7s UPDATE
This summer has seen a large proportion of the club playing 7s not only for Wasps but also for a number of invitational sides including the Wooden Spoons, the Pink Babas, the Pirates, Freespirit and Sister of Serevi. In addition to this a number of Wasps Ladies have been involved in the England 7s programme, representing England at various European 7s tournaments during the 15s off-season.
Captained by Wasps veteran Sue Day, and also including other Wasps Sarah Marsh,
Heather Fisher and Michaela Staniford, the England squad have swept away all before them
over the spring and summer months. The girls' epic journey began at the Amsterdam 7s in May when, having lost to NZ Maori in the pool stages, England managed to turn that result on its head and win the final, against the same opposition, by an impressive 4 tries to 1. Wasps’ Heather Fisher scored the final try in that victory which marked the end of a 9 year unbeaten run for the Maori.
The following week saw the England team run out at Twickenham during the London Sevens to play a one-off fixture against the Maori side in front of a 20,000 strong crowd. The victory, this time a much closer 14-10 to England, was perhaps a defining moment for the team. Victory over the Maori the week before might have been put down to tiredness or jet-lag but this time there were no such reasons. Wasps’ Day was ecstatic with the result: "Without a doubt this victory, and this occasion, counts among the very best of my rugby experiences."
The team's next challenges were the Home Nations championship in Edinburgh and the
European Championships in Limoges. The Home Nations saw England beat a young and
exciting Scotland side to the title; Scotland are a side full of potential but
sadly, for funding reasons, will not be competing at next year's World Cup.
England needed a top 6 finish in the Europeans to qualify for next year’s World Cup.
Drawing last year’s winners, France, in the quarter finals might therefore have led
to a nervous performance but England instead played some of their best 7s to beat
Les Bleus by 5 tries to 1, including a try for the captain, Day. Spain put up the
strongest resistance, holding England to 10-0 in the semi-finals (which also saw a try from Wasps’ Staniford) and the final proved one match too far for Holland, who had exceeded
everyone's expectations by beating Russia to make it to the final. England emerged
as 50-0 victors from this final game with all the Wasps representatives making the
score sheet.
The next steps for the squad are Dubai in November, San Diego next February and the
World Cup, back in Dubai, in March 2009. Hopefully the Wasps contingent will be
spearheading these challenges. Watch this space...
WASPS LADIES CROWNED MIDDLESEX 7S CHAMPIONS 2008
Wasps Ladies were crowned champions of the Middlesex 7s tournament on Saturday 3 May 2008 at Richmond RFC, beating Richmond Ladies in what was a close and exciting final.
The final witnessed a storming full pitch run by Clare Bowen of Wasps, shortly followed by a very similar tri from Fran Matthews of Richmond. However, man of the match went to Sarah Marsh from Wasps for a brilliant team performance and an outstanding individual tri, chasing her own grubber kick over the tri line to touch down and end the game.
Wasps Ladies Second XV were also on fine form, losing only to Richmond First XV in the group stages and recording wins against Quins and Teddington.
