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Britain skipper Robbie Fergusson: ‘It will be a hell of a journey’
It was Wednesday morning in Hong Kong when the dice rolled for RugbyPass. Bagging a spare seat on a shuttle bus to the stadium across on the Island was the quest, with either Britain or Australia the options heading towards 9am.
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The Brits waved us on and the 30 or so minutes that followed were typical of any rugby team bus journey to training.
Pumping tunes. Gossip. A sense of wonder with the commute as it wound its way through the busy Cross Harbour tunnel and then up the elevation towards the stadium, a journey temporarily delayed by a truck with a heavy load negotiating a downhill reverse into a building site.
It was some hours later when RugbyPass caught up with one of the minibus passengers, Robbie Fergusson.
The photo call ahead of this Friday’s start to the Hong Kong 7s had just been completed, the Scot posing for one last snap with GB7s women’s skipper Emma Uren before stopping by for a flash interview and then the commute back across the harbour to the Kerry, the hotel accommodating all 12 men’s teams this week.
"Alright, perfect…"
– It was a captain's call with a difference on Wednesday as players from the 24 teams at this weekend's Hong Kong 7s got into the swing of the famed South Stand party atmosphere a few days early. #HSBCSVNS@SVNSSeries @OfficialHK7s #HK7s pic.twitter.com/0RFJ5i0S3I
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 3, 2024
“This is my fifth or sixth time now in Hong Kong, so I know it pretty well,” explained Fergusson, the 30-year-old Scot who is back on the 7s circuit full-time this season after another XV stint with Glasgow Warriors.
“It’s always a special event and knowing this will be the last in this amazing stadium is pretty cool and will be an amazing thing to be a part of.”
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Britain need to be on it from the off on Friday morning as their three-game pool programme opens against New Zealand, the defending Hong Kong champions, followed by fixtures against the USA and then Argentina.
It was in LA on the last leg when the Brits finally came alive for the first time this season, reaching the final after picking off Australia and Spain in the knockouts.
That has lifted them to ninth in the overall standings with five of the eight tournaments played and Fergusson is now hoping for a repeat of that improved form from five weeks ago.
“Our programme is just sort of developing on the go,” he explained. “We had a bit more time together before the last two events and I guess it’s now push come to shove coming towards the end of the season.
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“Everyone is battling hard for that top eight so that work we have been doing and sacrifice back at home is hopefully paying off a little bit on the pitch, but it’s a really tough group again this weekend. We will fly into that and give everything we have got again.
“You can see from the results in the series that everyone is beating everyone. Form has gone out the window when you look at it. New Zealand were in the final in Vancouver and then they drop out of the top eight for LA.
Silly or Serious?
Our captains are ready for a big weekend at the Hong Kong SVNS
Games start this Friday 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LkmEAVP8Gn
— GB Rugby Sevens (@GBRugbySevens) April 3, 2024
“The consistency is not there other than Argentina. At the moment everyone is beating everyone, so your shot is as good as anyone’s I think.”
Last year, GB7s came very close to success. “We beat USA in the quarter-final and we had a hell of a game against Fiji. I think it ran into extra time and charging down the pitch, the crowd was just absolutely loving it.
“It’s a special place for the Fijians, they get a great following, so the semi-final last year against them was something that will stick in my memory.”
Progress on the HSBC circuit isn’t the only thing on the GB agenda as they have still to qualify for the Paris Olympics. A last-chance tournament in Monaco is coming over the hill in 11 weeks.
“Paris is huge for us. It’s all eyes on the repechage, June 21, 22 and 23, so with ourselves, South Africa, Canada and Spain being on the world series, it’s going to be a hotly contested thing for that last spot.
“It will be a hell of a journey if you book your ticket on the last chance and roll into an Olympics a month later. That is what we have got our big focus on.”
- Click here to watch all the action live on RugbyPass TV
"Our progamme is sort of developing on the go…"
– Robbie Fergusson, with Liam Heagney 🎙️ in Hong Kong, on the Great Britain prep ahead of the #HK7s. #HSBCSVNS #GB7s @SVNSSeries @OfficialHK7s @GBRugbySevens
Follow all the action live on RugbyPass TV https://t.co/fIp2U09bpn pic.twitter.com/ALbATp51e6
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 3, 2024
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments