LONDON, ENGLAND – Hi, my name is Mathew Turner… yes, it has been so long since my last report that I think it is only right that I reintroduce myself to all of you. Unlike Declan Yeats, I haven’t let myself go, but in fact have been out there in the real world making myself a better person… or at least I’m faster than him.
Anyway… What can I say? It has been a long twisted (literally) road till this point. But now I’m back from the ankle surgery and ready to rock-n-roll and just over-excited to be back in the England jersey, throwing a ball around. And let’s be real, the timing is great because Wellington and Las Vegas are probably the best to legs of the HSBC IRB Sevens Series in terms of on and off-the-field entertainment.
From the crazy 36,000 fans all dressed up and making some of their worst and best decisions in Wellington, to the Ridiculousness of actually thinking of hosting a rugby 7s tournament in Las Vegas, where whatever happens there stays there, (well, thats what JWB says when we talk about his hair – p.s… its a wig ladies), you can’t beat it.
Lets talk 7s now… As expected, the USA, who are in our pool in Wellington, have announced their residents of the Olympic training facility. And having been there, I am slightly envious of them. The Americans really like making things bigger and better! I mean look at this tournament happening in June in Los Angeles!
Fiji won the Uprising 7s tournament (cool pix) this past weekend and from what I can see there were a lot of quality sides playing – with the likes of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga… the list goes on.
We all know Fiji are like the Barcelona of rugby sevens; when it all goes their way it is pretty hard to stop – and I know this first hand. (Flashback: William Ryder steps and hes magically behind me).
The next two tournaments are going to be vital, as this year’s Hong Kong Sevens is set to be the biggest one yet. With relegation now looming, you would want to get a nice pool and definitely not find yourself in The Pool of Death, as it has been dubbed on the circuit. While it may make us players a bit edgy, it should be exciting for you fans.
Now let’s do something crazy and open this up to you… any questions you would like to ask me? I’ll honestly answer about nearly anything…