Team of the first leg of the Men’s 7s Championship

It was a fierce competition on the men’s side last weekend in the Makarska sunshine, but before all the attention turns to the coming leg in Hamburg (28-30 June) we pick out our men’s team of the 7s Championship.

ALEXIS LEVRON (FRANCE)

Well, this was a no brainer, as Alexis Levron finished as the top try scorer of the weekend, dotting down the oval ball for seven times, and was the architect of the Les Bleus 7s succesful campaign! Levron was an stylish orchestra conductor, pulling the strings with ease and guiding his teammates to finish in first place after the Croatian leg.

GASPARD LALLI (BELGIUM)

Belgium’s captain and one of the slickest units out in Makarska, Gaspard Lalli dominated in the wing for his country, finishing with six tries and three assists in the opening tournament of the Men’s 7s Championship. Lalli was a force of nature in the breakdown, pushing and clutching some big turnovers that helped Belgium finish 7^th.

MANUEL VAREIRO (PORTUGAL)

Portugal seems to have in Manuel Vareiro their next big thing in 7s, as the backline unit was já danger every time he found the egg-shaped ball in his hands. Swift, agile and eccentric, Vareiro pulled no stops in guiding the Lobos roster to finish in 5^th, adding a personal contrabution of 55 points to his team’s final tally.

CONNOR O’SULLIVAN (IRELAND)

What can a 7s side do without a brutal and ferocious enforcer? Well, Ireland had Connor O’Sullivan to fill that role, and he was superb in knocking down incoming targets, applying one of the most sensational and destructive hand-offs of the last couple of seasons. O’Sullivan is the other side of the coin of Irish 7s, as the sheer monumental physicality can be decisive between winning or losing.

CHRIS UMEH (GERMANY)

If you need to burst open a dam, might we introduce you to Chirs Umeh, one of Germany’s finest players. In Makarska, the 24-year-old not only topped as his country’s top try scorer, but was also one of the best at breaking the line and/or winning the advantage line, winning the physical contest time and time again. He is already a living European 7s legend, and he fully deserves his spot in the best team of the first leg.

SUNNI JARDINE (GREAT BRITAIN)

Another enforcer makes the list, and Sunni Jardine has all the right to have his name between the likes of Levron or O’Sullivan, as the British nº44 was an unbreakable battering ram from Friday to Sunday. Yes, he finished as the top try-scorer from his side, but his impact in team GBs way of play was massive, offering them a bulldozer who more than once, stepped his way out of an incoming tackler's sight.

SABA ARCHVADZE (GEORGIA)

The twenty-year-old Georgian always puts on a good show and he is fast becoming a fan favorite in the men’s division. His stepping and handling skills are over the top, bringing always a special kind of energy to the fray, one that Georgia welcomes, especially in the tightest of matches. He might not be the most magical player out there, but he is an incredible clutcher, as shown against Belgium and Croatia.