Coming out of Dubai the USA Men's 7s team has to be feeling frustrated.
They finished 0-5 and in 12th place out of 12, and while Dubai has often been a difficult tournament for the Eagles, this was especially tough. GRR checked in with new Head Coach Simon Amor and suggested that the time zone difference (12 hours) can be a factor. Amor dismissed that excuse and talked more about performance.
"There were glimpses of the team playing to its potential, but only glimpses," said Amor. "Ultimately there were a number of factors for the inconsistency which were always going to be the case. Firstly you don't know what you don't know, and although you can talk about what it will be like in terms of the intensity and speed of the World Series, you have to experience it to appreciate it."
That is certainly something most international players talk about—you have to be there.
"The five debutants will be better for this and now they appreciate the importance of the attention to detail in training and the required level of training standards," added Amor.
Amor also pointed to this being the beginning of a long process, and that the process not only includes performance, but developing leadership.
"As part of the long-term aim to win a medal at LA, we are changing how we play," said Amore. "Tese principles and habits are not ingrained yet and break down under pressure and fatigue. The encouraging point is when we did play this new style we looked excellent. The leadership with the team is a big area for development. It wasn't just the losing of caps [with retirements], it was the losing of leaders, players who can help keep the team on track when they are going well on the pitch and get them back on track when they are straying off. This is a big area for us to keep working on."
