The Teams for 2010

(Who do we think will be there and are they any good?)

This is our best guess of who is coming.  As usual there will be changes between now and the tournament but the printer’s deadline for the programme means we go to press with what we have.

The format for the Men’s 7s will be the traditional 60 team format with 12 pools of 5 teams on Saturday. The Ladies 7s tournament  and the Veterans 10s will both probably be a 16 team format, playing in 4 pools of 4 on Saturday, but this could change.

The Format of the Men’s 7s, for the uninitiated, is as follows. On Saturday the 60 teams play in 12 pools of 5. These pools are seeded by the fixture secretary. It does mean some fairly average teams will be able to boast of having played against some top sevens outfits. However, they will probably not mention the score because the tries scored on Saturday are a key part of the seeding for Sunday, there is no mercy shown as teams pile up the scores.

The top two teams from each of the Saturday pools go through to the main tournament, the Silver Pier, on Sunday. They play in 8 pools of three teams on Sunday morning. The winners of each pool go through to the Quarter Finals. The Final of the Silver Pier is the last game of the tournament, finishing at five o’clock on Sunday afternoon. There is prize money for the winners (€3000), the runners-up (€1000) and the losing semi-finalists (€500 each).

The teams finishing third in each Saturday pool play in the Heineken Boot competition. There are four pools of 3 teams on Sunday morning. The winners go through to the knock-out stage at the Semi-Finals stage. There is no prize money for the Heineken Boot. We have had enough problems with glory hunters who throw Saturday pool games to try get into and to win the Heineken Boot, rather than qualify in the Silver Pier and get knocked out in the Sunday Pool Games.

The teams finishing fourth in each Saturday pool play in the Integer Plate competition. There are four pools of 3 teams on Sunday morning. The winners go through to the knock-out stage at the Semi-Finals stage.

The teams finishing fifth in each Saturday Pool can enjoy themselves on Saturday evening as they get to watch the tournament on Sunday.

The Ladies 7s Tournament format has not yet been finalised. We will probably play a 16 team format but this could change. On Saturday the 16 teams play in 4 pools of 4. Like the Men’s 7s, the pools are seeded so on Saturday you could be playing against the top national sides.

Current planning is that the top two teams from each of the Saturday pools go through to the main tournament, the Ladies Silver Pier, on Sunday. They go straight into the knock-out phase at the quarter-final stage. The winners of the quarter-finals carry on in the Semi-finals and finals. The winners receive a prize of €700 and the runners up €300. The quarter-final losers go into the Ladies Boot at the semi-final stage. The teams finishing third and fourth in the Saturday Pools go into the Ladies Plate at the quarter-final stage. The losers of the quarter finals play for the Ladies Wooden Spoon. 

The Veterans 10s Tournament format will have a 16 team. On Saturday the 16 teams play in 4 pools of 4. Like the Men’s 7s, the pools are seeded so on Saturday you could be playing against the top sides. Current planning is that the top two teams from each of the Saturday pools go through to the main tournament, the Veterans Silver Pier, on Sunday. They go straight into the knock-out phase at the quarter-final stage. The winners of the quarter-finals carry on in the Semi-finals and finals. The quarter-final losers go into the Veterans Boot at the semi-final stage. The teams finishing third and fourth in the Saturday Pools go into the Veterans Plate at the quarter-final stage. The losers of the Veterans Plate quarter finals play for the Veterans Wooden Spoon. 

This is our best guess of who is coming. As usual we list the teams in based upon how we think the teams will do in the tournament. As usual, this is guesswork by the Fixtures Secretary based upon previous experience and the information sent in by teams.  Also, as usual, the predictions will be very close to the mark. Also, the final line up of Dutch teams is only known after the National Sevens tournament, the weekend before the Amsterdam Sevens.


The Men’s 7s

Possible Silver Pier Quarter Finalists

Samurai International
Samurai International hold the record of having won the tournament nine times, including the last five years on the trot which has never been done before. However, they are not unbeatable. Last year they only won by kicking more conversions than their opponents in a couple of games, beating Mel's Exiles, including Serevi, 14-12 in the quarter-final and beating HFW Kooga Wailers 19-15 in the final. And Samurai Supremo Terry Sands will not be able to bring as many of his top international players as normal because the Twickenham IRB Sevens is the same weekend as the Amsterdam Sevens. Our prediction is that Samurai will still be the team to beat but they are beatable. To beat them you will have to bring a very good team, have a little bit of luck and, of course, kick your conversions.


HFW Kooga Wailers.
Kooga Wailers play in many Sevens Tournaments around the world and are Amsterdam Sevens regulars. In 2009 they were losing finalists, narrowly losing out to Samurai International. They matched Samurai in tries scored but lost out by missing a couple of conversions, losing 19-15. They ended the run of Russian team YUG in the semi-finals 19-5 and Millfield in the quarter-finals 33-5. Regulars in the knock-out stages, how well they do often depends on when they meet Samurai. In 2008 they lost very narrowly in the quarter-finals, 12-7, to a Samurai International team consisting of most of the South African national side and coached by Paul Treu, the national coach. In 2006 they lost to Samurai International in the final 36-14. In 2007 Corso Marauders beat them 24-19 in the semi-finals.
Our best guess is that they will definitely make the knock-out phase and may even beat Samurai this year. The Amsterdam Sevens would like to give a mention to Kooga Wailers sponsors HFW. Without team sponsors many of the quality teams would not be able to make it to the tournament and we are happy to give the sponsors a mention.

