Sonny Bill, Carlin Isles @ HSBC Rugby 7s

Rugby fans will surely be salivating at this news. That’s because later this month, Kiwi World Cup hero Sonny Bill Williams and the Fastest Man in Rugby, Carlin Isles from the USA Eagles, will be coming to Singapore.

Both players have been named as part of their respective World Cup squads.

Kiwi coach announces his 12-player squad

Sonny Bill Williams.
[Photo from HSBC Rugby Singapore 7s]

Yesterday morning, New Zealand Coach, Gordon Tietjens announced his 12-player squad which include not only Williams, but also speed demon Isaac Te Tamaki. Both players are returning from injuries which kept them out of the previous two legs of the HSBC World Sevens series.

Another Kiwi World Cup hero, Liam Messam, has also been named in the squad.

Said Tietjens, “Sonny Bill and Liam are now back in the fray – Liam has had a very good final in Vancouver and will want to back that up. Meanwhile Sonny is coming off the back of two very good tournaments in Sydney and Wellington and his training has been great.”

He continued, “Sonny and Liam love Sevens culture and both are hard workers. They mix in really well and want to stake their claims to be the team to go to Rio. Isaac is our fastest player and possesses the X Factor – he can do things out of nothing, which makes him a real threat.”

World Rugby 7s is used by teams to fine-tune their squads for Rio

Viewed by many teams as the Road to Rio, the HSBC World Rugby 7s Series is being used by many of the top teams to fine-tune their squads for the upcoming Rio Olympics, where rugby sevens will be making its debut as a medal sport.

New Zealand is currently third in the standings, with 104 points. South Africa are second on 105 points and defending champions Fiji have 106 points after the six legs so far.

USA Eagles welcome back Carlin Isles

Meanwhile, the USA Eagles welcome back Carlin Isles, Zack Test and Maka Unufe for the Hong Kong and Singapore legs of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

Isles.
[Photo from HSBC World Rugby Singapore 7s].

With a combined 106 appearances at the World Sevens Series altogether, the trio had been missed at the HSBC Canada Sevens event earlier this month, because Test and Unufe were sidelined with injuries and Isles had made an appearance at the 2016 USATF Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Singapore is the only South East Asian stopover for the World Sevens series

To be held at the iconic National Stadium in Singapore on April 16 and 17, the Singapore leg is the only South East Asian stopover of the World Sevens series.

Apart from the rugby action on the pitch, fans can also expect to rock to British Superstar DJ Pete Tong after play has concluded on the 16th, under the state-of-the-art domed stadium. Moreover there will also be a family friendly carnival all weekend long.

For overseas fans, a weekend-long party experience at Clarke Quay awaits – ticket holders can take the shuttle bus to the Official After Party Venue Clarke Quay and immerse themselves into a music festival, together with great discounts from eateries and nightclubs around the area, as well as in the Sentosa and the Marina Bay areas.