McMahon On Sevens Preparation
25th July 2014 By Munster Rugby
With just over two weeks to go to the Limerick World Club 7s Festival in Thomond Park, we catch up with Munster 7s Head Coach Colm McMahon as the team prepare to do battle in Pool C.
The festival will run on the weekend of August 9th and 10th and McMahon began by giving us his thoughts on Munster’s pool opposition.
“There won’t be any easy encounter in our group. Sevens is becoming more and more popular around world, and while we won’t know a lot about VVA Saracens Moscow and San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby (SFGGR), one is always wary of the unknown and you can be sure they’ll provide quality opposition in the competition. Our third game in the pool is against Fijian outfit Daveta Rugby who have a fine winning tradition in both Sevens and Tens tournaments, and we look forward to the challenge of facing one of the favourites for the competition.”
With Munster keen to put in a good performance on home turf, preparations are well underway for the upcoming festival.
“Our sessions are tailored to tie in with the senior team sessions. We got together with them last week and will continue to do so between now and the tournament. Because we train on the pitch alongside the first team, our senior player representatives will not be at a disadvantage when they return to the 15s game. Amongst the senior players we hope to have available for selection are Gerhard van den Heever, Luke O’Dea and Ronan O’Mahony, and while training with us they will get the same conditioning hit as they would with the senior set-up. We’re also fortunate that we can draw on a wealth of talent from the Greencore Munster Academy.”
“Preparing technically and tactically is a lot different, as go-forward momentum isn’t always as important in Sevens, so in turn we make guys more patient on the ball and teach them to realise that with more available space they’ve got more time to make a decision. In 15s you have to back yourself and go for the small space, whereas in Sevens you can afford to drag the defender that bit more and create bigger space.”
McMahon, himself a former Sevens international for Ireland, feels the event will greatly promote this variant of rugby union in the country.
“There are a number of Sevens tournaments held in the country each year, but with the exception of Kinsale, many fail to capture the wider audience outside of their local area. The festival in Limerick will really heighten awareness of the party atmosphere and family enjoyment that can be had at a Sevens tournament. With good rugby on the field, coupled with family fun, entertainment and fancy dress off the field, it’s shaping up to be a really great weekend in Thomond Park.”
