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Got a Sevens question? UR7s has once again give you the readers a chance to ask any rugby sevens questions you want to former England Sevens captain Andy Vilk. 

Vilk made his debut for England Sevens in 2005 and has enjoyed wins in Hong Kong, Dubai, Los Angeles, and Wellington. He was also part of the side that secured a Commonwealth Games Silver at Melbourne in 2006. He captained his side the team for 2007/8 IRB Sevens season and now plays for Benetton Rugby Treviso in Italy.

If you have any question you want answered by Vilky email press@ur7s.com now!

Andy from the latest UR7s poll which would you say is the best attribute for Sevens? Speed, stamina, defence, spatial awareness, handling, or flair!? Allen, Kenya

Wow, that’s a tough one! There is no real substitute for speed, whether for creating or finishing off try scoring opportunities, it is a key ingredient in the attacking armoury of any sevens team.

Looking at the results from the current poll I can see stamina and spatial awareness in joint second place, both are key attributes, but I am surprised to see how far down the list defence is! If you look at the most successful teams at the moment, Samoa and New Zealand, they are quite happy at times to let the opposition hold the ball, trusting the physicality of their defence.

They wait for a turnover and it is then that spatial awareness and speed come into play, as they so often ruthlessly convert these opportunities into tries. 20% of the tries scored in Hong Kong came directly from turnovers, and another 28% from penalties/free kicks many of which would have resulted in a turnover in possession.

When I was playing for England we always new that when you were turned over in attack that was perhaps the most dangerous time in defence. If you could survive the initial few phases of play you might be able to stop the opposition scoring – though that of course requires stamina!

You need all of these components to be successful. Whilst you would like to find them in abundance in all of your players it is more likely that you have individual players that excel in one area.

I love playing Sevens but I feel I lack the magic ingredient of speed. I make breaks but can’t seem to finish them off. Are there any basic things I can do in my training to help? Geoff, UK.

There are plenty of things you can do. Perhaps the most simple is tagging some speed work onto the end of your normal training sessions. I often use this time to work on my fitness or speed endurance, after you have been out training with your team for an hour or so can be a great time to get that extra bit from your legs that you can then call on in a game.

It doesn’t have to be much, 10 minutes can be enough. Try something like 4 x 10m, 4 x 20m, 3 x 30m with a walk back recovery. Also try starting with a brief agility drill then doing the sprints, this can replicate for you making a break then finishing it off.

Pay attention to what you’re body is telling you – muscles are more likely to be damaged under fatigue so be careful doing maximal sprints, if something doesn’t feel right then stop!

The other time to work on your out and out speed is when you a freshest. Preferably after a day off and when perhaps you are just going to do upper body weights on the same day is a great opportunity to your speed sessions.

It is worth remembering that many good sevens players made their name creating breaks for their team mates to finish off, you just have to look at Canada’s Phil Mack or Uale Mai of Samoa.

The USA have obviously impressed in the last two legs of the World Series? What is the secret to the success? Player continuity? Adam, USA

Player continuity definitiely helps. For the USA ten of the players that played in Hong Kong have played in four or more tournaments this season. That goes a huge way to towards creating a successful team as players become accustomed to playing with each other and learning to read each others ‘tells’. The ability to predict, and react that split second faster to, a team mates actions can make all the difference in sevens.

Continuity also helps foster a good team spirit. You just have to see the video from the Las Vegas leg of the series and the captain Kevin Swiryn proposing to his girlfriend. The whole team comes across as having a great vibe and players like Swiryn, Emerick and Hawkins seem to be the kind of strong characters needed to bring a team together.

Can you please let me know is the IRB Sevens World Series in SA in December 2010 still to be held in George or are they moving to another venue? I heard that Stellenbosch could be hosting the RWC Sevens tournament? Michelle Marsden McLeod, SA

I believe George has one more year to run on its contract, so 2010 will see the SA Sevens part of the IRB Sevens Worl at Outeniqua Park again. The IRB are currently reviewing the Series so it is unsure what will happen to George following this year’s event. Michelle you have been misinformed about Stellenbosch as a RWC Sevens venue as for 2013 the only country to formally submit its tender is Russia. Looks like it will head there in three years time.

