Every Tuesday, England 7s star Mathew Drew Turner takes on the role of brazen, if not cheeky, reporter for RWU. Today he and his England Sevens mates are on the road.
ELCHE, SPAIN – I’m reporting from this Spanish town, which you probably know more about than there is actually here, because we’re here for a little warm-up 7s tourney against Wales, Spain, Scotland, Portugal and France. We’re playing 5 games in one day, so if this is my last Turner Tuesday, then you know what happened to me.
A few things have happened in the Sevens World over the last week. Firstly there was the Pan Am Games where it was Canada vs Argentina in the final and I’m not going to lie; I thought Argentina was going to win. To my surprise Canada came out on top, not only beating Argentina but also toppling Team USA on the way.
Across the globe, another big 7s event was held. The Oceania Sevens, where Samoa played Fiji in the final. Samoa came out on top but I was surprised again that Australia struggled throughout the tournament.
Now for some fun. A few things have already happened in Spain with our England 7s Squad and they involve Nick Royle – which I wasn’t surprised about. Firstly, whilst minding my own business on the plane, I noticed Nick Royle reading a book – yes, Nick Royle reading a book! THAT is a strange sight in its own. After closer inspection, though, everything came clear! He was reading a BOOTS Christmas Catalogue, which he had brought all the way from home! I don’t know if I’m just weird, but I’ve never seen anyone do that before.
Next, as we step off the plane, Royle is at it again with this comment: “21 degrees is way hotter in England that it is in Spain.” (That’s Celsius!) He is adamant that there is some logic in his statement. Also, he found his first something with his metal-detecting wand this past weekend and he won’t stop talking about it.
On a higher note, I’m sharing a room with Dan Norton, so the banter is going to be flowing in our room – mainly from me – but he’ll try his best at comebacks. But he is only young so shamepees.
Next week, I will be interviewing one of the boys and will be talking about the fast approaching HSBC Sevens Series start in the Gold Coast.
Tomorrow, Johnathan Wicklow Barberie has All Blacks and Wigan Warriors great, Frano Botica on camera. Feel free to add your comments and thanks for stopping by.