Preview - Singapore, Round Six

England eye the season's first double

England, fresh from their third successive Hong Kong Sevens triumph, are hoping to become the first team to win back-to-back tournaments on the 2003/04 International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens circuit, when the Sevens roadshow reaches Round Six in Singapore this weekend.

With three tournaments left in this season's Sevens series, England find themselves just four points behind series leaders and defending IRB champions, New Zealand.

But England will arrive in Singapore with the psychological advantage that they have already won twice in the current series - Round Two in George and last week (Round Five) in Hong Kong. The other winners were South Africa (Round One, Dubai), New Zealand (Round Three, Wellington) and Argentina (Round Four, Los Angeles).

This makes for an interesting final three rounds, with Singapore likely to play a key role in the final outcome of the current series.

And, having finished just four points behind New Zealand in the 2002/03 season, England have every intention of stamping their mark at the Standard Chartered Singapore Sevens  and take the lead in the standings.

"We're not going to look back at previous years," said England coach Joe Lydon. "Yes, last year we finished four points behind. But we aim to look ahead to see what we want to achieve. We know we are still trailing behind New Zealand, but we will still give our best."

After winning at the Hong Kong Sevens for the third consecutive time, England are obviously in a confident mood ahead of the Standard Chartered Singapore Sevens.

"It was certainly special when we won it the first time," said Lydon. "Thereafter, for the second victory, we were already familiar with what it takes to win the event. We put in the required preparations and training commitments. It is all about hard work and progression

"At Hong Kong, it may not have been at our best, but we have certainly have improved. We can never dictate how our team or opponents will play, hence there's always an element of luck for the matches."

New Zealand, of course, would be looking to bounce back at the Singapore Sevens, after reaching only the semi-finals in Hong Kong.

Although coach Gordon Tietjens said his team had played well in the pool stages in Hong Kong, losing to Argentina in the semi-finals cost the current leaders crucial points and allowed England to close the gap on the overall standings.

"It was just one bad game really, and our guys played pretty well in the pool stage in Hong Kong, and we played pretty well against Samoa," he said. "It was just one of those games where you're beaten on the day by a better side. We're certainly going to work on that. But Argentina certainly played very well.

"I don't really see the need to change our playing style. We have different gameplans for whatever game we play. For us it's about consistency, about them sticking to the gameplans that I give my players before each game."

While Hong Kong was relatively cool, the heat in Singapore is bound to be a factor in most of the matches. However, Tietjens believes his players are fit enough to last the pace.

"I think more than anything, our players are fit enough. It's just the mental side of playing in heat like this and you just have to put that behind you," he added.

One player who is looking forward to getting a run in Singapore, is the Kiwis' veteran captain Eric Rush, who will be hoping to get more time on the pitch this weekend. His experience would be invaluable, especially after the team stumbled against Argentina in the semi-finals.

"Argentina played a lot better than us and they deserved to win," Rush said. "It helps if you can put the experience you have in the team to good use. It is one thing having the knowledge and a different thing if you do something with the knowledge.

"I think Sevens is a game, where the bounce of the ball can go can go either way. And Argentina beat us last week and full credit to them."

Another team hoping to get back into the race, as far as the overall series goes, is South Africa. The Springboks were also knocked out in the semi-finals in Hong Kong and now have to deal the humidity and heat of Singapore.

But they also feel they have prepared adequately and do not see it as an obstacle.

The South Africans had a training camp at Stellenbosch before their departure for Hong Kong and Singapore, because of the Boland town's high temperatures this time of year.

"We will not have an excuse with regards to that [heat and humidity]," said manager Dion O'Cuinneagain. "True, it is not as humid there as in Singapore, but that will affect all teams. At least we know we have tried to adapt to the heat."

South Africa - like England, Argentina and New Zealand - could still get the edge before the final tournaments in June, to be played on consecutive weekends in Bordeaux and London.

"Yes, this is probably where we could lose it if we don't play well," said Springbok captain Marc de Marigny. "We need to win two out of the next three to make sure we have a chance, so have no reason why we should not fire on the weekend. We know what is at stake."

South Africa are third on the overall Sevens standings, with 66 points and with Argentina (62), have the hardest chasing to do to haul in New Zealand (86) and England (82).

New Zealand have been drawn in Pool A where they will take on rising Sevens stars Argentina - who beat them in the Los Angeles Final in Round Four, and the semi-finals in Hong Kong last weekend.

In Pool B, England will lock horns with France, Japan and Hong Kong, whilst the Singapore Reds face a challenging battle in Pool C against South Africa, Samoa and Canada.

In Pool D, veterans and fourth seed Fiji stand an excellent chance of overcoming their opponents Australia, Korea and the USA.