Shiel leaving Las Vegas with regrets

Published on Tuesday 14 February 2012 01:55

THE Scotland Sevens squad finished their Las Vegas campaign as Shield runners-up in the fifth round of the HSBC Sevens World Series.

The team ended their third day of competition with a 40-12 win over Uruguay, but ultimately fell short of winning the Shield trophy, losing to France, 22-7, in the final.

Head coach Graham Shiel said: “Everyone in the team is disappointed. The players have worked hard and put in lots of effort, but came away with nothing.

“We struggled to control possession throughout the weekend and in real terms our basics have not been good enough when put under pressure. Sevens is an extremely difficult game when you don’t have the ball.

“Las Vegas has been a reality check of our position in world Sevens. We need to analyse ourselves and make a number of improvements so that we can compete at the highest level of the game.”

Against France it was looking like anyone’s game at half-time. Graham Fisken and Mathieu Acebes had exchanged scores, both of which were converted. However, a try from the French early in the second-half ended the Scots chances and all it took to seal the victory was one more touchdown for a 22-7 win.