Alles Andere » two different countries and finally we are heading

We won! Over two weeks on the road, two tournaments, 12 games of sevens, two different countries and finally we are heading home, but this time as winners! It has certainly been a while... we havent won a sevens tournament since Houston 2013. That probably sounds like a long time. Thats because it is.You forget about what making a final actually means. Once you have got over the heart palpitations of having to play a 20-minute final (six minutes longer than normal, which dont be fooled, is a long time), you also realise that you will get to walk out and sing your national anthem. Thats something easily taken for granted in the 15s format but a real sense of achievement and a very special moment at the end of a tournament.We knew we were onto something after Atlanta; the results, yes, but more importantly the performances and the way we were now playing the game.If you had watched us on day one in Langford, you would be forgiven for thinking Atlanta was somewhat of a fluke.Safe to say, some decent results but actually not necessarily performances we were proud of. As I said last time, sevens is a funny old game and thankfully for us, our day two performances turned out to be unbeatable. England dominated in the second half to conquer champions New Zealand 31-14 after trailing 14-7 Everyone always tries to look for patterns in good performances; how the warm-up was, were people quiet or loud, what songs were being played, what was the mood etc.If you carry on in the same vein, our key to success this tournament was all down to James Bay and coffee. Trekking our coffee machine halfway around the worl, only to find out that the voltage difference meant it wouldnt work, was as bad news to some of the girls as losing their boots would have been.After struggling with little or no coffee on day one because the tournament coffee was lukewarm and instant, day two was like Christmas when our performance manager and strength and conditioning coach wandered off to the local coffee shop.As a non-coffee drinker, the transformation was quite shocking... it was like giving oxygen to a dying flame, or heat to snow, or too much sugar to a child. We had turned from a slightly irritable dont talk to me unless you have to team into one full of life and exuberance.I am, obviously, exaggerating slightly but if thats what it takes, lets hope Rio does good coffee!The final was one hell of a game of sevens. I can happily admit that now, safe in the knowledge of the result and having recovered from what felt like my heart trying to escape my chest. Time for some team bonding after Englands Sevens triumph The first half was one of try-scoring ping pong. Theyd score then we would then they would etc... the one thing you want to do in a final is try to avoid looking at the big screen, as the clock is never going to be your friend.I made this mistake - the screen read seven minutes to go. Seven minutes to go when you are already exhausted is not what you want to see. That is the length of a normal half and I already felt like the treacle had taken hold of my legs.There comes a point in most games where you know that youve done it. Either there isnt enough time left or the score is too big; or in this game, a combination of the two.Kicking the ball off the field once the hooter had blown was such a relief... a relief for my body that is. It was also a relief that we had actually just proven what were capable of. We have now just made our lives a whole lot more difficult... backing it up.This was a long trip. Not in a bad way but two intense tournaments in as many weeks is a tough task mentally and physically. However, the most important thing is, we headed back to London carrying silverware and one happy team. Also See: SportsWomen Latest Show News Latest News SportsWomen Video Wholesale Pelicans Jerseys . A spokeswoman for the NLRB says its "a very incremental move" and does not necessarily indicate the board is close to a finding in the case. NFL owners filed an unfair labour charge against the players union in February, arguing that the union was not negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in good faith. Cheap Pelicans Jerseys . He was 90. The team announced Monday that Adams had died, saying he "passed away peacefully from natural causes." The son of a prominent oil executive, Adams built his own energy fortune and founded the Houston Oilers. http://www.cheappelicansjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-elfrid-payton-jersey . Her return engagement begins tonight as TSN presents Day 1 coverage of the 2015 event from Melbourne. Watch Eugenie Bouchards opening round match at the Australian Open live tonight on TSN5 at 3am et/Midnight pt. Cheap Swingman Pelicans Jerseys . The Canadians led for much of the game before Argentina forced overtime in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Canada weathered the storm after squandering a lead with a series of made shots. "Its a fantastic win for our country with 11 first-time Canadian national team members," said head coach Roy Rana. Cheap New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys . Scolari says that although Brazilians have the right to complain about the government and demand improvements, perhaps the protests wont be coming at the "right time.ST. LOUIS -- Even with leading scorer Alexander Steen watching from the press box, the St. Louis Blues had plenty of offence. Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrik Berglund scored 1:17 apart late in regulation to tie it and defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk netted the deciding goal in the fifth round of a shootout in a 6-5 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. "We sure do miss some great and important players, but we still have to get points, win games," said Berglund, who beat rookie goalie Antti Raanta on a power play with 2:34 to go. "Obviously, a good start for that is to come back against this team and in this building." Shattenkirk had an assist for his 27th point and scored his second game-deciding shootout goal against the Blackhawks. Last season, he scored in the seventh round of a 4-3 victory on April 4 in Chicago. "They have a little more faith in me," Shattenkirk joked. "Its nice when you get out there and you have a chance to win it for your team." Patrick Kane had a goal and assist in the Blackhawks second three-goal first period in two nights and extended his point streak to 14 games. Kane added another assist on Brent Seabrooks goal in the third period that made it 5-3 -- Chicagos third two-goal lead. "They couldnt handle us in their zone, and we couldnt handle them in our zone," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "So it just goes back and forth. I was happiest that we stayed with it." The Blues are 3-0 against the Blackhawks, who lead the NHL with 60 points. Two wins were by shootout and all three were decided by a goal. St. Louis faced deficits of 2-0, 3-1 and 5-3 without Steen, who was placed on the injured list on Saturday because of a concussion. Steen, who is second in the NHL with 24 goals, is out indefinitely. "The crowd was into it, great intensity," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Good for the sport. Tough for us." Brian Elliott finished strong in the Blues net after Jaroslav Halak was pulled following a rough first period.dddddddddddd "We were discouraged and so I just felt like we needed to do something to kick us into a different gear," Hitchcock said. "Sometimes those things work and sometimes they dont." Kane has eight goals and 17 assists during his point streak. Patrick Sharp scored his 22nd goal in the first period and has six goals in three games. T.J. Oshie and Tarasenko also scored in the shootout for St. Louis. Jonathan Toews and Sharp scored for Chicago, which failed on chances by Marian Hossa and Kane to end it. Kane, who shot wide, is 0-for-9 in the shootout. "We knew they werent going to quit," Kane said. "Of course its frustrating. We got a point, so I guess thats one positive you can take from it." The Blackhawks faded one night after they beat Colorado 7-2 at home, and fell to 7-0-3 on the second day of back-to-back games. Berglunds tying goal came with Niklas Hjalmarsson off for holding. Kane, Toews and Duncan Keith had two points apiece in the first period for Chicago. Seabrooks floating shot from near the blue line 1:06 into the third gave the Blackhawks a 5-3 lead. Elliott replaced Halak, who stopped only 10 of 13 shots in the first period. The Blues tied it at 3 on rookie Dmitrij Jaskins first NHL goal in the second period. "It was a lucky shot," Jaskin said. "I was just excited, really excited." NOTES: The Blues had their first home sellout of the season with a standing-room crowd of 20,082. Attendance was fortified by several hundred fans wearing Blackhawks red. ... St. Louis is 11-0-1 against the Central Division. ... Blues F Vladimir Sobotka aggravated an upper-body injury at the end of the morning skate and wasnt activated from the injured list, as had been anticipated. Derek Roy was scratched due to flu-like symptoms. ... Before Saturday, Raanta had allowed two or fewer goals in 12 of his 13 games. 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