In June 22, the French Armed Forces hosted the first World Military 7s Championships in Agen. Representing the UK for the first time with a Men’s and Women’s 7s team, UKAF put together a squad combining the best talent from the single services for a chance to become World Champions.
Pool Games (Men)
Arriving in southern France with a few days of training to acclimatise to the 420C heatwave, the team won pool games against Georgia (29-5), Netherlands (45-0) and Australia (29-5) displaying attacking flair and destructive defence.
Finals Day (Men)
In the semi-final the Men faced South Korea, who had performed well in the opposite pool. They proved a tough encounter challenging UKAF all the way to the final whistle, with UKAF winning the game narrowly 14-12. In the final the UKAF team faced the hosts, France, who had also won all their games and had the home crowd advantage with a full stand at the Stade Armandie in fine voice led by a 30-piece brass band. Despite all the pressure, the UKAF team brought everything together and put on a truly fantastic display to win the game 24-10 and be crowned World Champions.
UKAF Line Up
1. J Visei - Army
2. P Ratukadreu - Army
3. L Cador - Royal Navy
4. S Vunivesilevu - Army
5. L Tulele - Army
6. W Lamont - RAF
7. M Selanabuka - Army
8. I Nakoronivalu - Army
9. S Radianirova - Army
10. U Uluivesi - Army
11. O Nayagi - Army
12. V Seru - Army