Gilbert Pups
Gilbert Pups will be trying to avoid Samurai International again. In 2009 they ran into Samurai in the semi-final and lost 26-0. In 2008 they ran into the South African flavour Samurai in the semi-finals, losing 35-0. In 2007 ran into Samurai on Sunday morning, losing 24 - 5. In 2006 Stoned Pups made the quarter finals, but Samurai were waiting for them and beat them 33-12. In 2004 they also made it through to the Silver Pier Pool games. They will certainly qualify for the Silver Pier, probably as top in their Saturday Pool, and we predict they will make the quarter finals. They have a real chance of getting to the semi-final and final but will be hoping to avoid Samurai. 

Hi-Temp Corso White Hart Marauders
White Hart Marauders have attended the Amsterdam Sevens every year since 1983, winning the tournament in 1990 (with Carling, Guscott and Winterbottom et al), 1991 and 2000. For a short period they ran two teams, the White Hart Marauders and the Corso Marauders (named after their Amsterdam Clubhouse) but decided to consolidate their resources into one team in 2003 with the White Hart Marauders Elite team playing under the name Corso Marauders. This immediately paid off when the Corso Marauders were runners up in 2003, losing to the Scottish National side, the Scottish Thistles, only on the golden try after ending normal time at 31-31 in the best final ever and then won the tournament in 2004 where they beat Susies Exiles 48-17 in the “Battle of the Red Light District” final. They are the last winners before Samurai started monopolising the tournament in 2005. Since then the Corso Marauders have regularly featured in the last eight with their best performance being runners-up in 2007, losing narrowly 21-17 to Samurai in the final. In 2009 they were surprised by the Russians of YUG who beat them 14-10 in the quarter–finals. This year we expect at least a quarter-final place and they could win it this year. The rather long name of Hi-Tech Corso White Hart Marauders is necessary to recognise their main sponsors, Hi-Temp Coatings, to recognise their Amsterdam clubhouse Café Corso and the “Friends of the Corso Marauders” who help to fund the team and the White Hart to differentiate these original Marauders from other teams using the Marauders name. We hope the name fits into the computer system that runs the tournament. In the true spirit of the Amsterdam Sevens they will be partying in their clubhouse, Café Corso in the Red Light District, from Thursday night until “Bloody Mary Monday” on Monday morning. They have even hired a VIP tent at the tournament on Sunday. We hope the guys from sponsors Hi-Temp Coatings survive the weekend.

Millfield Old Boys
The club restricts membership to former pupils of Millfield, a Public School famed for its sporting facilities and producing top sportsmen such as Gareth Edwards. Their performances over the years have therefore depended on which of the players are available, especially in the professional era as many Millfield Old Boys go on to a career in professional rugby. Recent performances include reaching the semi-finals (2005) and quarter-finals (2003 and 2009) and they narrowly failed to make the quarter-finals in 2006 and 2008. However, their only silverware to date is an Integer Plate win on one of their early visits in 2001. We expect Millfield to make it to the quarter-finals.


Wooden Spoon AA’s Blues
Wooden Spoon are "the children’s charity of the rugby world”. For 25 years Spoon has harnessed the spirit and values of rugby to give disadvantaged children in Britain and Ireland a chance to achieve their full potential in life", as they say on their web site www.woodenspoon.com and they have fantastic connections in the rugby world. Their Vets side have won the Amsterdam Sevens Veterans 10s for the last three years. Their ladies team won the Amsterdam Sevens Ladies Sevens in 2008. Their Men’s team were not so successful on their first visit in 2009. They did not match our expectations losing out on Sunday Morning in the pools to both Russian team YUG and German National side Scorpion. Teams usually perform better on their second trip. I expect them to reach the quarter-finals this year.


Mel’s Exiles
Mel Williamson claims to have been to all 38 Amsterdam Sevens tournaments and we believe him, although we are too young to remember the early days. He has been bringing teams for many many years with success, having won the tournament four times in 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1998. In the 21st century they always make the Silver Pier and usually make the quarter finals. In 2009 they made the quarter-finals against Samurai with a team featuring the legend that is Serevi, coming back from 14-0 at half time to lose 14-12. Samurai winning on missed conversions again. In 2002 they made the semi-finals, losing out to Backstabbers 21 – 14 and in 2005 his Fijian based team, Mel’s Vanua Exiles, reached the final, only to lose out to Samurai 47 -28 in a high scoring match. Mel, as usual, is not saying much about his team (in case their clubs find out they are coming) but they will contain top players from around the world and will certainly make the quarter-finals and could do much better. Mel is an old fashioned "amateur" and manages to compete on a shoestring with the more slick, corporate sponsored teams. Mel will also bore you with all of his "luvvie" stories about the top stars he has worked with in his new career as an actor. Unfortunately none of them would put their hands in their pockets to sponsor the Exiles. If you want to help out with sponsoring or just want to find out more about the Exiles the web site is http://www.melsexiles.com. We think possible quarter-finalists. Rumour has it that Mel will only be bringing one team this year and that Serevi will be here again.


Susies Saloon
It’s great to see Lars Bjerrehave and the boys from Susies Saloon back after a year’s absence. On their last visit in 2008 they lost out 24-14 in the semi-finals to Samurai Barracudas, effectively the England Sevens team. They are regulars in the last eight and reached the final in 2004 only to lose out to Corso Marauders. We know Lars is planning on some Pacific Island reinforcement because he asked for help with the visas. They should easily make the quarter-finals and with teams like Samurai having their normal supply of top internationals disrupted by the clash with the Twickenham IRB Sevens they have as good a chance as any to win the tournament. If Susies do win, in the immortal words of the late, great Bill McClaren, “They’ll be sweeping them up off the floor of Susies Saloon at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning.” Susies Saloon is on the edge of the Red Light District a couple of hundred meters from the Dam and is usually open until 6 a.m. during the Amsterdam Sevens.

