I don't think anyone could have asked for a better showcase for the sport with sell-out crowds at the Stade de France and an Antoine Dupont-inspired home win. Back in the early days of the World Series, when playing in the Olympics would have been a distant dream, it wasn't unusual at all for XVs players to play 7s and I can personally vouch for its value in developing players because I got to represent Scotland on the World Series, while still a student at Strathclyde University. I'm a massive fan of that format of the sport and it's great to see it go from strength to strength.
I have to say I was a bit star struck by it all when I was called up in 2001. Anyone versed in Scottish rugby history and my dad made sure I was would know all there is about the then team manager Roy Laidlaw. There were some fantastic players in the sevens squad led superbly by Mark Lee; Roy's son Clark was a team-mate, as was Mike Blair, and it's great to see how fantastically well Clark is doing in coaching over in New Zealand.
While I obviously took huge pride from pulling on the dark blue jersey, one of the my most cringeworthy moments of my career came at the London 7s when I scored my one and only try against the West Indies. The boys gave it the old air rifle try celebration salute but the big screen only showed me taking imaginary aim and pulling the trigger back at them, much to my embarrassment. The boys still wind me up about it whenever I bump into them. I also got to play against Australia in the next leg in Wales. That whole experience was really cool but also very intense. I actually sat one of my final exams while I was down in Cardiff.
Esta historia es de la edición August 04, 2024 de The Rugby Paper.
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