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06th Jun 2013

Thomas Cook What’s On Abroad – Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013

If you like your rugby, fast, free-flowing and exciting, then the sevens World Cup tournament in Moscow later this month will be right up your street.

JOE

If you like your rugby, fast, free-flowing and exciting, then the sevens World Cup tournament in Moscow later this month will be right up your street.

The minds of most rugby supporters are concentrated on events with the Lions Tour Down Under at the moment but thankfully for those of us who can’t stand to go more than a few weeks without sport, it won’t be the last of the egg-chasing we’ll see this summer.

In fact, the day before the Lions get to grips with the Wallabies in the second test in Melbourne at the end of the month sees the launch of the 2013 World Cup Sevens Tournament in Moscow, so it will only take about two days worth of flying for the die-hards who intend on catching glimpses of both over the next few weeks.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of sevens rugby, well it can make you tired just thinking about it considering that games take place on a field the exact same size as a regular rugby pitch, except with less than half of the players.

Thankfully for those who take part, the games aren’t nearly as long and scrums only consist of three players rather than eight, but everything is done at a razor-sharp pace, because of which it’s hardly any surprise that Carlin Isles of the USA (see below) has become something of a sensation at the sport.

Unfortunately, Ireland do not have a representative team at this year’s World Cup but all of the other big guns – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England, France and Wales – will be sending teams to Moscow in an effort to claim a title last won by Wales in the UAE in 2009.

People tend to associate Moscow with cold weather, furry jackets and even furrier hats but the temperatures in June and July tend to be a lot balmier than in Ireland, for instance, and if the weather Gods are particularly kind, one can expect the mercury to hit the early to mid 20s for the duration of the tournament.

That might not be ideal for the players attempting to cover large tracts of ground on the pitch but it’s damn near perfect for spectators.

For more information on the tournament, you can check out the official website here and if you think you’d like to make the trip, the good folk at Thomas Cook Sport can sort you out.

Packages for the Sevens Tournament have not yet been released but Thomas Cook Sport can take advance registrations, just send them an e-mail at [email protected] or give them a call on  (01) 514 0406.

 

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