The Templars
The Templars have players from New Zealand, South Africa and England. After playing in the Dubai Sevens for 6 years and in tournaments all over the UK they came to Amsterdam for the first time in 2008. On their first visit, they won the Integer Plate, beating Tatra Smichov from Prague 21-17 in the final. They became experts on Czech rugby as they also beat the Czech national side in the semi-final. They also love to party. They inform me that the team in 2008 was a social side and that this year they expect to do much better. A late request for a visa for a Fijian backs this up. We expect Silver Pier qualification but their target of a semi-final place may be a bit optimistic.

Pontacq
Pontacq is a small village of some 2700 souls in the Hautes-Pyrénées, about 10 kilometres North West of Lourdes and 25 kilometers South East of Pau. This is Rugby Country. This little village can boast two French Internationals born in the village, full back Papillon Lacaze in the 1950s and prop Jean-Pierre Garuet in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They have received a budget and the target to develop Sevens Rugby in their region. They will be bringing in players from surrounding Federal 1, Federal 2 and Federal 3 clubs such as Tarbes, Lourdes and Pau. In 2009 the went to Barcelona and Dubai. Their 2010 target is Amsterdam. They should make the Silver Pier and could make the quarter finals.



Probable Silver Pier Qualifiers

Dambusters
The Dambusters team is comprised of players from clubs around the South East of England including Blackheath, Southend, Henley, and Harpenden. The club had their conception at the Amsterdam 7’s back in 2006 where they won the Heineken Boot competition. They enjoyed it so much they now come every year with 2010 being their fifth visit. Dambusters have entered other tournaments over the past couple of years and have had success at the Harpenden 7’s for the past 2 years by reaching the junior final twice. Dambusters embrace the old fashioned values of Rugby where playing on Saturday and Sunday is fitted in between a heavy night-time schedule in Amsterdam. We expect them to repeat their 2007, 2008 and 2009 performance of qualifying for the main tournament, the Silver Pier, on Sunday but the cumulative effect of their evening schedule means they will probably not make the Quarter-Finals. In 2009 they lost out to Millfield Old Boys.




Black Stallions
The Black Stallions are the development side of the Nigerian Rugby Football Federation. They played in the Dubai Sevens in 2009 and lost to the Russian team YUG 12-10 in the final of the International Plate. Since YUG reached the semi-final at the Amsterdam Sevens in 2009 we think that means they will be good enough to make it into the Silver Pier. Whether they will make it into the quarter-finals will depend upon who they are drawn against on Sunday morning. The players are based in Nigeria, UK and USA and we hope there are no visa problems.


G Sept Rugby
G Sept Rugby are a sevens team with players from the Paris region, predominantly from the CSM-Gennevilliers club from Gennevilliers, a suburb to the north of Paris. They play in Federal 1, the third division in France. They were here for the first time in 2009 and reached the semi-finals of the Heineken Boot, losing out to the Belgian national team 21-17. Teams usually do better on their second visit; they can pace themselves better. We think they might make the Silver Pier this year if they are lucky with their Saturday pool.

CSR-Nanok
CSR-Nanok are from Copenhagen and Nanok means Polar Bear. CSR-Nanok are Heineken Amsterdam Sevens regulars from Denmark and they have progressed massively from the small club who used to lose all of their Saturday Pool games and get smashed on Sunday to a team that deservedly reached the Heineken Boot in 2008 and in 2009 they went one better, not only qualifying for the Silver Pier but also winning one of their Sunday Morning pool games and even scoring a try against the mighty Kooga Wailers (they lost 40-5). This goes hand in hand with rapid development on their home patch where they have grown to putting out three teams each week and they are flying high in the top division of Danish Rugby. They claim that their regular trips to the Amsterdam Sevens have helped them in their growth and development by helping to attract players to the club. Was last year’s Silver Pier appearance a fluke or are they really that good? We will give them the benefit of the doubt and predict another Silver Pier qualification but we could be completely wrong.


Wiss the Mama
Wiss the Mama is a Sevens rugby team set up in 2008. All of the players play for Alcobendas Rugby, based in the suburb of Madrid where Penelope Cruz was born (we are trying to persuade them to bring a Ladies Team). They played with success in a number of Sevens tournaments including Madrid, Puerto de Santa Maria, Pamplona Sevens and lots of beach rugby. They also made their Amsterdam Sevens debut in 2008 and exceeded expectations on Saturday by qualifying for the main tournament, the Silver Pier beating Amsterdam Regulars URC Roma and Pink Panthers and  drawing with Bowerman Boys. Their highlight was playing against Mel's Exiles featuring the great Serevi on Sunday morning where they showed the boys from Fiji the Spanish Haka which looked a lot like the Macarena. We expect another Silver Pier qualification. On a second appearance teams usually perform better as they learn to pace themselves and cope with the Amsterdam nightlife. But with these boys we are not so sure. So, if you see a bunch of pseudo punk rockers with a huge hangover, looking lost, speaking Spanish on the field and repeating a strange word all the time, they are probably them. Don't forget to salute them with that strange word: Wiiiiiiisssssss!!!!!

