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Nazvi Careem

Originators of the abbreviated game are determined  to be a force again, starting this weekend

Rob Moffat isn't quite ready to concede his country's place as the spiritual home of sevens rugby to Hong Kong just yet.

The Scotland coach used to play his rugby for the Melrose club, which is credited with inventing the sevens code more than 120 years ago.

Over the past 20 years, however, the Hong Kong Sevens has become famous around the world as the ultimate sevens tournament, often referred to as the game's 'spiritual home' with Scotland's role reduced to mere inventors.

Moffat's men hope to prove this weekend at the Hong Kong Stadium that the spirit of sevens is still alive among the progeny of the men who originated the sport all those years ago.

'I used to play for Melrose, so there is a close association for me with sevens rugby,' said Moffat.

'Melrose still has a sevens tournament, although it's for clubs. Hong Kong has a fantastic tournament but you can't take history away from the place where the game originated.

'Scotland is where the game came from and we are proud of that.'

Indeed, the Scots are taking their own game more seriously this season and have decided to enter all eight tournaments in the IRB Sevens Series.

Apart from recognising the importance of sevens rugby, the Scots see the series as a breeding ground for future XVs players.

'In the past we would be playing four or five of the eight, but this time we decided it was time to change and we want to play in all of them,' said Moffat.

'Now we have decided to take the sevens game more seriously.'

This philosophy has certainly helped England, who not so long ago treated sevens as a mere sideshow.

These days, England are among the giants of the sevens code, winning the past three Hong Kong Sevens titles and breaking the southern hemisphere's dominance of the sport.

Scotland have stood by and watched the auld enemy's rise in sevens and they want some of the same. Maybe unconsciously, the Scots are trying to keep up with their long-time rivals.

'That maybe is what's happening,' said Moffat. 'England have become an excellent sevens team and many young players have come through, not only in sevens but also in XVs.'

Whether Scotland can emulate England in the future remains to be seen. Attention is focused on more immediate tasks this weekend at the World Cup, where Scotland are in Pool A with tournament favourites New Zealand, Tonga, Ireland, South Korea and the United States.

Moffat knows his side have a difficult job to upset the current balance of power in sevens but he has faith in his players to at least progress to the cup tournament.

'We have a strong team,' he said. 'Most of the players have been together for 31/2 years.

'We are ranked eighth in the IRB Series and we want to at least fulfil that ranking.

'Many of the guys have also played in Hong Kong before so that is a big advantage.

'Our target is to qualify for the Cup competition. Whether that happens we will see, but we are seeded second in our group behind New Zealand and we want to justify that. It will be tough. It's an unpredictable group.'

The only player with top-class XVs experience is South African-born Roland Reid. He played as a winger for Scotland on his debut against Tonga in 2001 but also played number eight for the Lions in South Africa's Currie Cup.

'It's very unusual for a rugby player,' said Moffat. 'It's hard to describe him.'

Scotland started the IRB Series with a quarter-final appearance in the opening tournament in Dubai last December, where they were beaten by New Zealand.

The next tournament was in George, South Africa, where the Scots were relegated to the bowl competition, in which they lost in the semis to Australia.

They had a much better outing at Wellington, reaching the final of the plate, again losing to Australia. But they failed to reach the main cup event once again at the USA Sevens in Los Angeles.

Team: 1. Mark Lee, 2. David Gray (captain), 3. Alasdair Strokosch, 4. Kelly Brown, 5. Oliver Brown, 6. Kenny Sinclair, 7. Andrew Turnbull, 8. Colin Gregor, 9. Jamie Blackwood, 10. Roland Reid, 11. Clark Laidlaw, 12. Calum MacRae.

WC flashback: 1993 - Bowl runners-up; 1997 - Plate semi-finals; 2001 - did not play.

Player to watch: Roland Reid.

Numbers: 96,300 registered players (67,000 men, 29,300 women).

Prediction: Cup.

Scotland

7 Facts

1 Invented sevens rugby

2 Were the tallest race in Europe in 1909. By the 1930s, the average height of Scottish men had been reduced by nine inches

3 The birthplace of golf

4 Alcoholic drinks were made in Scotland 6,000 years ago

5 In the 17th and 18th centuries over 4,000 alleged witches were executed there

6 The inventor  of the television, John Logie Baird, was a Scot

7 Gave the world: the Hillman Imp



Scots recapture highland zing