions and this year was no exception. The teams that were listed to play included:

Neath, Young Ospreys, Swansea, Scorpions, Kooga Wailers (Newcastle Falcons), Llanelli, Mel's Exiles, Tonmawr, Tonga Barbarians, Camarthen Warriors and Bath Bandits. There were some premiership players on show and a couple of Welsh A international players also.

The team was looking very strong and determined and we went into the quarter finals against the Young Ospreys very focussed. We won the toss and asked to receive the kick off. We won the ball and dominated the game from the beginning to the end. We were expecting to be put under pressure as there were a couple of the premiership players playing but our strength and pace played a key part. We effectively finished them off in the first half which allowed us to sit back during the second half and we finished the game at 35-10. Tries from Lee, Vave, Tawayaga, Satala and Nacamavuto were all converted by Tawayaga.

The semi final was against Tonmawr, which is a local team from the Welsh valleys. However a sponsor who has injected cash into the club ensured they were able to draft in some quality players. They had a very strong line up and we new this would be an extremely difficult match. They started well and ran in a couple of unanswered tries leaving the Army having to find that extra 10% we had been talking about before the game. We responded well scoring 2 tries through Wessels and Kava, which tied the match at half time. The Army carried the momentum into the second half and dominated for the next 5 minutes scoring 2 converted tries from Lee and Rokoduguni. We held them out for the with a solid defensive platform and possession, although with a few seconds remaining Tonmawr scored a well worked try but it was too little too late as the damage had been done earlier.

The Final was a rematch against the Kooga Wailers (Newcastle Falcons) whom we have had several encounters with this season and we have managed to beat them every time. The Army were up for this game as they new the where playing the 2007 Middlesex winners and they wanted to make a point before we go to Middlesex in ten days time.

We couldn't have asked for a better start with Apo Satala and Malikai Magnus scoring 2 tries within 2 minutes of the start. This stunned the Kooga Wailers who were struggling to contain the immense physicality of the Army players especially the likes of Jo Kava, Mark Lee and Apo Satala who were putting in some huge tackles, which was taking its toll on the opposition. Just before half time Apo Satala scored his second try of the match and the game was effectively over. We made a couple of changes given we had played 12 minutes in the first half and brought on Alex Swann, Sam Nute and Max Vave with both Swann and Vave scoring. The Kooga Wailers managed to score 2 tries and convert 1 but they were not in the game and trudged off the pitch very disconsolate. We finally finished 45-12 winners with Apo Satala scoring a third try and also being named as the player of the tournament.

This Season has seen the team perform at every level in preparation for the Middlesex Sevens and we now face our biggest challenge playing all of the premiership teams for the ultimate UK team competition. See you there (Aug 16 - Twickenham Stadium).

Read more at www.cwmtawe7s.org.uk

Posted: 11 Aug 08

Hannover - German National Team

Reporter: Maj Greg Ehlen - Team Manager

The German national team invited the British Army to take part in a warm up competition in preparation for their forthcoming IRB pool matches. The teams involved were the German National team, the National A team, Frankfurt (Current national Club champions) and the British Army (Germany). This was a great opportunity for the Army management staff to have a look at potential Army players from the BA Germany side. Extremely important as we had just been informed that we would be playing in the Middlesex Sevens in Aug and we could start to focus on the final selection for that tournament.

We played Germany A first and after a slow start beat them 21-17. The German 1st team were our next opponents and we put together a more convincing performance with tries from Apo Satala, Eric Butodroka and Jo Vakalala easily beating them by 21-7. More importantly, we played our patterns well and made the spaces by stretching them one way then the other, which they could not cope with. We then had a chance to watch the BA(G) team play. Two players were impressive and they have subsequently been brought into the Army 7s squad; Tpr (Roko) Rokoduguni (SDG) and Bdr (Sam) Nute (4 Regt RA) both showed good pace and natural 7s flair.

Our final was against the current German club champions Frankfurt, who are a semi professional team and usually feature international players from various European countries. Although they were a big and aggressive side they lacked the finesse and technical ability that we have and we eventually ran out winners by 28-7.