Chicken Rozzano
Grande Milano for Chicken have been coming for years and Chicken Rozzano are usually their second team. Grande Milano for Chicken completely overturned the form book and the performances of previous years by reaching the Silver Pier in 2008. They also kept the scores on Sunday against top teams Mel’s Exiles (28-10) and Irish Exiles DHL 7 (42-12) to a respectable level. In 2009 they made it into the Silver Pier again and only lost by the narrowest of margins to Redingesians (14-12). They have obviously worked out what is required to succeed at the Amsterdam Sevens and we confidently predict they will make the Silver Pier if this is their first team. If it is their second team they will probably make the Integer Plate and give some of the teams in their pool the chance to over achieve.

Kingsbridge Young Guns
The Young Guns are the sevens branch of Kingsbridge Rugby Club, who play in the Devon to a high standard. (currently unbeaten, top of the league in Western Counties West league). Young Guns have been playing sevens for 10 years and began playing at Salcombe sevens in Devon, a tournament they won 3 times three times they won the plate. They have also played at Newton Abbot, Ivybridge and Newquay surf sevens, winning the Newquay Sevens Sunday tournament in 2008. They are currently sponsored by Kukri Rugby sportswear and a number of local Devon sponsors. Some players have England Schoolboys and South West of England represesentative honours. A couple of the players have played in Amsterdam before with Den Haag and they have Dutch contacts and friends to guide them (not necessarily a good idea). We expect them to make the Silver Pier.

Moldova TU
Moldova TU (Technical University) are the champions of Moldova at 15-a-side and 7-a-side and many of their players play for their national side. In 2008 the Moldova national side played in the IRB Sevens tournaments at Twickenham the weekend after playing in Amsterdam and at Murrayfield the weekend after that. They do not need visas anymore - something to do with Romania being an EU member. The development of Moldova Rugby, led by Tudor and his colleagues, is evident in their Amsterdam Sevens performances in both their national and TU formats. Boot qualification in 2003, losing in the final, and winning the Integer Plate in 2004 have been followed by Silver Pier qualification every year since (except 2006 when they were too late applying for visas). In 2008 they ran into Corso Marauders and a South African side, Hans Brinker Boertjes, in the Sunday Morning pools. In 2009 they made the semi-finals of the Heineken Boot, losing narrowly 22-14 to 617 Squadron. Our prediction is that they will qualify for the Silver Pier but will struggle to make it into the Quarter Finals.


Probable Heineken Boot Qualifiers

British Rugby Football Club of Paris.
The British Rugby Club of Paris was formed in 1923 by English Ex-pats living and working in Paris playing friendlies and touring. The Club suspended its activities during the Second World War then restarted soon after the War and joined the Corporate League in the Ile de France section of the Federation Francaise de Rugby. The teams have been very competitive in this competition and won top honours a number of times, and this year have so far secured a place in the play-offs for promotion. First time visitors usually underperform as they need to learn to pace themselves over a weekend in Amsterdam. We would expect a Heineken Boot qualification.

Nike Bowerman Boys
This team represents the Employees of Nike inc. Named after the founder of the company Bill Bowerman, the team is comprised of the best players from within the Nike organisation, including English National, English Championship, Scottish Priemership, French Federale and Dutch Ereklasse players. Last year they brought two teams, their best team made it into the Silver Pier, their other team did not play on Sunday. This year they are limited to one team. We think the Silver Pier qualification might have flattered them last year, as the top seeds in their Saturday pool completely underperformed because the promised Souoth Africans failed to materialise and there were two Dutch teams in the pool. Our prediction for this year is a Heineken Boot qualification and they may even win it but they could make the Silver Pier.

Bury Gents
Bury St Edmunds are the home club of Terry Sands of Samurai fame. Bury play in the London 1 North Division of the London & SE Division where they are comfortably mid-table. We expect them to be one of those borderline cases where, depending on the strength of their Saturday pool, they might scrape into the Silver Pier but are more likely to be playing in the Heineken Cup on Sunday.

Dubai Old Boys
Dubai Old Boys are a team of expatriates who were born in or grew up in Dubai, attending school and playing rugby together there from mini to adult. The team is truly multi-national with players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Holland, Poland, New Zealand and Australia. The team members spread across the world to go to university but get back together for Sevens Tournaments. At the Dubai Sevens they have competed since 2007, reaching he semi-finals or quarter-finals of the Social Tournament each year. Most of the team have played at University level whilst Greg Cannie plays for Boroughmuir in the Scottish Premier League 1. We have had teams from Dubai Rugby Club here in the past. In 2008 they won the Heineken Boot. We expect this years team to be fit and fast and qualify for the Heineken Boot.


VGA St. Maur
VGA is a French team from the suburbs of Paris who play in the Federale 2 division in France (that’s the fourth level) where they are mid-table. They were here in 2003 and qualified for the Silver Pier where they lost out to Mel's Exiles and 't Gooi Caledonians in the Sunday morning pools. They came back in 2009 but struggled on Saturday and only made it into the Integer Plate but there they got to the final, only to lose to Dutch side De Hypotheker Hounds. Having learned from last year’s experience we expect them to do better this year and qualify for the Heineken Boot.

URC Roma
Unione Rugby Capitolina come from Rome and play in the Italian Series A. In 2004 they qualified for the Integer Plate, losing out in the Sunday Morning pool games to DIOK Barbarians of the Netherlands 36-7.  In 2005 they played in the Heineken Boot. On their last visit in 2007 they also played in the Heineken Boot, narrowly losing out in the semi-final to Dutch team Hilversum 22 - 19. An Integer Plate qualification is likely but they could easily qualify for the Heineken Boot, depending upon the strength of the squad they bring.

