Guyana and the Philippines Debut at 7s Hotspot

The IRB just released the pools for the Hong Kong Sevens including a host of Tier 3 nations and two debutants at the series' most famous leg.

A torrid Pool A features Las Vegas champions Samoa, England, Argentina and crowd-pleasers Kenya.

Pool B shapes up as this tournament's "Pool of Death" with series leaders New Zealand, South Africa, Wales and recent hosts, the United States. 

The composition of Pool C doesn't lack quality either, the Fijians in hot pursuit of Gordon Tietjens' men, followed by the always dangerous Australians, the ever-improving French and Scotland.

Tonga, Uruguay, recently-crowned Asian 7s champions Hong Kong and China make up Pool D.

The outstanding Nathan Hirayama's Canada head Pool E with Spain, Zimbabwe and the Phillipines.

In Pool F, Portugal, Russia, Japan and Guyana round out the last and probably weakest pool of the tournament.

Two teams that will inevitably win the crowd over no matter how they perform will be Hong Kong newcomers Guyana and the Philippines.

Guyana (not to be mistaken with French Guiana) is an English-speaking former British colony on the hump of South America, who appeared at the Las Vegas 7s in 2010. As the footage below will attest, -despite its choppy editing- the Guyanese like to play a physical defence and possess plenty of pace out wide, but were unfortunately denied any honours through a lack of basic finishing skills, pushing the French to a 5-all draw.

The Phillipines, too, have been making large strides in the abridged version of the game. The Volcanoes, as they are known, caused a massive upset, defying their number 7 tournament ranking and finishing second in last year's Borneo 7s just behind Japan.

Of course, no one expects either team to make the Cup Final, but they stand a chance at beating other, more experienced Tier 3 nations appearing at the tournament and will look to collect an even bigger scalp if any of the teams let their guard down for too long.

Whilst the newcomers' competitiveness may be in doubt, no one can deny that both the Guyanese and the Filipinos will grow from the experience of playing on the 7s game's biggest stage. What is in no doubt at all is that the rugby world will be a better place for their appearance.

From Rebels to Rugby Players: The Oval Ball Post-Gaddafi

Whatever may come of the political wrangling and the chaos in Libya as the liberated country struggles to rebuild post-Gaddafi, it seems that Rugby Union will at least play some small part in the future of the war-ravaged nation. The sport could serve as an outlet for the young rebel fighters who have gone through the crucible of war, according to one Libyan administrator, who believes rugby could act as a tool of stability and focus for these men in an uncertain time for the North African nation.

That administrator, British-born Thair El-Heri, founder of a club in Benghazi, believes that rugby's discipline and teamwork will relate well to the fighter's experiences and that the physicality will appeal to Libyans' martial spirit. In an article on Al-Arabiya, El-Heri believes that rugby will help "alleviate the trauma of war."

The Helal Warriors team, set up by El-Heri, has gained the attention of young men in the Benghazi area who train at a dilapidated sports arena to the sound of Arabic pop and the crack of rifles firing at a nearby gun market. 

Rugby in Libya

El-Heri's and others' efforts to construct a rugby infrastructure in Libya after the corruption-ridden Gaddafi era have been complemented by the Confederation of African Rugby, who last December sent their Regional Development Officer, Mohsen Bouchmel, to Tripoli to conduct training for 19 referees in their Level 1 credentials.

Like the new Libya itself, the game here is only in its embryonic stage, but as the people come to terms with their past and look forward to a brighter future, rugby may well play a part in the healing of a nation.

Zimbabwe Looks Towards Africa Cup

Zimbabwe, the 33rd-ranking member union on the IRB table, has put in place steps to fill out its international calendar, hosting a tri-nations tournament between itself, Zambia and Botswana some time in April/May, according to an article in Newsday. Nicknamed the Sables, the rugby team from this politically tumultuous African nation appeared at the first two Rugby World Cups in 1987 and 1991, their best result being a narrow 20-21 defeat to Romania.

Since then, the Sables' fortunes have taken a nosedive with the country able to produce talented players, such as Gary Teichmann, Bobby Skinstad and Tendai Mtawarira, but unable to retain them due to an underdeveloped rugby infrastructure and nationwide economic strife. Although, the Zimbabweans should canter to victory at the mid-year meet against their lower-ranked opponents, the tournament will act as important preparation running up to the annual Victoria Cup, involving the Sables, Kenya and Uganda; virtually a mirror of the Division 1A of the 2012 Africa Cup in which the three teams involved will be joined by Tunisia.

Watch Zimbabwe beat Kenya 26-21 in last year's Victoria Cup final in Nairobi. (Courtesy of KTN)

Wasps Call on Bears for Help

In keeping with the Russian theme for the week, other Russian players to stand out at the World Cup were Victor Gresev, the athletic Bears Number 8 and  'Man of the Match' against both Italy and Australia at RWC 2011, and hardman hooker Vladislav Korshunov, captain of the Russian XV.

The two giant forwards were recently signed by London Wasps to cover for injuries until the end of the season, continuing the trend of Bears players signed by Premiership clubs started by Wing Vasily Artemyev, who justified the English game's faith in Russia's rising stars by notching up a hat-trick on debut against Saracens in the 2011/12 LV= Cup.

Gresev, in particular, has an athletic, ball-carrying style of play that will excite most fans of skilful, running rugby and looks like he could hold his own in any of the major club competitions. Watch highlights of Gresev's highly-rated World Cup campaign below. But, please, forgive the music.

Victor Gresev (Виктор Гресев)

Position: Number 8

HT: 185cm

WT: 105kg

DOB: March 31, 1986

POB: St. Petersburg, Russia

Club: London Wasps

Young Russian Rugby Star IRB One to Watch in 2012

The IRB released a news story by Ian Gilbert the other week, highlighting junior players that he believes will step up from the age-grade ranks and make their mark on the international scene in 2012.  The usual heavyweight nations' youngsters garnered a mention along with relative minnow Russia's Denis Simplikevich who debuted for his senior national team in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, topping his selection with some fine form and two tries (one each against Ireland and Australia) to his credit by the end of The Bears' campaign.

Watch Simplikevich in action score a try down the left flank in an U20 playoff for 3rd and 4th in Moscow against Romania during Russia's hosting of the Junior World Rugby Trophy 2010. (Courtesy of Russia Today)

Denis Simplikevich (Денис Симпликевич)
Position: Fullback
HT: 192cm

WT: 95kg
DOB: March 11, 1991
POB: Novokuznetsk, Russia
Club: Yenisey-STM, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

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