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The Rugby Forum was pleased to get the opportunity to ask Harlequins and England 7's Stars Ollie Lindsay-Hague and Miles Mantella a few questions, who were spending the day with Great Britain's Triple Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist Ben Ainslie CBE, whilst he compared fitness plans and checked how the club were preparing for JP Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7's Series 2011.
The Rugby Forum was pleased to get the opportunity to ask Harlequins and England 7's Stars Ollie Lindsay-Hague and Miles Mantella a few questions, who were spending the day with Great Britain's Triple Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist Ben Ainslie CBE, whilst he compared fitness plans and checked how the club were preparing for JP Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7's Series 2011.
The Rugby Forum (TRF): What makes a good 7s player?
Ollie Lindsay-Hague (OLE): Pretty much the same as a 15s player, your individual skills are really important which some people don’t have, raw pace, you have got to be powerful and strong, power is key. Good handling skills and to be able to play make. And of course you have got to be very fit both mentally and physically.
Miles Mantella (MM): You can’t play 7s without being pretty fit which is a massive part of it, the fitter you are the better you will be. You make better decisions, make better passes, maintain your speed, are good in contact and can finish well. Mentally as well, as you are always on and off the pitch because the games are quick you need to be able to switch on and off quickly.
TRF: Who's the current best 7s player?
OLE: For me Cecil Afrika who got the world player of the year. He got something ridiculous like 300 points just this year. He is a player that has it all
MM: That is a tough one but someone like Cami from NZ, the scrum hal, f he is pretty good at the moment. He controls the game the well and although not massively quick, he has got great quick feet and always one step ahead.
TRF: Will the GB 2016 be a in a good position come the Olympics?
OLE: Yes I think so. We will have some amazing coaches and prepare well for it.. It is going to be a really exciting time for rugby.
MM: I think they should be but considering we will have the pick of the nations. If they get a lot of contact time they can prepare well
TRF: How important is the 7s tournament to the development of players for the XV a side game?
OLE: Really important â€" you learn so much from 7s and it has helped me so much for the 15s. You have got to have pace, power, fitness. Defence is difficult so your tackling gets better as do other aspects of your game. It really gets you ready for the 15s and puts you through the paces.
MM: Massively â€" your skills have got to be good â€" there is no hiding â€" you are more exposed that on a 15s pitch, things like you are one on one tackling â€" it is for everyone to see so it really helps the development as a player.
TRF: How do you prepare yourself for a tournament in the off season?
MM: Our pre season training is pretty full on and it is all about getting your fitness back, getting the right strength and conditioning, playing a few tournaments and preparing well for the full season
TRF: How important do you feel the JP Morgan Premiership 7’s is for young players?
OLE: Very important â€" it is a good eye opener for what playing premiership rugby would be like , a really good starting point. It tests you mentally and physically and especially coming into pre-season you get a feel for premiership rugby and what it feels like to play with players of that calibre.
MM: For young player I think it really good. A lot of the young guys who play are still at school and it is big stage for them playing on the big stage and getting used to it â€" it is a bit more pressure and physical than school rugby so for a young guy it is nice to be involved in. Plus you have people are important in the game like Ben Ryan so really good opportunity to impress.
TRF: Which 7’s team are you fearing the most in this tournament?
OLE: Not fearing any one in particular; there will be strong teams from like Leicester and Saracens but we have a good side, will stick to what we need to do and not be fazed.
MM: I think any team can be dangerous depend on the mix in their squad. Saracens had really good team last year so will be pretty hard to beat.
TRF: What effect does a 7’s tournament have on smaller rugby nations and getting youth involved?
OLE: Very exciting â€" A lot of teams are getting keen. You have teams like Japan and China who are knocking on the door trying to get into the world series. It is great because it promotes rugby around the world and with the Rio 2016 more sides will want to get involved.
TRF: Do you think 7’s is the game to convert the USA to Rugby?
MM: I think it could, depends really. As a nation they always perform well at the Olympics and now 7s will be included into Rio 2016, investment into sports where they can medal is more likely so I would presume that they would start to
take it more seriously.
TRF: Do you think 7’s is a fundamental part of the game of Rugby?
OLE: I don’t think 15s would be any worse off but 7s is getting bigger on its own, and as a starting point for youth players it is great to have the opportunity to be playing a high standard of rugby. I think the sport will explode come
Olympics time and great to be a part of that.
MM: Fundamental part â€"I think there is a lot more money going into it â€" good event to go to and something like the London 7s had a massive attendance and is a growing sport. As it will now be part of Olympics it wilbe taken it a lot more seriously so it should grow and grow
Thank you both for your time, wish you both well with Harlequins in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7's Series
AINSLIE JOINS HARLEQUINS SEVENS SQUAD TO STAY FIT FOR PURPOSE
Triple Olympic gold and silver medallist, Ben Ainslie CBE, joined Premiership Rugby Club Harlequins for a pre-season training session today. The sailor was at the club’s training base at Surrey Sports Park to compare fitness programs and to see how the club’s sevens squad are preparing themselves for the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series 2011 which kicks off on Friday 15 July at The Recreation Ground in Bath.
Ainslie, a keen rugby fan, who recently won gold in the Finn class at this year’s Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth, qualifying him for the Olympic Test in August, commented:
“Today was physically very challenging but hugely enjoyable. Since Team Origin closed down in November last year I’ve been working every day for the last seven months to get my fitness levels as high as possible. I’m pretty happy with where I am but there’s always room for improvement, one of the key areas for me is body weight as I have to bulk up an extra 10 kilos of muscle to compete in the Finn, so being with the Quins sevens squad today and seeing how they train during pre-season has been an invaluable experience. I’ve definitely learnt a few new things which I’m going to include in my current fitness regime going forward. It’s always good to meet new people too and I’m looking forward to seeing Ollie and the rest of the boys compete in the J.P. Morgan Sevens later in the summer.â€
Harlequins Assistant Academy Manager and sevens coach, Howard Graham, said:
“Having Britain’s most decorated Olympic sailor attend one of our training sessions is a huge boost for the squad and has given our sevens players a real lift as they prepare for the J.P. Morgan Sevens. As expected, Ben worked really hard and took to the conditioning and fitness sessions like a duck to water. He’s clearly very focussed on getting himself in the best possible shape to defend his Olympic ***le.â€
Harlequins winger and England sevens player, Ollie Lindsay-Hague, commented:
“It’s not every day you get to train with a world class athlete so today has been a very special experience for me and the lads. As an Olympic athlete Ben keeps himself very fit, so we weren’t the least bit surprised with how well he coped with the conditioning training and some of the gym work. He’s a very impressive man and a fine athlete. It was great to get a few stories out of him about his Olympic experiences and how he prepares both physically and mentally ahead of competition. The lads in the sevens squad will certainly take a lot out of today as we prepare for the J.P. Morgan sevens in July.â€
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To see Ben Ainslie in action at Surrey Sports Park today please click on the following link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqgAP8pOQLUThe J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series 2011 kicks off on Friday 15 July at The Recreation Ground in Bath where Harlequins face Exeter Chiefs, London Irish and the home side Bath. Quins will be hoping to qualify for the finals at The Stoop on Friday 5 August. For more information please visit www.jpmorgan7s.com Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.co.uk or by calling 0844 847 2492.
