Shiel says sevens atmosphere could be better in Glasgow

THE prospect of Ibrox being filled to capacity with rugby fans is enough to send a shiver down the spine of every Rangers supporter, but it was a scenario outlined by Scotland sevens head coach Graham Shiel yesterday.

Fortunately for blood pressure levels on the south side of Glasgow, Shiel was not referring to the football club’s current crisis, but the Commonwealth Games sevens tournament which is due to be held at the ground in 2014. The first step towards that will be taken at Scotstoun Stadium next weekend, when the latest leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series is staged in Scotland.

Speaking at the ground, where he watched temporary stands being erected, Shiels said: “It is shaping up nicely. There is a lot of merit in bringing the tournament to the west coast.

“If we can fill the stadium to capacity, I have no doubt the atmosphere will be every bit as good, if not better, than Murrayfield. Here everything is closer to the pitch and it should hopefully make for a more hostile environment for the other teams.

“It was a natural progression for the event to move through here with the 2014 Commonwealth Games coming up.

“It makes a lot of sense, and if we can build a support for seven-a-side rugby it should be a spectacle to savour when Ibrox is filled for the Commonwealth tournament.”

Early ticket sales have been brisk for the Emirates Airlines tournament on 5 and 6 May, with almost 20,000 of the 30,000 available seats already gone.

Shiel yesterday named an initial squad of 18 for the event, and will whittle that down to the final 12 next Monday.

Introduced to the squad are the Edinburgh pair of Jim Thompson and John Houston, although they may be forced to withdraw should Michael Bradley’s side beat Ulster in Saturday’s Heineken Cup semi-final. Also involved are Jed-Forest twins Gregor and Lewis Young.

“Both Jim and John have a pedigree in sevens and a great knowledge of the game,” explained Shiel.

“Having spoken to them they are keen to get involved and that is a thoroughly important message for me. They are guys who really want to be in the sevens programme and play for Scotland.

“Edinburgh progressing into the Heineken Cup final may change how things look but, if these two stay with us, I’m confident of their ability to perform.

“We also welcome Gregor and Lewis into the squad. They are two of the most in-form sevens players in the club game at the moment and they have been working very hard in training throughout the season. It’s their first time involved but they certainly deserve their spots.

“The nice thing for me is that I now have selection challenges. I haven’t had that too often in my tenure as coach.”

Scotland have been drawn in Pool D along with Wales, South Africa and Russia. They will play the teams in that order on the Saturday, with the first two in each pool progressing to the Cup quarter-finals the next day.

This is the eighth, and penultimate, leg of the series – the last one is at Twickenham on 12 and 13 May – and Scotland have yet to progress into the knockout stages of the main competition.

They did, however, win the third-tier Bowl competition in both Dubai and South Africa.

“We are all seeking to move forward, and qualifying for the Cup quarter finals is a step in the right direction, albeit a small one,” admitted Shiel. “Until we’re taking that step on a consistent basis, it is a hard one to achieve.

“Playing at home brings with it the pressures of public expectation but not having to travel is a big positive for us. We’ve been very fortunate to get the opportunity to travel to some fantastic venues during the series but it is also a big challenge in terms of the body clock and jet lag because there are tight turnarounds.”

Scotland captain Colin Gregor, who has played in almost every minute of every tournament, said: “It’s not a bad draw – it could certainly be a lot worse. We’ve come close before against Wales and South Africa, and have beaten Russia.

“I think the quarter-final is achievable but we can’t get ahead of ourselves.

“At first I was a bit sceptical about the series coming to Scotstoun but the city has put a huge effort into marketing it. I’m massively excited because I’m from Glasgow and playing rugby here for Scotland is not an opportunity which comes to many people.

“Seeing the stadium the way it is now, with stands all around the ground, there is the potential for it to have a really good atmosphere and I’m sure fans will get behind the team.”