USA Sevens Rugby - Las Vegas

The Magic of Sevens

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:06:04 +0000

“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 – 10^th – 12^th February 2012

For more information or for rights free imagery contact:

Alex Brown

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

2012 USA Sevens Teams Announced

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:12:16 +0000

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

Birth of Sevens Part II

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:37:08 +0000

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.

Dubai Sevens

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:17:15 +0000

The International Rugby Board has confirmed pool draws for round 2 of the HSBC Sevens World Series, the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens.

Fiji, the Gold Coast Winners, are atop Pool A and are scheduled to compete against Argentina, Samoa and the UAE.

Pool B will be comprised of New Zealand, USA, Portugal and South Africa. While Pools C and D will be made up of France, Dubai, England, Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Birth of Sevens

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:56:08 +0000

Seven-a-side rugby began in 1883 to raise money for the Melrose RFC, a well-known Scottish border side. The club had experienced financial problems and raising the annual dues or increasing the price of a pint was not going to solve the chronic problem of shortage of funds.

Enter into rugby history, Ned Haig, local butcher and Melrose club member, who conceived of a tournament that would attract other clubs to play a shortened version with seven players on each team. The monies would come from spectators paying admission, and also increased pub revenues generated by the participation of eight sides, accompanied by their fans.

Melrose RFC kept the rules the same as fifteens, and the size of the pitch also conformed to the standard rugby union size. The two significant changes were the total game time (fifteen minutes) and the reduction to seven players. (Back then, the first seven-a-side teams comprised a full-back, two, quarter-backs, and four forwards.)

The action-packed day was April 28, 1883, when Melrose hosted seven other border sides. To make it more interesting for fans, the event included foot-races, a drop-kick contest, and dribbling races. And there was lots of rugby playing during the day, highlighted as “The Football Competition.” Some 1,600 spectators, many arriving via special event trains, witnessed the historic match. The tournament started at 12:30 and ended seven hours later. The Ladies of Melrose donated a silver cup that continues to be awarded to the winner.

In 2011, the winning side in the Melrose Sevens – now an international event broadcast by the BBC – turned out to be the Melrose RFC.

Station Casinos | Official Hotel

admin — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:07:14 +0000

STATION CASINOS ANNOUNCED AS PRESENTING SPONSOR OF THE USA SEVENS LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL RUGBY TOURNAMENT

(Las Vegas, NV) — USA Sevens, the premier rugby tournament in North America, has partnered with Station Casinos, one of the leading providers of gaming and entertainment in Las Vegas, to host the 3rd annual Las Vegas Invitational amateur rugby competition.

The Las Vegas Invitational (LVI) will take place February 9 – 12, 2012 and will be played alongside the USA Sevens international rugby tournament held annually in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Invitational is considered one of the premier amateur rugby events in the United States, featuring athletes and matchups across a wide-range of rugby divisions and age groups.

Station Casinos has joined as title sponsor of the competition, and has been named as the Official Hotel partner. During tournament week, Station Casinos will become the epicenter of all things rugby including host of the Official Fan Party at Sunset Station. “We’re thrilled to partner with USA Sevens to serve as host to teams and fans participating in the Las Vegas Invitational event. Our hotels are uniquely positioned to offer each team premium accommodations at affordable rates.” said Kevin Kelley, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Station Casinos.

Over 200 teams are expected to compete in the tournament, and with over 12,000 fans projected at the LVI, as well as over 60,000 fans attending the international tournament, USA Sevens is anticipating record crowds in 2012. “We expect this to be an explosive year for the event and we’re excited to be partnering with Station Casinos to help continue to grow the sport of rugby in North America,” said Jonathan First, President of USA Sevens.

Through the partnership with Station Casinos, participating teams will be offered special room rates at Boulder Station, Sunset Station, Fiesta Henderson and Palace Station as well as an opportunity to receive $200 discount off of the tournament registration fees. In addition to providing LVI teams and fans with specially designed hotel packages, Station Casinos will host a variety of rugby-themed events across the participating properties for the entire week of the tournament.

For additional details about the Las Vegas Invitational presented by Station Casinos, visit http://www.usasevens.com/las-vegas-invitational or to secure the discounted hotel rooms, visit www.stationcasinos.com/usa-sevens.

About Station Casinos LLC

Founded in 1976, Station Casinos LLC is the leading provider of gaming and entertainment to the residents of Las Vegas, Nevada. The Company’s properties include various amenities, including numerous restaurants, entertainment venues, movie theaters, bowling and convention/banquet space, as well as traditional casino gaming offerings such as video poker, slot machines, table games, bingo and race and sports wagering. The Company owns 17 properties including: Boulder Station, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Red Rock Resort, Santa Fe Station, Sunset Station, Texas Station, Days Inn at Wild Wild West and the Wildfire Gaming division that includes Barley’s Brewery, The Greens, Gold Rush, Lake Mead Lounge, Wildfire Casino & Lanes, Wildfire Boulder and Wildfire Rancho. The Company also manages Aliante Station.

About USA Sevens

USA Sevens LLC owns and operates the USA Sevens Rugby Tournament under an exclusive commercial license from USA Rugby. Held annually, the event is the fifth of nine stops on the international HSBC Sevens World Series world tour. The USA Sevens Rugby Tournament is the largest rugby event in North America, as well as the largest rugby event ever to be held in the USA. USA Sevens LLC is a division of American International Media, a company whose business activities include: the USA Sevens tournament in Las Vegas; the Collegiate Rugby Championship, a new rugby sevens event created with NBC Sports to promote the growth of Rugby in America; and its media holdings RUGBY magazine, usasevens.com, and RUGBYmag.com.

Hello USA Sevens Fans!

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 07:36:37 +0000

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