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Got a Sevens question? Since the last round of legs on the IRB Sevens World Series, UR7s has given you the readers an opportunity to ask any related Sevens questions to former England Sevens Captain Andy Vilk. Andy will be answering your questions again after the next IRB Sevens legs in Adelaide and Hong Kong, so we want to hear you...

Send any questions to press@ur7s.com now and comment below!

Andy who are the players that are impressing you on this season’s IRB World Series, and why? Tim, Wellington, New Zealand

From the footage I have seen both Seremaia Burotu of Fiji and Samoa’s Alafoti Fa'osiliva have both been very impressive. Two big powerful runners and good finishers. Fa'osiliva was especially impressive on the narrower pitch in Las Vegas were his strength gave the Samoan’s good go-forward.


Apart from Gollings, England’s team is relatively inexperienced at present, how long do you think it takes for players to adjust to playing on World Series?  Nico, South Africa

It can really vary for the individual player but I think that most players can impress in their first few tournaments, often they have been picked because of their ball carrying ability and pace or capability in the breakdown and Sevens allows them to showcase this talent. Though I think it can take five or six tournaments to get a real feel for the sport. They should begin to read the game better with solid decision making abilities that will mark them out. 

Kenya are the most experienced team on the circuit – can they lose their nearly men tag and win? David, Kenya

Yes, and it will be great for the game of sevens when they do. The Kenyan’s are a frustrating team to play against, they make the breakdown a real dog fight, they have pace, they get good numbers back in defence and they are good at scoring from turnovers – all the ingredients to make a good Sevens team. And whilst they may not have rugby in their blood the teams’ experience makes up for that. If they can keep the core of the team together and perhaps uncover some genuine ball players they may finally get that elusive win.

Andy, Samoa were intense in Vegas and their approach to the contact area is always aggressive. Have you noticed changes in the way sides approach this aspect of the game since you started playing IRB Sevens? Eloni, Samoa fan

I have definitely noticed that teams are much more confrontational in defence, using it to attack the opposition. Instead of giving teams room to breathe and waiting for errors many teams now rush forward a lot more to force errors and turnovers. I remember in Dubai a few years ago Fiji scored against us by simply moving the ball from one side of the pitch to the other three or four times and our passive defence simple hemorrhaged yards – it was a good system but costly if you got it wrong.

Today England are much more active in defence and I think the trend is epitomized by the Samoan’s and also the South Africans and Argentinians who despite often being on the lightweight side are both extremely effective in the tackle and breakdown area.

 

 Andy, how quickly do players lose their 7s fitness, basically if England coach Ben Ryan called you tomorrow could you play this weekend? If not what sort of things would you have to go away and do to get in the relevant shape and how long would it take? Greg, USA

I would love to get that call! Though I think I would struggle to play a full 14 mins. Playing 15’s keeps me fit, and doing a couple of extra fitness sessions where I can probably keeps me ahead of the game in 15’s but to be 7’s fit takes some extra preparation.

Last season when I first moved to Italy and targeted getting back into the sevens set up for the Wellington tournament in February I started building up my fitness three months before. On top of all my training with Treviso I would try to fit in between one and four extra sessions a week on a three week cycle, alternating between light, medium and hard weeks. When I met up with the squad I tested well and was definitely sevens fit.

Realistically if I had three weeks notice now I think I could have myself in competitive sevens shape. Perhaps not in as good shape a I described above, but often it can just take a few good sessions to blow away the cobwebs and get used to a different way of training and playing.

Andy, I am sure you have heard about the UK National Seven Series, any chance we might see you pulling on one of those skin-tight kits in the UK this summer if you get a call from one of the Team Managers? Joe, UK

I would love to play in some of the tournaments this summer. I think it’s a hugely exciting time for Sevens and I want to be involved in any way I can, whether from the sidelines or in the skin-tight kit!

Andy, which tournaments on the circuit are the players favourites? Any parts of the world you would like to see IRB Sevens played at? Ally, USA

 As an Englishman Twickenham and Hong Kong are fantastic tournaments. The first is the home of rugby and thesecond has just the most fantastic history and atmosphere.

Wellington also has a terrific atmosphere – 30,000 plus people in fancy dress will do that! I would like to see a tournament in South America again, all the players who played in the old Punta del Este and Mar del Plata tournaments have always said what an amazing setting it was and a terrific atmosphere was generated there.


How are the Italians approaching the game since Olympic inclusion, any chance they might improve, look to get onto the World Series? Surely they could use it as a development tool for the younger players like France do rather than just FIRA competitions? Pam, USA

I would love to see the Italians develop their sevens program. As you say it is the perfect development tool for younger players but also, and I think this is crucial for the game in Italy, it would help develop the profile of the sport in a country where rugby is lucky to get more than three column inches of coverage in the national daily Gazetto Dello Sport. At the moment though the priority seems to be sorting out the 15-a-side game and the new Magners League arrangement.

 Hi Andy, I play a lot of invitational 7s and we just turn up and play no matter who we are playing against. This got me thinking. With weeks between games in 15-a-side, tactics take on a huge role in the game often to its detriment, given the short turnarounds between games how might you approach differently a team like the ever physical pacific island nations to a side that is more traditional in its approach to the game? Paul, Gloucester

As you say you have to change your approach slightly depending on which team you are playing and occasionally to account for individual players. For example you might try and stretch the Pacific Island teams to try and tire them out (not so easy with improved fitness levels today) or you might kick more against a team like England as Kenya and Argentina have done to good effect. For an individual like Tomasi Cama or Ben Gollings you may have to focus on shutting his space down as quick as possible. It is often the finest of margins that determine the results of a sevens game at the highest level so must also remember to focus on your own game and not too much on the opposition.

Hi Andy, I hope Treviso is treating you well, I was there for U19s RWC in 2002 and its a great town. You have played under both Ben Ryan and former England coach Mike Friday. Do they approach tournaments differently both on and off the field or are there some similarities. I ask the question because England's results are pretty similar across both coaches tenure Nick, UK

Hi Nick, thanks, Treviso is indeed treating me well and the lifestyle is very enjoyable, as is finally playing some 15’s!
Both coaches make being with England Sevens thoroughly enjoyable both on and off the field – a key ingredient in the sevens philosophy. Off the field both coaches respect the fact that players need their time away from the game, so if you focused in training and did your extra’s, your free time was your own.

On the field I think the game has changed a great deal both in terms of the standard of all the teams and the way in which the game is played between Mike’s tenure and that of Ben Ryan. Mike Friday coached the more traditional wide-wide game plan to tire the defense out and expose them either out wide or through the midfield when defenders got lazy.

Ben Ryan favours a much more direct approach in attack with emphasis on using the offload to get in behind the defence. As you say both have enjoyed a good record with England Sevens notching up some memorable tournament victories and it would be hard to choose between winning with last minute tries in Hong Kong in 2006 and Wellington 2009!

 Andy 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. Upon graduating from Loughborough University he has played for Northampton Saints, Sale Sharks, and is now in Italy with Benetton Rugby Treviso.