Spoiler Warning: I’ve had my doubts about the viability of the enterprise from the start.
A unified GB squad is needed to meet Olympic requirements; the individual nations of England, Scotland and Wales would be ineligible.
My current concerns
1 The lack of information coming out of GB 7s’ HQ. The national unions of the British Isles all promote their cause with enthusiasm. Fans know who their players are and when and where they can see them.
2 Not so the GB campaign. News trickling out via their website and social media channels is skimpy at best. Its final offering: “GB7s finish the Olympics on a high!“ hides some contrary facts.
3 Who makes the decisive calls? – this reflects the precarious nature of the structures. Why has the central post of head coach altered so often? Since 2017 no management has stayed in place for long.
4 Are the three unions equally enthusiastic about the venture? Their potential input is vastly different; – memo: the final squad of 12 contained one Welshwoman, Jaz Joyce, and one Scot, Lisa Thomson. Joyce was a vital part of the operation, Thomson less so. The RFU has the funding and the playing strength, but it had already shown its lack of enthusiasm about 7s (the abrupt withdrawal of contracts); can we be sure it will retain its commitment? A finishing position of seventh represents a poor return on investment.
5 The RFU is fully committed to the 15s programme, and the Red Roses are repaying it with outstanding performances. If and when representatives of the three unions sit down together to discuss the future, what the RFU reps say may well decide the matter. Quite unfair, you might claim. Yes, but that inequality lies at the heart of GB’s existence. The programme costs a heap of money; only the RFU has the wherewithal to maintain it at the required level. For the rest, GB is dependent on other sources such as lottery funding, and that goes where it deserves to go.
6 The lure of the Olympics remains strong. We need only look at the size of the crowds at the Stade de France (some 260,000) to see the healthy position rugby has gained. That was true from its first showing at Rio. Rugby has a slight advantage over football/soccer in presenting the short format of its game. Its concentration into three days rather than weeks adds to the excitement and drama.
Players themselves see admission to the Olympics as the the height of their career. The Rugby World Cup cannot compete with it in importance. But 15s rugby is for everyone, “all shapes and sizes”; 7s is for the select few only.
7 We’ll learn a lot about the questions posed when the players decide their immediate futures. We already know that Ellie Kildunne and Meg Jones will return to the Red Roses fold. Will all the others? Or will some remain loyal to the GB 7s, committing to another HSBC World Series? Either way it means yet another rebuilding programme, almost certainly with a new management in place.
8 As that restructuring begins, how can we be sure that the new foundations will be firmer than in the past? Somehow they need to contain the best coaches and the best players. With everyone’s attention turning to the RWC next year, that leaves limited time for a successful relaunch.
9 A glance at other nations: France’s dream of a Sevens medal ended in the quarters with a defeat by Canada. They had tried to keep both plates spinning in the air, but now the FFR will have to reconsider its priorities. Both their 7s and 15s squads reach high standards, but can’t quite reach the top of the tree in either major competition, the Olympics and the RWC.
Australia, many people’s odds-on favourites for gold, suffered two devastating reverses in succession. We’ll watch the fall-out on their 7s and 15s projects with great interest.
Canada once more showed their huge tenacity and ability. A silver medal was a fitting reward. The USA’s bronze will help their long-term aim to raise the game’s profile back home.
New Zealand rightly have the highest ambitions. Their record at the RWC is second to none, and now they have added a second successive gold medal to their portfolio. But leading players have retired. There’s talk of insufficient talent coming down the line; we’ll believe that when we see them in action again.