Plaisir
Plaisir are from the west of Paris and play in the national third division. Find out more at http://plaisir.rugbyclub.free.fr/. They came to the Amsterdam Sevens for the first time in 2008. Like many first time visitors the off-field activities led to a disappointing performance, winning only their first match on Saturday morning against LRC DIOK of the Netherlands 29-7. They will need to work on their defence for this year as they conceded 120 points in 4 games on Saturday and 103 in two Integer Plate pool games on Sunday. Many teams underperform on their first visit. Now that they know what to expect I predict a Heineken Boot qualification.

KamaSutra
KamaSutra are an Irish rugby side who raise money for charity. They have been to the Amsterdam Sevens before where they won the Heineken Boot. We expect them to be in the Heineken Boot again.


AAC Amsterdam
As the host club, AAC of Amsterdam have played every year since the tournament started. They tend to alternate between qualifying for the Silver Pier but going out in the Sunday Pools and qualifying for the Heineken Boot and reaching the knock-out stage. In 2008 they lost in the final of the Heineken Boot to Rugby Dubai 17-12. In 2002 they won the Heineken Boot. In 2004 they lost in the Final of the Heineken Boot. All other years since 2000 they have made it into the Silver Pier but not made it to the quarter finals. Until 2009 when they only made it to the Integer Plate, losing in the semi-finals to De Hypotheker Hounds. Let us hope they manage the Heineken Boot this year.

‘t Gooi
They come from the middle of the Netherlands, ‘t Gooi just missed out on the play-offs for the championship, finishing fifth in the league. In the Amsterdam Sevens ‘t Gooi played in the Silver Pier for a few years, sometimes with “foreign” strengthening in the guise of ‘t Gooi Caledonians and ‘t Gooi Exiles. In 2008 they finished bottom of their Saturday Pool and did not play on Sunday. In 2009 they made the Silver Pier but ran into the Corso Marauders and Mel’s Vanua Exiles in the Sunday morning pools. We think Heineken Boot this year.

Amstelveen
Amstelveen have never missed a Heineken Amsterdam Sevens and in their glory days were often the best placed Dutch team. After a disastrous season 2007-2008 when injuries and other problems caused them to pull out of the Eredivisie (the top level of Dutch Rugby) they are now rebuilding in mid-table in the second level of Dutch Rugby. Recent form includes Heineken Boot qualification in 2009 where they beat URC Roma but lost out to Moldova TU, Heineken Boot qualification in 2008 where they lost out 19-10 to AAC in an all-Dutch Sunday morning pool, Silver Pier qualification in 2007 and winning the Integer Plate in 2006. Their Sevens form is always a lot better than their 15-a-side form so we confidently predict a Heineken Boot qualification.

Castricum
Castricum are one of the top 15 a side teams in the Netherlands but seldom make it to the Silver Pier. This is partly explained by the fact that Castricum often have players playing for a “foreign” team, the Wailers. They did make the Silver Pier in 2005 but for 2003, 2004 and 2006 it was Heineken Boot qualification. In 2009 they qualified for the Silver Pier but went out to Dambusters (narrowly 17-10) and Millfield OB. Heineken Boot this year?


Probable Integer Plate Qualifiers


ACGR
ACGR stands for Association Cantonale Genèvoise de Rugby.  There are 4 clubs in the ACGR, three in the top A Division (Hermance, RC Genève, and RC CMSG – the Rugby club of CERN, the Hadron Collider people) and RC Avusy from the second tier B Division. Swiss teams invariably come last in their Saturday pools and do not play on Sunday. However, if ACGR bring their best side we expect them to perform better than the best previous Swiss team, Würenlos, the only Swiss team ever to win a game at the Amsterdam Sevens in 2008.  We expect at least an Integer Plate qualification with the possibility of a Heineken Boot place.

VGA 15
VGA Saint Maur has a huge pool of young and talented players from their famous Academy. This is their second string team who are most famous not for it's rugby but for it's post match dance. They aim to balance the young "feather brains" (their description, not ours) with some older "briscards" (veterans). In 2009 the mixture did not work. They did win one match, usually enough to qualify for the Integer Plate but three teams won one game and the two other teams scored more tries and got the Hieneken Boot and Integer Plate places and VGA 15 were left to watch on Sunday. We confidently predict they will have learned from last years experience and will qualify for the Integer Plate this year.

Grashof Essen
Grashof Essen are connected to a Gymnasium (a school/college where the clever kids go). They are currently staging a play called Verlorener Stern based in March 1945. We hope their trip to Amsterdam turns out better although we suspect they might lose most of their battles on the pitch. They might make the Integer Plate.

Kentuckys
USLC are a club from La Chatre, a small town of 6000 which is about as close to the centre of France as you can get. The senior team plays in the "B Honneur" level, which is about the 6th level of French rugby where they are pushing for promotion. They have played at Federal 3 level, the fifth level, in the past. They run two senior teams and develop players with teams from the age of seven. They also organise a local Sevens tournament and a visit to Harpenden Sevens last year has whetted their appetite for international travel. I expect them to be playing in the Integer Plate on Sunday but they could do better.

Tradate Rugby
Tradate Rugby is an Italian team from just north of Milan. They play in 'Serie C', the third level of Italian Rugby, and are hoping for promotion this season. All of their players are Italians and came through the club's youth schemes. Some senior members of the squad, including their coach, have been to the Amsterdam Sevens before with other teams such as "Varese del Toronto" and the "Smurfs" (who played in blue). They have played in Sevens tournaments in Switzerland, France and Italy and always win some games. They describe themselves as "not extremely skilled but we abound in enjoying sport and rugby spirit." Our best guess is that they will qualify for the Integer Plate and though they could do better.

