• • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Reddit
  • Stumble Upon
  • Furl

"We Knew Argentina would be obviously be a crunch game, but winning the quarter-final against new Zealand was a confident booster."
-Victorious Wales Coach, Paul John

 "We just came down here full blooded, we just want to hurt people and then cool heads on the ball, so its just amazing."
- Welsh try scorer Aled Thomas on his team's aggressive approach to the tournament.

 "What I said two years back was being laughed at. The second tier nations are definitely coming up. We're in the semi finals now. It is really encouraging for us."
- Coach Benjamin Ayimba on his long-held belief that Kenya could win the World Cup.

“We’re made up of students, lawyers, doctors, amateurs who represent their clubs. It’s a good reflection on Argentinean rugby that a group like us can make it to the final of a World Cup. We’re proud to be the first Argentina team to make it to a World Cup final."
- Pablo Gomez Cora on the positives from Argentina appearance in the Melrose cup final.

"We might have lacked the talent and the speed of other international sides but we made up for it in the courage and the guts of the boys."
- Proud Arabian Gulf skipper Steve Cooper assesses his team, the hosts in Dubai.

"But just like the deserts miss the rain, we have once again shown no sense of worthiness the outing at The Sevens was more disastrous than the economic crisis gripping the world.Yes, the world economic crisis is not good but then sevens rugby has more prominence in Fiji than global money problems."
- Fijian reporter Indra Singh on the malaise of Fijian rugby.

-“You’ve just to take it on the chin”
England coach Ben Ryan after dramatically losing their quarter-final in ‘Sudden Death’ extra time.

“You’ve just got to take it on the chin”
-Stunned New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens reflecting on his side’s loss to Wales in the quarter-final.

"All we can do now is make sure we hammer everyone in Hong Kong and go on and win the World Series."
- Ben Ryan on how England can bounce back from their shock RWC Sevens exit.

"We have worked so hard to get here and to come here and achieve this is just mammoth.
– Australia captain Cheryl Soon on being the first ever women's RWC Sevens world champions.

“It’s the sort of game which should have been the World Cup final but we ended up with seeds one and two facing each other in the quarter final. We said all along that Sevens is the kind of game where things can turn around. One mistake can change things and unfortunately today it wasn’t our day.”
– England’s captain Sue Day on the pre-tournament favourites’ Cup quarter final demise against Australia.

“In Russia we only have 100 girls who play rugby because it is not a professional sport there. It is very good and very positive for Russian rugby and we are happy about that.”
– Russia coach Pavel Baranovsky on what competing at RWC 2009 will do for women’s rugby in Russia.

"I have been sitting on the bench for about three games, got my shot in the semi and the girls had so much belief in me and I just knew when I got that ball I wanted to do it for them. You dream of this."
– Australia’s Shelly Matcham on scoring the winning try in the Cup final.

"The big question was, would people stay in the stadium to watch the women play? And that was answered very clearly as the crowds enjoyed the women's games as much as the men's."
- Beth Coalter, the IRB's Tournament Operations Manager

"This Sevens set-up is made for the Olympic Games and I certainly think that the rate of improvement in the women’s game in particular has been sensational and this sport would add so much to the Olympic programme.”
– England coach Simon Amor on why Rugby Sevens should be included into the 2016 Olympics.

“If you think of the ideals and values that rugby is all about, it is far more in keeping with the Olympic ideals. Rugby is a natural fit as it is played all over the world. The pace, the intensity is ferocious now. It’s become little more tactical and incredibly skilful”
-Former England international, Lawrence Dallaglio - World Cup Sevens winner 1993.

"This was a tremendous tournament this year for the men and women playing at the same time. It was a massive event that we have created in Dubai. We also had some delegates from the IOC here for this tournament and I am sure they were appreciative of what we have done."
-IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.