A couple of weeks ago we featured on the show the unlikely journey of a New Zealander rugby player, Tamaha MacDonald, who now finds himself as national rugby coach of Mexico. In the interview he talked about the importance of Sevens for the growth of the game in the country. This version of the game bringing international competition and experience to a limited number of players which can be used in growing the fifteen-a-side competition.
It would appear that Brazil are now on the search for Sevens players.
As the host nation of the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, and with rugby Sevens making its first appearance at the Olympic Games, Brazil is desperate to make a good showing in the game. So desperate are they to perform well they have announced that they will hunt for players from abroad. However those players must have links to Brazil in order to be eligible to play, quite how tenuous we will have to wait and see.
The cry coming out from the Brazilian Federation stated: “Players Wanted – hoping to find at least a handful of players who can help turn the national team into a more competitive squad by the time the Olympics arrive.”
As the host nation Brazil automatically qualify for the men’s and women’s competition.
If they can find players with the rugged determination and physicality their footballers have and combine that with their flair, Sevens could well be a game that Brazilians with time both enjoy and excel at. However first they must unearth the talent, to be competitive in Rio.
