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Quotes from England Sevens players in Dubai
Friday 1st December 2006
Nick Abendanon (Bath Rugby) said, "Today was fantastic. The first game was ok, but I enjoyed the second more as I played the whole game. However, I was so tired after the second game I could hardly walk! The last game was tough (against the French). The atmosphere here is incredible. It was really pleasing to get into the starting line up twice. My parents are out here and I saw them briefly and they said they were proud of me. I can't wait till tomorrow and really hope I have done enough to get another starting position."
James Haskell (London Wasps) said, "That last game (against France) was scrappy but we still won. This is the hardest thing I have had to do for a long time in terms of fitness. Nothing prepared me for that first game this morning - we were all hanging and so tired but it did get easier during the day. I am so glad I did the extra fitness sessions back home before coming away. Dubai has certainly lived up to what I expected and more. The atmosphere is amazing. We played ok today but I don't think we have shown people what we are capable of yet."
Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers) said, "This is the first time I have played sevens at such a high level and it is a major step up from what I have played before. In terms of Middlesex Sevens I would say it is about 20 times more physical and skilled. Unlike in the Middlesex Sevens you are playing against international players who are experienced in playing sevens. They know exactly what lines to run and what to do when there are only seven of you on the pitch. The heat and humidity this morning against Scotland was really draining. This is very hard fitness wise - it really is another level. The atmosphere was excellent - really noisy and good fun."
David Strettle (NEC Harlequins) said, "I loved playing sevens again today. England played steady but there is a lot more to be seen. I thought the new boys played well. There was a superb atmosphere at the stadium today and it was a sell out of 32,000 people. The rain didn't dampen our spirits and perhaps suited us a bit more than some of the other teams. I haven't had a chance to watch Australia yet today (who we face tomorrow) but we will analyse them on the videos tonight. They beat Fiji today so we know they are a strong side. We need to focus on ourselves first and make sure we get things in place for tomorrow. We need to improve our communication and our belief. I really hope we can fulfil our potential tomorrow as I have honestly never played in a team with so much raw, attacking talent as this England Sevens squad."
Marcel Garvey (Worcester), said "Today was really good and I was really pleased we topped our group. I was happy when I scored although it was much tougher than I thought it would be to be honest. I was pleased when it started raining as it was pretty hot this morning and quite hard to play rugby in."
Andy Vilk (Sale Sharks), said, "I really enjoyed today. The second game was more enjoyable than the first, especially as I got two tries!, but its nice to have more time with the ball in hand and to build up some confidence after such a gap without playing sevens. The first game is always a bit frantic as you need to remember your roles and the differences between playing sevens and XVs. We didn't play that well against France but we still got the win which is the important thing. In a way I think it was better to have been a match like that as with so much new blood in the team there is a risk of complacency so the French game, which was more of a challenge, hopefully brought us down to earth a little bit. They were a really tenacious French side and it was good to get the win. I believe England can win the tournament tomorrow but it will be very difficult unless we play our absolute top game. We need to improve a lot on today's performance and must not underestimate any of the other remaining teams."
David Doherty (London Wasps) said, "I was thrilled to score on my debut for England Sevens today. It really was a dream come true. There is a massive difference between playing sevens here and playing in the Under 19s World Cup here back in April. The crowd is much bigger now and there is a fantastic atmosphere with 32,000 people all screaming either for you or against you. With the extra space on the pitch in sevens you really have to have high fitness levels. Our performance today hopefully bodes well for tomorrow. I am pretty tired and was rested from the last game and I am looking forward to going to bed tonight. I think England do have a chance tomorrow of winning their third title here, but there are some fantastic teams that we need to beat in order to achieve that. If we play to our potential we certainly have a chance of winning."
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