SM
Ipswich vs. Man United: 12 hrs 30 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Tom Powell "confident" of ending New Zealand dominance

:Headline: Tom Powell 'confident' of ending New Zealand dominance: ID:164711: from db_amp
England forward Tom Powell insists that his side can end the dominance of New Zealand in rugby sevens at this summer's Commonwealth Games.

England Rugby Sevens forward Tom Powell has said that he is "confident" of his team's chances of ending New Zealand's dominance at the Commonwealth Games this summer.

The All Blacks have been the undisputed kings of sevens at the Games having picked up all four gold medals and not lost a single Commonwealth match since the sport was introduced in 1998.

However, England did beat New Zealand at the London Sevens in May, and Powell believes that they are capable of finally ending the reigning IRB World Series and World Cup champions' stranglehold at the Games.

"Certainly they're the formidable team. They've never lost a Commonwealth Games game, played really well this season, but as we've proven on a couple of occasions we've turned them over. At Twickenham most recently and before that was in Tokyo. Having said that we lost to them in the Hong Kong final, so it is fine margins at this level," Powell told Sports Mole.

"We know they're a very good team and we've got a lot of respect for them and the way they go about things, but on our day we're confident that we can pick up a result against them. It's a two-day tournament and it will be the team that deals with the pressure, handles the whole situation that is going on with the Commonwealth Games best and can translate that into performances on the pitch that will come out on top. Hopefully through the preparation we've put in we'll be able to do that.

"It may not have been said but it's in the back of people's minds that they're not an unbeatable team. They're humans like everybody else and I think it's more about focusing on what we can do. We'll certainly look at the opposition and what they like to do and how they play, but it's about looking at what we can control and how we go about things on the pitch. Once we've done that, I'm confident that the result will take care of itself."

England will first need to take on Sri Lanka, Uganda and Australia on the opening day of sevens action at Ibrox on July 26.

Click here for Sports Mole's full interview with Powell.

amp_article__164711 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2014-11-27 11:20:58:
html db last update - 2014-11-27 11:20:58 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Read more!

Click here for more stories about Tom Powell

Click here for more stories about England

Share this article now:
Read more about Tom Powell Rugby Union
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .