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The Magic of Sevens

February 10th, 2012

“THE MAGIC OF SEVENS – INTERNATIONAL RUGBY STARS MEET LEGENDARY COMEDY- MAGICIAN MAC KING IN LAS VEGAS”

USA SEVENS, FIFTH ROUND OF THE HSBC SEVENS WORLD SERIES

In the build-up to the fifth round of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Las Vegas this weekend, brothers Roland and Shalom Suniula from the US national team and Canadian pair Nathan Hirayama and Conor Trainor, received an inside look into the world of magic with Comedy-Magician Mac King at his showroom inside Harrah’s Las Vegas.

During the visit, King amazed the players with his sleight-of-hand card tricks, then taught them one of the manliest trick he knows, which involves stabbing yourself in the eye with a fork.

Hailed by many as the premiere comedy-magician in the world today, Mac King captivates audiences by performing amazing sleights-of-hand all while remaining unbelievably funny. Awarded “Magician of the Year” in 2003 by the world-famous Magic Castle, King has captivated more than a million audience members during his 12 year run performing in The Mac King Comedy Magic Show Tuesdays-Thursdays at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Harrah’s Las Vegas. Due to the success of the show over the years, King has signed a contract extending his run through 2015.

Mac King commented: “I had a great time teaching the rugby players a few tricks that they can now use to impress their friends and family back home and I wish everyone the best of luck in the tournament this weekend.”

Canada topped their pool at the fourth round of the World Series last weekend in Wellington, New Zealand, featuring captain Hirayama and wing Trainor, both of whom played at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand last year. They face home side USA Rugby in the pool stages this weekend, who themselves will be gunning for success in front of their home fans.

Canadian Hirayama said: “It’s nice playing in Vegas – of all the venues in the HSBC Sevens World Series, it’s almost a home competition without being on Canadian soil, and we’re hoping to do well. It’s cool to be able to soak up a little of what Vegas is all about with the Mac King magic show. With all that Vegas is famous for, we hopefully won’t get too distracted before the weekend but it’s certainly pretty cool to be here.”

“Nathan’s got a pretty good sleight of hand with a rugby ball so should probably be pretty good,” said Trainor, who scored two tries against the World Cup-winning All Blacks in 2011. “It was fun to try and learn some magic and head down to one of the famous Vegas shows, Mac King at Harrah’s. The USA Sevens is always an enjoyable event, and it’s great that the HSBC Sevens World Series can visit places like Las Vegas.”

Shalom Suniula, from the US team, was equally impressed by Mac King’s skills: “It’s great to get out and see a bit of the place where we are playing, and Vegas is a great place to play rugby. The magic show was cool and hopefully will inspire us in front of a home crowd this weekend.”

To view the video of the players and Mac King, please visit www.irbsevens.com/video

The fifth round of the HSBC Sevens World Series kicks off this weekend at the USA Sevens, Las Vegas – 10th – 12th February 2012

For more information or for rights free imagery contact:

Alex Brown

alex.brown@fasttrackagency.com / +44 7803 037 530

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2012 USA Sevens Teams Announced

December 21st, 2011

Olympic Hosts Brazil Among the Nations to Compete at 2012 USA Sevens

The International Rugby Board (IRB) and USA Sevens LLC have confirmed the line-up of nations set to compete at the USA Sevens, round five of the HSBC Sevens World Series.
The tournament will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, and for the first time in history, will be played across three days with two pool rounds on Friday, February 10th, the third round and quarterfinals on Saturday, February 11th, culminating with finals matches being played on Sunday, February 12th, 2012.
Reigning Series champions, New Zealand, head the cast of teams who compete at every round of the Series, including: Fiji, South Africa, England, France, Australia, Wales, Samoa, Argentina, Scotland and Kenya.
In addition to the United States, who is serving as host country, neighboring Canada will join Japan, Uruguay and Brazil in the Series competition.
The introduction of Brazil is especially noteworthy, as Rugby Sevens will make its Olympic debut at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. And as host nation of the 2016 Olympic Games, Brazil will undoubtedly hold a unique place in the future of the sport of rugby.
Newly re-elected IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset, said: “The 2011/12 HSBC Sevens World Series has already lit the imagination of fans around the world, and with five Cup finalists and three different champions already at the opening trio of rounds, the competitive edge is stronger than ever.
“The success of the USA Sevens tournament continues to grow every year, with more fans supporting the teams in Las Vegas and millions of viewers tuning in across the States on NBC, and around the world on the many broadcasters showing the Series.
“These are incredibly exciting times for Rugby as Sevens builds towards its Olympic debut in Rio in 2016. To have a competitive Brazil side in Las Vegas alongside the rest of the teams only serves to remind everyone of our Olympic countdown.”
USA Sevens Tournament Director, Dan Lyle, commented: “The growth of Rugby in the United States has been on a rocket-like trajectory. Being the largest tournament in North America, with record-breaking television reach both domestically and internationally, USA Sevens has been a major part of that growth. And with the addition of Brazil to this year’s tournament, we expect to continue the sport’s expansion throughout the Americas.”
New Zealand and Fiji lead the Series with 51 points after the first three rounds. South Africa lie third with 48, with England fourth one point further adrift.
Further information
Andrea Wiggins
andrea.wiggins@irb.com

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Birth of Sevens Part II

December 5th, 2011

After the birth of seven-a-side rugby by the Melrose RFC, the game remained mainly a Scottish event known as “border sevens.” But in 1926 England’s Middlesex County Rugby Union decided to stage an end of season sevens tournament in May, choosing nearby Twickenham Stadium as the venue with 50 teams invited. This English event would boost sevens to a wider audience of rugby fans and, more importantly, to the influential sports sections of the London newspapers. In the 34 ensuing years up to 1959, the winners of the Middlesex Sevens were dominated by well known premiere English clubs, Harlequins, St. Mary’s Hospital, and Rosslyn Park.
It was Iain Laughland, who would change the stilted style of sevens rugby. Laughland (31 caps for Scotland) conceived of a “keep away possession” style, marked by swinging the ball from sideline to sideline with players backing each other up. The team would fan out and, if necessary, retreat backward to create gaps in defense. In the early 1960s, with Laughland at the helm, London Scottish won five Middlesex events in the 1960s and also two Melrose championships.
Laughland was the originator of the idea of “pace” for seven styled play. Each possession would feature a beginning, middle, and an end. One of the standouts for London Scottish during this period was fleet winger and Scotland International, Charlie Hodgson. In one Middlesex game, Hodgson scored two spectacular tries and was surprised why he was not chosen for the ensuing Melrose Tournament event. He asked why and Captain Laughland replied, “You score tries, but you have no pace.”
The Middlesex Sevens has evolved to become the largest sevens event in the world; at one time inviting upwards of 300 clubs (1992). Two Rugby League clubs have won the tournament, the Wigan Warriors in 1996 and the Bradford Bulls in 2002. Only in sevens could Rugby League and Rugby Union find common ground for mutual play.
For most players, the Middlesex Sevens tournament represented the only time in their rugger careers they would ever play on the hallowed Twickenham pitch.

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