Enjoy Talking Rugby Union TV’s latest video documenting their sponsored sevens team, the Red Panda 7’s, at their most recent tournament – Ireland's’ Kinsale 7’s festival.
The Pandas battled through both difficult opposition and conditions in County Cork over the May bank holiday weekend, to win the first day’s elite tournament, but unfortunately came unstuck in the semi-final of the main competition.
The semi was a repeat of last year’s elite final, with the much bigger team, Wild Geese – who eventually lost in the final to the Wooden Spoon Marauders – beating the Pandas by four tries to three.
The kits were clean, the balls were pumped, the music was ready and the kegs were full, and apart from the awful conditions, the stage was set for one of the home nations’ biggest rugby sevens festivals.
Watch the Red Pandas in their natural habitat – the rugby field – as they warm-up, train, play matches against the Black Sheep, Trinity College and the Wild Geese, before enjoying the festival itself.
The 2014 squad was made up of guys from all stretches of England, with players from university rugby, schools rugby, the Championship, National 1 and finally, National 2 making up the team.
In the video hear from Welsh Wizard Stefan Andrews, who plays his fifteens rugby for Aberavon and Millfield School’s Ben Hopkins – a young talent in both the full and short forms of the game, who made his name as a part of Millfield’s victorious Rosslyn Park sevens team.
A disappointing second day for the Pandas was capped off by a repeat loss to last year’s winners the Wild Geese; however, a tremendous performance on the previous day, with a competition win to their name, made the Irish weekend another successful one for team Red Panda.
The sevens circuit is now in full swing as the Pandas continue their season this weekend at the inaugural City of Manchester 7’s tournament at Broughton Park Rugby Club.
Stay tuned to Talking Rugby Union for all of the latest news, reaction, pictures and videos from the event.
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