2012 » for 80 minutes, he said.Weve got a young group of guy

RIO DE JANEIRO -- It was fast, it was furious and the ultra-fit players were colliding at full pace. Rugby sevens certainly grabbed attention in its debut at the Olympic Games.The New England Patriots watched some of the bruising encounters involving teammate Nate Ebner, sending messages of support. It made headlines in Japan. It virtually shut down an entire Pacific nation.Unlike golf, which was returning to the Summer Games after a long absence, the best rugby sevens players in the world tackled the Olympic challenge. True to form, they won gold.The Fijian men, the long-time entertainers and back-to-back world sevens series champions, were one of the best feel-good stories of the games, bringing their tiny country its first Olympic medal and prompting a national holiday. Britain and South Africa picked up the silver and bronze , with Japan finishing a way-beyond-expectations fourth.The world series champion Australian women beat New Zealand for gold, but only after scraping to a 12-12 tie against an under-rated U.S. team which eventually finished fifth. Canada beat Britain for the bronze, and the Brazil womens team -- assembled to represent the host nation -- did well enough to qualify for the world series.World Rugby said the reception had been outstanding in non-traditional rugby markets such as the United States, where USA Rugby had more than 10 million unique visits to their website during the tournament.Its been awesome. I wouldnt have done anything differently, said Ebner, who received special permission to play at the Olympics during the NFL offseason. No regrets, at all.Ebner scored a last-minute try against Fiji in the group stage that very nearly got the Americans into the playoffs, but for a missed conversion in a 24-19 loss.It has been exciting to play. I can only imagine people who havent seen it -- Its got to be exciting to watch, he said. The Pats were watching, he said, and were saying theyre proud. Theyre with us all the way.Ebner said the Olympic sevens tournaments had potentially brought the game to a vast new audience in places like America.With professional sports, the way they are in the United States, I would never put a ceiling on potential growth, he said. I hope people open their eyes and minds to something theyve never done before, whether they grew up playing it like I did, or its something they want to take a stab at later in their life.Hopefully everyone embraces it and takes a closer look at it. Thats really all I can ask.The secret to sevens success is in the timing, Fiji coach Ben Ryan said. The game is all over in about a quarter of an hour, leaving time for another 11 just like it. The ball almost never stops, and the action moves quickly across and up-and-down the field.The crowd for the tournament opening game was only about 1,000, but it grew with multiple matches across the day. Having six games in each three-hour session helps generate a festival atmosphere, and the players often mix with fans during their breaks.Ryan describes sevens as being like the snack variety of traditional 15-a-side rugby -- which was last played at the Olympics in 1924 -- making it perfect for a TV audience.His team attracted attention off the field, too, with other Olympians.When the boys come in together ... heads turn, he said. Its a different look in the village. Theres not many islanders in there, but (other athletes) have heard about the Fiji rugby sevens team.The whole hope is that rugby adds to the Olympic games, were not just an also-ran. I think its having an impact.The U.S. women produced two big performances, leading Australia 12-5 with a minute to play before the Aussies rallied, and taking New Zealand all the way in a 5-0 quarterfinal loss.U.S. captain Kelly Griffin said the Olympics highlighted how the game is growing. Players in the womens squads came from other sports including basketball, field hockey and track-and-field.I definitely think it adds something about girls and boys both have really powerful bodies and we can go out and be physical and use our bodies for sport, she said.World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said Japans upset win over powerhouse New Zealand on the opening day of the mens tournament was amazing, and noted the performances of the Brazilian teams.Anybodys that been here in a market that is not a traditional (rugby) market and look how the Brazil womens team qualified for the World Series and then you see the Brazilian men living on first and last tries when they played Fiji, he said. Weve had the opportunity and we thank the IOC for that.Hopefully weve showcased our sport on the world stage, and hopefully weve earned the right to be a permanent sport.Cheap Custom Phillies Jersey .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Custom Phillies Jersey China . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. http://www.customphilliesjersey.com/ . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Authentic Custom Phillies Jersey . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Phillies Jerseys China .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem.The Chiefs have delivered a lesson in intensity to the Stormers, turning on the razzle-dazzle in a 60-21 Super Rugby quarter-final win in Cape Town.Inspired by 25 points to brilliant fullback Damian McKenzie and a team desire to play at speed, the Chiefs scored eight tries to three to book a semi-final against the top-seeded Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday.The other semi-final will pit the Lions against the defending champion Highlanders in Johannesburg next Sunday morning (AEST).The Stormers hadnt played against a New Zealand team all season and had little idea how to shut down opponents playing with their trademark flair.It was the heaviest-ever home defeat for the Stormers while the Chiefs reached 60 points for just the fourth time in their 280-game history.Halves Brad Weber and Aaron Cruden dictated terms behind a relentless forward pack while outside backs James Lowe and McKenzie were heavily involved, most notably during a purple patch in the first half when they scored four tries in 20 minutes.Co-captain Cruden praised his sides willingness to attack.We were lucky we got off to a really good start and we were able to keep that tempo going for 80 minutes, he said.Weve got a young group of guys that are really enjoying each others compaany and each others passion out on the field.dddddddddddd.Cruden admitted another long flight ahead of the semi-finals would be a challenge to overcome.Its going to be very tough. Well just have to make sure we recover well, give it our all and see what happens.Stormers prop Vincent Koch scored at the start and finish of the first half yet they trailed 34-14 at the break after conceding tries to Weber, Lowe, wing Sam McNicol and No.8 Tom Sanders.McKenzie, who kicked nine of 10 shots at goal, crossed early in the second half after his pack claimed a scrum tighthead to effectively seal the outcome.Nizaam Carr bagged the Stormers third try before three Chiefs reserves - Hika Elliot, Tevita Koloamatangi and Tawera Kerr-Barlow - crossed in the final five minutes.It was a flat end to the Stormers career of retiring captain Schalk Burger, the long-serving Springboks loose forward.Theres not much you can say about that performance. We basically got blown out of the water after 20 minutes. We never stopped trying but it was sort of a horror movie for us out there, Burger said.Sometimes the harder you try, the worse things get. ' ' '