Eemland
Eemland came top of the second level of Dutch rugby and will be playing in the top level next season. They played in the Amsterdam Sevens last year and made it into the Heineken Boot where they beat Czech champions Tatra Smichov 26-10 and lost out to the Belgian national side 33-7 in the Sunday morning pools. We predict an Integer Plate qualification this year.

cpopartners.com sevens
They are a new sevens team sponsored by CPO & partners. The majority of the squad is drawn from the players of Rugby Monza who play in the Serie C1 Elite Championship in Lombardia, North Italy following promotion last year. This season they are celebrating their 60th anniversary and have been holding events to celebrate this. A trip to the Amsterdam Sevens is part of this celebration. They train 3 times a week and are obviously fit and keen but many of our players are new to the game with only 2 or 3 years experience, although there are some experienced campaigners among the squad. They have played in 10s tournaments but are new to Sevens. It will be a great achievement for them to win one game on Saturday to qualify for the Integer Plate. Inexperienced players, end of season celebration, Amsterdam nightlife. It sounds like the recipe for an early exit but we will be cheering them on.

Cani Malati di Lainate
They are Italian and Lainate is just north of Milan. That is all we know. Best guess is an Integer Plate qualification.

Bassets
Bassets are from Sassenheim, south of Amsterdam. In 2009 they won the Integer Plate playing as De Hypotheker Hounds to publicise their sponsors, beating AAC Amsterdam in the semi-final and VGA St Maur in the final. They will be strengthening their squad with a few friends from abroad. They could make the Heineken Boot but may go for Integer Plate glory.

Den Haag
Den Haag is one of the top teams in the Netherlands. They qualified for the Silver Pier in 2002 as Llionx Crusaders with some foreign reinforcements and in 2003 as Den Haag with their Dutch players. In 2004 they only qualified for the Integer Plate and lost out in the Sunday pool games to fellow Dutchmen Ascrum. In 2005 and 2006 they made it to the Heineken Boot, reaching the Final in 2005. In 2007 they lost out in the Heineken Boot to Hilversum. In 2008 they finished bottom of their pool and did not play on Sunday. In 2009 they made it into the Heineken Boot. We expect Integer Plate this year.


Watching on Sunday

Tilburg
Tilburg is a historic town in North Brabant about 90km south of Amsterdam. Coming from “South of the Rivers” – the Waal and the Maas that separate the Protestant North from the Catholic South – they belong to the “Bourgandisch” part of the Dutch population who like to take it easy and enjoy good food, long lunches, wine and beer. So we expect them to enjoy themselves. They play in the fourth level of Dutch Rugby where they finished second in the Third Division South West. They are planning to strengthen their team with a few old club members who now play at higher levels with other teams but we still expect them to be watching on Sunday.

Heusenstamm
Heusenstamm is just south of Frankfurt, Germany. We have no idea how good their rugby team is but our previous experience of German Teams suggests they might make the Integer Plate but are also likely to lose all of their games on Saturday. We hope they do better but it is a tough competition.


Vilseck
Vilseck are a United States Military Club Serving of servicemen serving in Germany.  They play their rugby in the Bavarian Rugby League.  The are a very new club, having been established in the spring of 2008. The majority of the players come from the USA with a couple from American Samoa. Our experience of US military teams (mainly Illesheim Black 'n Blue) and the fact it is a new club means that our prediction is that they might struggle to qualify for the Sunday matches.

TomTom
TomTom is an international company and is the world's leading navigation solutions provider. They should be able to find the tournament site and getting lost will not be accepted as an excuse if they are late. This is a team of employees and their friends who play rugby. We have no idea of the level. As first time visitors they might struggle. We predict they could make the Integer Plate but, since we have to predict some teams will not qualify for Sunday we will predict that they will be watching on Sunday.

Ascrum
Ascrum, the Amsterdam Students club, get to play every year as we use some of their facilities. In the 15-a-side national leagues their fall from the top level continued this year when they finished mid-table in the third level of Dutch rugby. Recent Amsterdam Sevens form? In 2009 they qualified for the Integer Plate but, despite narrowly beating Catalunya, were soundly beaten by AAC Amsterdam to knock them out. In 2008 they finished bottom of their Saturday Pool and did not play on Sunday with a points difference of 21-170. In 2007 they won the Heineken Boot, beating fellow cloggies Hilversum 31 – 24 in the final. They made it to the Silver Pier in 2002 and 2006. In 2003 and 2005 they qualified for the Heineken Boot, getting to the semi-final in 2005. In 2004 they had to be content with Integer Plate qualification. This year we think they will struggle to qualify for the Integer Plate and are more likely to be watching on Sunday. Lots of time to prepare for their traditional barbeque on Sunday evening but they will be hoping not to burn their clubhouse down this year.


The Veterans 10s

FNZ Wooden Spoon Vets
Wooden Spoon is rugby's charity supporting mentally, physically and socially disadvantaged children and young people and has raised millions over the years. Wooden Spoon’s record in the Amsterdam Sevens Veterans 10s is faultless. three visits, three tournament wins. Corso Marauders, winners in 2006, have been the losing finalists each time. Corso Marauders are getting closer. In 2009 it was only a golden score in extra time after a hard fought 0-0 draw in normal time. Corso Marauders will be there again this year aiming to go one better but Wooden Spoon will still be the team to beat. 

