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The second leg of the National Sevens Series is upon us – welcome to the West Country Sevens. We caught up with one of the Tournament Organiser’s, John Gould, to learn more about the event...

John, your big weekend is finally here?!

It's very exciting and we just can't wait to get started now. It's been a lot of hard work but well worth it! We just hope the crowds and players have a really enjoyable weekend. That's what it is all about.

So the West Country Sevens is an expansion of the old Bath Charity 7s?

Correct! We had a really enjoyable three year stint as the Bath Charity Sevens at both Stothert & Pitt Rugby Club and Bath University. But we felt it was the right time to expand it and try and take the event to the West Country as a whole.

How have you enjoyed moving to a new location at Keynsham?

Keynsham RFC is an ideal place to host five competitions. The facilities and setting is is perfect for the National Series. They have been really supportive to myself and the other organisers, Andy Hall and Damian Sawyer. Their energy in wanting to make this a success cannot be underestimated!

You’ve really transformed the club to make it ready for the National Series!

We’ve put the temporary stands in and then there’s the big screen also. The playing deck looks superb thanks to the groundsman and we are ready for our event to be shown on Sky Sports!

How excited are you to welcome the elite National Sevens Series sides to your event?

The standard of play from the National Series sides at the opening leg at London’s RugbyRocks was superb. With even more quality players from the IRB World Series coming here today I think the crowds will be in for a treat. Expect it to be competitive with the guest teams pushing the core teams.

Your tournaments have often helped unearth young promising players?

We like to think so anyway! The likes of Christian Wade and Dan Norton have done well at the Bath events and are now part of the England Sevens set-up. The National Series will harness the young British talent there is out there and gives them some kind of structure in their sevens.

Don’t you have close links with one of those guest sides?

Yes I started running the Cavaliers back in 2007 and the team is supporting the Trust PA charity here. I’ll have one eye on their progress, in between making sure the day all runs smoothly! With the side based locally the crowd should get behind them. We have an international flavour with the guest sides with Les Bleus (France) and Shamrock Warriors (Ireland) all looking to go far.

This ‘international flavour’ you mention is also evident in the Men’s Open which runs parallel with the National Series?

Yes we have the Spanish National team in the Men’s and Women’s Open along with a Nigerian (NRFF Black Stallions) side here too. There is also plenty of Welsh sides here too soaking up the West Country experience!

How do you manage attract them all to this part of the world?!

It’s a really strong rugby region with the likes of Gloucester, Bath, Bristol, and Exeter close by. Rugby is in people’s blood here. We hope we can really promote and help grow the sport of sevens in the West Country too. It’s a soon to be Olympic event which always attracts and excites and we hope we can really convert people to the shorter code. 

And you have a big social tournament running on the Sunday?

The 48 social team tournament on the Sunday is in conjunction with the sevens tournament that Keynsham has done in the past. It is in memory of one of their players, Paul Andre-Blundell, who broke his neck playing in 2001 and died five months later. His parents set-up the PA Trust after him. We’ve made that Sunday tournament much bigger and provide money to the charity and raise awareness for spinal injuries and rehabilitation.

It seems like you have rugby for all playing levels?

That’s a key part of what we’re doing for the 121 teams we are expecting. To cater for all levels from the Corporate Touch in the evening, to the National Series, Ladies and Men’s Open and the Social event too. No-one is left out.

What else can visitors to the Festival get up to?

Enjoy some food and drinks in the sunshine, there’s hospitality around the main pitch also. We have a huge kids area with the Bristol Rugby Community helping us. Check out the UR7s Speed Cage to see how fast you pass a ball! There are some big screens for the football, the list is endless!

Finally, who do you fancy for the main National Series title?

Well I suppose you have to look at the likes the British Army who have been very successful in the past at the Bath Charity 7s. Samurai International and the HFW Wailers are cracking sides too. But as I say it is competitive so the likes of Gilbert Pubs and Akuma Smurfs could be in with a shout.

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Related articles:

Bolter's National Series Predictions - West Country Sevens
National Sevens Series Diary - Geoff Griffiths
National Sevens Series Preview - West Country Sevens