Posted: 11 Aug 08

Roma International Sevens Tournament
6-7 June 2008

Reporter: Maj Greg Ehlen - Team Manager

The Roma International Sevens Tournament took place at the Stadio Dei Marmi in Rome over 6-7 Jun 08. The teams that participated in the competition came from all over the world and included the likes of Fiji Exiles, Penguin International, Samurai RFC, The Froggies and French National IRB, Stellenbosch University, Italian National IRB, Seven Kings of Rome (who had secured the services of Fiji's Serevi) and various other teams. The standard of play and players was outstanding and the Army players knew they would have to be up to their best to stand any chance in the group stages let alone the knockout phases later on.

On Fri we played 2 pool games after some kamakzi driving from Lee Southernwood the sports conditioner around the streets of Rome trying to find the stadium. We were drawn against Mels Exiles, Union Rugby Capitolina and Penguin international who fielded some outstanding young Fijians in their team. We played Mels exiles (31-0) and Capitolina (55-0) on the Fri and to our surprise beat them both quite convincingly. With Max Vave claiming 5 tries, Malikai Magnus and Apo Satala 3 each, Alex Swann, Jo Vakalala and Jo Kava claiming 1 a-piece. The main problem we faced was with the retirement of Howard Graham from the Army as we did not have a recognised kicker and Wes Wessels was thrown in at the deep end and did well to convert 9 of the 14 tries. We just need to work on his re-starts now! We unfortunately lost Apo Satala to what looked like a serious knee injury and with his experience and ability it would make the remaining fixtures very difficult.

The following day started with a bang as the Penguins scored 3 tries in the first half to our 1 and finally beat us (24-14). The players were very disappointed with their performance and although we had already progressed through to the knock out stages of the main cup competition they wanted to make amends for this defeat. We were drawn against the French National side in the quarters and expected a very fast and physical game. The fellas were fired up for this and took the game to the French and stifled their play at every opportunity. We gained control of the ball from the breakdown by bullying them off the ball and scored 2 quick and unanswered tries before half time from Eric Butadroka and Max Vave. Both were converted by Wessels. The second half was a fairly even game with both sides tackling hard although both sides scored a converted try each in the second half but the Army were to strong for the French in the end.

The Semi Final line up was Penguin v Stellenbosch University and the British Army v Samurai international. We knew that the competition had just stepped up another gear and we would have to perform extremely well against a Samurai side who were fielding 6 international players amongst their squad including players from Europe, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and Australia. We expected a very physical game and got exactly that. They closed us down from the start and pushed the Army team back towards our own try line. Fortunately Eric Butadroka showed some real skill and side stepped his way through their defence and scored an 80 metre break away try. He followed this up from the kick off after some nifty footwork from Jo Kava, Mark Lee and Max Vave (The heavy brigade where in the mood for the physicality of this game) to allow Malakai Magnus to score in the corner just before half time. Wessels narrowly missed the conversion and we were up 12-0. In the second half Samurai stepped up their game and smashed through our defence and scored a well deserved try, which they converted. We won the re-start and kept hold of the ball and kept looking for gaps and eventually found one, which allowed Wes Wessels to break down the centre and exchange a couple of passes before receiving the ball back to score although he didn't convert it. Samurai were given a dubious penalty from the re-start and held onto the ball for the remaining 2 minutes and scored with seconds to go but it was too little to late as the Army had beaten the much fancied side.

The final was played at 2340 hrs and it was proving to be a long and very tiring day. We had just lost Jo Kava to a hamstring pull and we had also lost our super sub Alfred Vakacokovanua as well. I am not sure what Charlie Chacksfield our physio did but somehow Apo Satala was resurrected from his death bed and we were also able to secure the services of a player from the Penguins who had lost to Stellenbosch in the other semi final. We won the toss and decided to receive and try to secure the ball, which we did. The intensity of the game was immense with the tackles and general play some of the best sevens rugby played during the competition. Both sides were hurting form the physical aspects and the South African players having to make changes as their list of walking wounded mounting with nearly every tackle. Both sides scored twice (Butadroka and Satala) in the first half through fast and skilful play but the Army converted both of their tries to the South Africans 1.