Hi-Temp Corso Marauders Vets
Marauder Vets were formed in 2003 with players too old to play for the main Corso Marauder 7s team. In 2006 Corso Marauders Vets won the inaugural Amsterdam Veterans 10s tournament and if you go into Café Corso you will see a very large picture of the winning team on the wall. In 2007 they lost in the final 28 – 5 to Wooden Spoon and in 2008 they improved very slightly on that by losing 28-7 to Wooden Spoon in the final. In 2009 they drew 0-0 and were only beaten by the golden score in extra time. In fact, in one of the Marauders players had fallen over the line instead of setting up another phase of play they would have won. Fourth time lucky? Sponsors Hi Temp Coatings and Friends of the Corso Marauders will be hoping so as they watch from their VIP bar at the end of the main pitch. We expect to see them in the final and we think they may have the beating of Wooden Spoon this year.

Millfield Old Boys Legends
This will be Millfield’s Legends (Vets) third visit to the Amsterdam Sevens Vets 10s. In their first year, 2008, with only 7 fit players they narrowly lost 19-12 to tournament winners Wooden Spoon in the semi-final. In 2009 they also ran into Wooden spoon in the semi-final but this time it was 24-0. Will they steer clear of Wooden Spoon in the semi-finals this year? They will push Corso Marauders and Wooden Spoon all of the way.


Dutch Rugby Veterans
This team is made up of the “ouwe ballen” (literally “old testicles”) who play for clubs such as Castricum and Alkmaar in North Holland. There are no less than 3 of the Marcker clan from Castricum playing. Many of the players have played in the Amsterdam Sevens before but a long, long time ago. On their first visit in 2008 they made the semi-finals but were comprehensively beaten by Corso Marauders Vets 31-7. In 2009 they made the semi-finals again and again it was Corso Marauders and again there was a 24 point difference, this time 24-0. They could make the semi-finals again but will need to import a couple of top players compared to last year to make the step up to reach the final.


Gameface Pacific Chiefs
Gameface Pacific Chiefs are a charity side who raise money for the Pacific Islands to develop sports and education facilities on the Pacific Islands and to promote the culture of the Pacific Islanders. They are threatening to bring a lot of really top players, including Tana and Mike Umaga, Henry Paul, and many more and if everyone turns up the boys from Corso Marauders and Wooden Spoon can forget a cosy repeat of last year’s final. We just got confirmation they will be coming and they will be the odds-on favourites.

Richmond Heavies
Richmond Heavies are the veterans team of Richmond Football Club. Richmond are rugby’s history. They were formed in 1861 and participated in the world’s very first inter-club fixture in 1864 against Blackheath. It was one of the 8 existing founding clubs who formed the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in 1871.  It hosted the first experimental floodlit match on Richmond’s ground in 1878. It was one of the first clubs to host the All Blacks touring side in 1905. They even played in the first match at Twickenham in 1909. They even played in the first match under Football Association (Soccer) Rules in 1863 but quickly decided that these rules were not for them (a game for Gentlemen played by thugs?). Richmond was also one of the first clubs to embrace professionalism in 1996. Whilst most of the current players were not around for most of the history, they will be at the Amsterdam Sevens. We have no idea how good they will be but suspect a semi-final place a probability.

Silverbacks
Silverbacks are a team made up of rugby players from Scotland approaching their 40th birthday. Most members of the squad have played 1st XV level for teams in the higher reaches of the Scottish Rugby Union league structure - Edinburgh Accies, Dundee High School, Murrayfield Wanderers and the like. Around half have minor representative honours (age group national squads, Scottish Universities or similar). If they can pace themselves over the weekend and resist the temptations of the Amsterdam nightlife they could be contenders.

Millbrae
Millbrae from Scotland play in National West Division 1. The team is made up of former first team players from Ayr RFC who formed the club to get a regular game. The average age of the side is about 40 and they helpfully told us that people from Ayr do not need visas. They could make the semi-finals but may fall just short.

Chicken Veterans
Chicken Milano aka Grande Milano for Chicken have been Amsterdam Sevens regulars for many years. Some of their older players have decided that they want to recreate their glory days and play in the Veterans 10s tournaments. We do not expect them to win the tournament at their first attempt but we do expect them to enjoy themselves. They could win one of the lower level tournaments within the Veterans 10s, the Boot or the Plate or they could surprise us.

AAC Amsterdam Vets
Hosts AAC reached the quarter finals of the Veterans Silver Pier in 2009 where they lost out to the Dutch Rugby Veterans 21-7, their best performance ever in the Veterans 10s because prior to 2009 many of their players played for Bahrain Vagabonds. They will be pushing with Dutch Rugby Veterans for the honour of being the best Dutch team. They might make the Silver Pier quarter-finals again.

Haarlem Ibuprofen Veterans
A couple of Haarlem players played with AAC Veterans in 2007 and persuaded a number of their older team mates this was a good way to work up a thirst in 2008. They won the Veterans Boot (for the teams finishing third and fourth in the Saturday Pools) in their first year, 2008. They retained their title in 2009 despite some confusion which led to some of the teams going to the bar or the shower instead of playing in the semi-finals. Haarlem will be defending their title again but we expect a little stiffer competition this year.

Madrid Classics
Madrid Classics are the Veterans 10s team of the Alcobendas Rugby club in Madrid. In 2009 a team from Alcobendas called Wiss the Mama played in the Men’s Sevens and had a great time, playing against Walasi Serevi on Sunday morning. In fact, they had such a good time, they persuaded their vets to come along this year. We have no idea how good they will be. Wiss the Mama made the Silver Pier so they could be a reasonable level. Our best guess is possibly quarter-finals.

Monikers
Monikers are a USA Military team. They need a little light relief after their away fixtures in Iraq and Afghanistan. We expect them to be fit with military haircuts and a little bit scary. We have absolutely no idea how good they will be but do not expect them to be challenging for the title. They could perhaps challenge for the Boot or the Plate. They will be boosted by the Hanze vets from Zwolle.