Andy how much of a boost will it be for the England boys to play in front of their home fans at the next leg of the Series in London? Lucy,UK

There is nothing like playing in front of your home fans, especially when representing your country. I was especially gutted not to have been involved in Englands thrilling comeback against New Zealand in the final of last years IRB Emirates Airlines London Sevens. I know that in games that are that close the crowd really can make the difference.

The great thing about playing for England is that there are other venues on the circuit where it can feel like playing in front of your home crowd, notably Hong Kong and Dubai. I remember vividly the semi-final against Samoa in the 2006 Dubai sevens. It was half time and we were 5-0 down. Mike Friday (coach) came onto the field to give us the team talk but within 30 seconds the crowd was singing ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ so loudly I couldn’t hear what he was saying. We went on to win that game and the final.

Do you think we will some more established Premiership and England 15s players involved for October’s Commonwealth Games? Mark, London

Good Question Mark. It would be easy to be tempted into calling in some big names for the Commonwealth Games but I believe Ben Ryan values consistency and he has shown how he likes to play his first seven as much as possible. I know that England, like many teams, have been looking to build up to the CWG from the start of this years series in Dubai, so it is likely that the players involved at the moment will be the ones running out for England in the Games.

Having said that there is always the question of would perhaps the addition of one or two more established Premiership/England players bring something to the team, a bit of inspiration and leadership. England are playing well this season but something like that could tip the scales and see them winning tournaments again.

Why are Samoa now getting the big results and good consistency this year, when they have a similar squad to previous years? Salesi, Samoa

You are right Salesi, Samoa have had great consistency, they must have one of the highest capped squads regularly on the field this year. Samoa have always been there or there abouts in the last four or five years. In the 2005/06 season I think we played them no fewer than seven times and almost every encounter came down to the last play of the game.

Rudy Moors did a fantastic job as coach guiding these players as they grew accustomed to international rugby, and they did win Hong Kong and Wellington titles during his tenure. That said, Stephen Betham is obviously doing something right as they have been simply outstanding this season, especially in the last three tournaments.

It would be tempting to say that the level of competition has weakened but that would be wrong – New Zealand look as strong as ever and things have been made harder generally as there are very few pool or quarter-final matches that can be considered ‘easy’ anymore.

What is it that has made the difference then? Probably that they keep playing to their strengths and in Mikaele Pesamino they have a player that seems to score with every touch of the ball.

What are your thoughts on nations focusing their resources more on Sevens then 15s? Can the Olympic Games inclusion actually have a negative effect on the 15-a-side game? Antonio, Spain

I think for established rugby nations and rugby as a whole the inclusion of sevens in the Olympics can only be positive as the reach of sevens becomes truly global.

What I can see happening in emerging rugby nations is a shift towards the sevens format of the game as the exiting format and nature of the sport.

Looking at the stats there was a try every 65 seconds in Hong Kong! Sevens has shown to be the more accessible form for the smaller rugby nations to become competitive on the world stage, Kenya being the perfect example. The 15-a-side game requires a greater infrastructure to support an internationally competitive team though I believe sevens has the ability to attract interest to both forms of the game.

Who is best sidestepper in Sevens you have played against? Tom, UK

Probably the best sidestepper I have played against, was a guy I didn’t really notice at the time! At the 2006 Commonwealth Games we faced an Australia side littered with big names; Lote Tuqiri, Matt Giteau, Scott Fava and Chris Latham. Someone also mentioned to watch out for their sweeper, Brendan Williams, a current teammate of mine at Benetton Treviso.

Now whilst he didn’t causes us too many problems in that tournament, having had the privilege of playing with him for the last two years I can say that he is the best sidestepper I have played with and against. .