The intensity and physicality from the first 10 minutes then continued into the second half and both sides had used all of their substitutes and it was down to the 7 players on the field to get on with it. The Army took the initiative and scored under the posts through Max Vave, which Wessels converted easily. For some reason the players thought the game was won; and allowed Stellenbosch to came back into the game, which they did scoring a converted try. The army dug deep and defended their line and would not allow the South Africans to cross it again. The referee finally blew the whistle to end the game with the score at Army 28 Stellenbosch 19. The guys were delighted with the win but more importantly with their performance as they had produced some of the best rugby I had seen them play all season in Semi-final and Final. We were also delighted to see Malakai Magnus collect a trophy for scoring the highest amount of tries in the tournament.

Our next fixture will see us play the German IRB and German National Club Champs in Hanover on 5 Jul 08.

More to follow!

See more at www.romaseven.com

Posted: 1 Jul 08

Ledbury Charity Sevens
11 May 2008

Reporter: Maj Greg Ehlen - Team Manager

The Army 7s competed in the Ledbury Sevens Charity competition on 11th May 2008. There were various sponsored teams that took part including Samurai, Wanderers, Oxford University, Bristol University, Rugby, Mauraders, Bromsgrove, Bridgend and a few others.

The Army was drawn against Bromsgrove and Oxford University who had suffered some injuries during the Rosslyn Park competition earlier that week and had to draft in a few players. We had little difficulty in the pool stages and easily beat Bromsgrove 42 - 0 and Oxford 33 -14.

We were pitted against the Marauders in the Semi Final and although they fielded one of the strongest sides available to them we easily beat them 31 – 12 with 3 trys from Jo Vakalala and 1 each for Alex Swann and Tui Tuitobou.

The final of the mens tournament was very exciting with both sides going hard at it to beat each other and not concede any points. Samurai struck first applying the pressure onto the Army. They say that patience is a virtue and the Army had it in abundance matching the Samurai in possession, strength and in the tackle count. Tour pace and movement was awesome and soon paid dividends with Jo Kava powering in for a well deserved equalising try just before half time; where it finished 7-7. In the second half, the Army took control and scored 3 further trys; with 1 from Tui Tuitobou and 2 from Ben Seru. The Samurais scored 2 in close succession towards the end of the game making the last 2 minutes very exciting for the spectators but not so for me.

My thanks go to Ledbury RFC for organising a professionally run event and highly enjoyable day that most definitely lived up to its billing.

Posted: 29 May 08

Floodlight Sevens - 7 May 2008
Rosslyn Park

The Army 7s competed in the Rosslyn Park Floodlight Sevens competition on 7th May 2008. There were teams from the Guinness Premiership including Harlequins, London Irish, Saracens and the likes of London Scottish, London Welsh, Cambridge & Oxford University's to name but a few.

The Army was drawn against Cambridge and Richmond in Pool A and had little difficulty making it through to the semi finals. Cambridge were first up and after an initial wake up call and some dropped passes the Army eventually ran out winners 26 - 0 with try's from Graham, Vakalala, Satala and Tuitubou and 3 conversions from Graham. Richmond was a more comfortable win and although they tackled hard they were no match for the pace and movement of the Army side who easily beat them 39 - 5 with try's from Satala 2, Tuitobou 2, Seru, Saulailai and Jope with 2 conversions from Graham.

Matches

Pool A - Army (26) v Cambridge Uni (0)
Pool A - Army (39) v Richmond (5)
Semi Final - Army (24) v London Irish (19)
Final - Army (31) v Harlequins (12)

The semi-final against London Irish is where the competition picked up in intensity, Irish came out determined to beat the Army and at half time it was 12 -12, and Irish again took the initiative in the second half when they scored a converted try to lead by 7 points. The Army continued to battle on and eventually with only 1 minute on the clock, scored a vital try but missed the conversion to trail by 2 points. However with only 30 seconds left to play the Army won the re-start and scored under the posts, this time easily converted by Graham, leaving the Army winners by 24pts - 19 pts.

The final was against Harlequins was expected to be another tough game but it never really lived up to its billing and the Army ran away with it winning by 31 - 12 with try's from Satala, Swann, Graham, Seru and Jope with 3 conversions for Graham who had finally found his kicking boots!

Of note was Apo Satala, who proved why he was ranked as one of he all time best sevens players, it was also good to see Gerhard Wessels playing again after the serious facial injury he sustained in South Africa last year.

See more at: www.rosslynpark.co.uk

Posted: 12 May 08