‘t Gooi Oude Meesters
't Gooi is an area about 20 kilometers South East of Amsterdam including Hilversum, the centre of the Dutch TV and Radio industry. The 't Gooi club finished mid-table in the Netherlands and missed out on the end-of-season play-offs after winning the title in the play-offs in 2009. The Oude Meesters (Old Masters) is their Vets team and many of their players still play regularly in the 't Gooi third team. This is a real Vets side with some players well into their 50's. On their first visit in 2009 they ran into Corso Marauders in the quarter-finals, losing 22-0. Unaware that the losers in the quarter-finals play in the semi-finals of the Veterans Boot they got changed and had a few beers and lost a chance for glory. Heineken Boot qualification is expected again this year. 

New NFC Wanderers
This is the Veterans side from Amstelveen a.k.a. NFC. The AAC Amsterdam Veterans asked especially that Amstelveen get a place so that there will be at least one team they can beat. Rivalry goes back years and with any luck they might be meeting each other in the later stages of the Veterans Plate.


The Ladies 7s

Possible Ladies Silver Pier Semi Finalists

Probable Silver Pier Qualifiers

Susies Valkyries
Susies Valkyries made their first visit to the Amsterdam Sevens in 2008 and qualified for the Silver Pier, beating the Czech Ladies national side on the way. In the Silver Pier Sunday pools they ran up against the Canadian national side, Samurai St. Georges Ladies which was basically the England Team and Aotearoa Maori Womens Sevens, six time Hong Kong winners and undefeated - ever (until the 2008 Amsterdam Sevens final). This year the level of the teams is not at the level of 2008 so we expect Susies Valkyries to be among the favourites.

WOP
WOP stands for Watch Out Pedestrians. Why are the team called Watch Out Pedestrians is a mystery which I am sure they will tell you about if you ask them nicely. It is basically the Dutch National Side. They are ranked in the top 10 in the world and so should be among those in contention for the title. 

Germany Ladies
This is the German National Ladies Team. The Amsterdam Sevens is part of their preparations for the tournaments over the summer. They were here in 2009 and reached the semi-finals of the Silver Pier, losing out to Wooden Spoon 59-0. With neither of last year’s finalists, Wooden Spoon and Samurai, available there is a chance of Germany to get to the final.

CPOpartners.com sevens
This is a new Italian Ladies side sponsored by CPO & partners. The squad is made up of players from Marie Tecnimont Rugby Monza who play in the Italian Seria A. They have played a number of Sevens Tournaments. They have won the St Gallen Sevens in Switzerland in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2009 and the Curnusco Sevens in Italy in 2008. Their last two visits to Amsterdam in 2004 and 2006 were not so successful. They might make the Ladies Silver Pier.

Spain Ladies
This is the National Ladies team of Spain. We expect them to be competitive and make the Silver Pier quarter-finals. Expect small players playing fast technical rugby.

Gameface Pacific Ladies
The Gameface Pacific Ladies are from the Pacific Islands and tour to raise money to help the yourh of the Islands and to promote the Island Culture. Rather than doing this with grass skirt dancing they play a mean game of rugby. Our best guess is that they will be the favourites for the tournament.

Olymp Ladies
The Olymp Club was founded in 1991 and they are one of the top teams in the National Championship of Kazakhstan. Four players are the members of the Kazakhstan Ladies National Team. They have a Sevens pedigree, winning the Moscow Rugby Sevens tournament in 2008, the Bankok Sevens and Dubai Sevens in 2009. We expect them to be competitive, probable semi-finalists or better.

Casale Rugby Ladies
Casale Rugby Ladies team was founded in 2009 by Miss Barattin Sara, currently National Rugby Player and Italian Champion in 2008 with Benetton Rugby. Their headquarters is in Casale sul Sile in Treviso (Veneto Region). They are at the time of writing (April), playing  in the Italian Cup'7 and are in the top 3. The team will be made up of players from Casale Rugby www.rugbycasale.it with some reinforcements from Red Panthers Benetton and  Red& Blue Roma. They all met at Beach Rugby tournaments over the Summer. We expect them to do well, definitely Ladies Pier qualification.


Probable Ladies Plate Qualifiers

Finland Ladies
This is the Finnish National Ladies team warming up for the summer after their winter hibernation although they do play rugby in the snow. Our best guess is that they will be competing for the Ladies Plate on Sunday.

AAC Amsterdam Ladies
In 2008 hosts AAC were knocked out of the Ladies Plate at the quarter-final stage 29-7 by Pink Ba-bas. In 2009 they were again knocked out in the quarter-finals, this time losing 48-0 to Samurai Ladies. AAC are again national champions of the 15-a-side game. The AAC performance will depend upon whether they lose players to the Netherlands national side WOP. If they keep their international players they could just make it into the Ladies Silver Pier or challenge for the Ladies Plate. 

Valsugana Rugby Padova
Valsugana is a new team from Padova in Italy, created for the 2009-2010 season through the efforts of Obe, and the Valsugana Padova Rugby Club. Only four of the players are experienced rugby players, all of the others only started to play in June of 2009. This will therefore be a very steep learning curve but also, we hope, a lot of fun. They play in the top Italian Division so our best guess is that they will make the Plate but they could surprise us and make it into the Silver Pier.

Ravin’ Pumas
This is the Ladies team of Dutch Club Haarlem. We do not have much more information and expect them to play in the Ladies Plate.

Bassets Ladies
The Bassets are from Sassenheim, south of Amsterdam. Bassets Ladies won the Integer Plate in 2009. They will be going for a repeat this year.