With Rounds 1 + 2 of the IRB World Series over, we have a little clarity in the international game. New Zealand have done what I predicted would not happen and won back to back titles with aplomb.

To be fair to the Kiwis they fully deserved the double win, it could be argued that England were unlucky in the quarters against the Blacks but considering the finals of Wellington and London last season it was about time the Kiwis got the luck.

New Zealand now find themselves 12 points clear of Fiji in 2nd and a further 8 ahead of the English.

When you consider that 24 points goes to the winners of a tournament with the runner-up receiving 20, England and even more so South Africa have their work cut out to catch New Zealand, strong performances at home in Wellington and then in Vegas could see the resurgent Kiwis having the series all but wrapped up at the mid-point of the season.

For the sake of the series I am hoping the blacks take a walloping in the Cake Tin and the City of Sin and we go to into the second half of the season with all to play for.

Though both Dubai and George had the same result it has been fantastic to see the 8 semi-final spots over the 2 weeks being taken by 6 different sides with only NZ and Fiji being able to avoid defeat in the quarters over the fortnight. Once again this goes a long way to show the strength of the series and how small the margins are between the top sides.

Congratulations must go once again to Russia who in finishing 10th in George have begun to show real promise of being a side that can certainly have some staying power.

Now on to your questions.

Hi Jonathon, your blogs have been pretty interesting but you haven’t mentioned Fiji much! What are your thoughts on the Fijian sides chance this year and specifically the return of William Ryder - Alex, UK

Hi Alex, and thanks for getting in touch. The Fijians look like they have set themselves straight. They have done very well in making at least the semi-finals over the past 2 weeks and much of that has been down to confidence.

At times last year the Fijian side looked a little downbeat and disinterested. Having watched Fijian sides play sevens for many years, I am secure in saying that when on form there is no better side to watch. The way they move the ball and keep it alive is magnificent, the physicality to stay on their feet, to find the off-load has been part of their game for years.

I am sure we can put alot of their newly restored confidence down to the return of the Ryder. He spent many years being seen as 'the next Serevi' whilst the maestro himself was still involved and that must of been hard. It would not be Fiji 7s if their star didn’t have a bust up with the union but it’s great to see him back. He was solid if not quite his majestic self in Sri Lanka in the lead up to Dubai and again at 'the Sevens' we saw flashes of his old brilliance. His try against Scotland in the groups when he stepped 2 defenders at pace before going over in the corner reminded me just how much we had missed him on the circuit.

To see the man score 7 tries in George and take the top try scorer award alongside England Christian Wade has given us a real taste for what might be in store for the rest of the season. If Fiji are going to challenge the Kiwis for top honours they will need Ryder to continue his return to form.

What a joke, Ollie Phillips played what could of been only 5-10 minutes against Bayonne, he should be been in Dubai! Do you think England are missing the World Player of the Year. ANON

Let's remember that Stade Francais pay the bills here and I am sure we will see Ollie return to the circuit. It was a real shame that he wasn't in Dubai and George but though he didn't have a huge role in the win over Bayonne he did start against Ulster at Ravenhill.

Considering that Ollie was playing Challenge Cup rugby at best (when selected) for Newcastle last year I am sure he is pretty happy with his current situation. I am sure England are missing their skipper, he is a self assured 7s player that acts as both a calming influence over his team mates but also offers high speed danger in the midfield.

England are certainly not lacking speed though and at times over the past couple of weeks have played some stunning rugby. If it wasn't for a couple of minutes against the Kiwis I am pretty sure they would of won in South Africa. England are in good shape for the rest of the series.

Why do you keep hating on the USA man, we have a young side that is learning, give us a break! Carl, NC

Carl, I agree and let me clarify I am not hating on the USA team itself. Al Caraveli is one of the great minds of 7s and has been for many years. USA got badly hurt by the amount of retirees following Rugby World Cup 09 and have had to basically start from scratch.

It has been proven time and time again that continuity is vital in the World Series and that is applicable for season to season as much as it is from tournament to tournament. What has been worrying me though is the lack of strength in depth in the USA squad and this comes back to the system that I mentioned last week. USA have not been developing the next generation of 7s players (much like England post 03 in 15s) by having an invitational side playing across the world so when these guys got their first taste of international 7s it was a huge eye opener for them.

I am so pleased that USA are going to be in SUVA for some extra game time as I think this will make a big difference. Hopefully the addition of Emirates as a sponsor will give the side more opportunities like this as game time is key. I am sure with time and an continued evolution of the USA 7s system we will see the USA back to where they were before the World Cup.

How do you think Scotland and Wales have performed in the first 2 legs of the Series this year? Gwiddion, Newport

An interesting question; Wales have achieved exactly what they are expected to over the first 2 weeks. The red herring here is that they won the world cup, a weekend where they played inspired 7s and it was amazing to watch. Since then it has felt like they have fallen back down to earth but this is an unfair analysis of the side. At this present moment in time Wales are the 9th best team in the world as they were going into the World Cup as well so in affect they are playing par golf.

I would expect them to make a couple of quarter finals at some point in this season and this should be considered a substantial achievement for a young side.

Scotland on the other hand have been disappointing, with much fanfare they announced the addition of some centrally contracted 7s players this year but as yet this has failed to ignite the 'thistles'. They have been handed some pretty heavy defeats on Day One each week but the worrying aspect has been defeats in the bowl quarters.

The Scots should be aiming as a bare minimum to be making the semi of the bowl and matching their status as top 12 core team.

Next week I shall be writing a special Christmas piece for my blogumn but please if you have any questions do get in touch. These are only 1 inconsequential gent’s opinions and I love to hear from you so please feel free to drop me an email and I will get back to the best questions.

Oh and I am going to be buying the beers during the afternoon of Day One of the IRB Las Vegas 7s so if you like my blogumn and fancy chatting 7s with me then drop me a line.

Salut!