Note of 2013: I
can find no record of this
tournament other than a note I sent to the
players afterwards, and this is included below. As
opposed to the 1990 tour, however, when we had no problem getting players
(and had some financial support), and made the semifinal,
we struggled to get players for
this tour: it was all on our own nickel and the airfares were much more
expensive. In the end we ended up with 3 Kiwis
living in NZ, all of whom had played
in the US at some point. Here's the squad.
Atlantis at Taupiri Sevens 1995 Standing: Bill Gardner, Prince Hill, Mark Cousins, Matt
Whalen, Adrian Scott, Emil Signes Kneeling: Paul Meyers, Dean Drane, Chris Andres, Mark
Herbert, John McDonell
Roster, Atlantis #, Name, Club
231 Chris Andres, NOVA
232 Mark Cousins,
Merrivale Papanui (NZ)
233 Dean Drane,
Petnoe (NZ)
213 Mark Herbert, Linwood (NZ)
200 Prince Hill, NOVA
234, John McDonnel, NOVA
141 Paul
Meyers, OMEX
215 Adrian Scott,
Old Blue (NY)
235
Matt Whalen, NOVA
Scores were 0-49 to Mount
Maunganui, 27-28 to Hamilton Old Boys
(though we all swore we had made two conversions and won the
game), and 19-45 to Waikato University in the Bowl
Quarterfinal. It wasn't an unmitigated disaster but had we
been credited with winning the second game I remember we would -
surprisingly -have had a lot less daunting
opponent than fellow Bowl quarterfinalist Waikato
University in the Plate Quarterfinal (forget who it was, but Hamilton Old Boys beat them).
Win a few, lose a few.
My wife Heide came on this tour
and we spent a few days in Fiji after the
tournament, where we spent a few days hanging
out and had a meal in Rukurukulevu with
our 1993 US national team liaison Jone
Ratu, his family. We also had a meal with the
team Jone was currently coaching,
Davetalevu, who
went on the next month to win the Hong Kong Tens (I think;
this may be faulty memory).
That's about all I recall, other than our stay
with the Wilkinsons of Taupiri was as pleasant as in 1990.
And Bill Gardner continued to instruct New Zealanders
in everything he felt he knew
better than they.
Here's a note I wrote to
the squad a couple of weeks after the event.
March 7, 1995
To: Atlantis Squad
to New Zealand
Trivia Department: The only two nations to lie
completely south of the Tropic of Capricorn are Uruguay and New
Zealand. Of the 5+ billion people on Earth, only a couple of
dozen (Chris Andres, Bill Gardner, Emil Signes, the All Black
Sevens team, and possibly a couple more) have been in both during
the first two months of this year. If that doesn't put the
universe in perspective, I don't know what does.
A couple of requests: Please send me copies
of any decent photos. Please send me a copy of game
tapes. I can make additional copies.
I assume you each have your own hosts' contact info. The
people that arranged everything were
Ken and Barbara Wilkinson
Orini Road / RD 2
Taupiri, North Island
NEW ZEALAND
Home: 011- 64- 7- 824- 6525
FAX: 011- 64- 7- 824- 6577
Make sure to express your thanks appropriately.
Results:
Atlantis 0 Mt. Maunganui 49
Atlantis 27 (shd've been 29?) Hamilton Marist 28: Meyers 2T;
Drane T,C; Andres T, McDonell T
Atlantis 19 Waikato University 45: Drane
T,2C, Cousins T, Scott T
What can I say? We appeared out of our depth in the first
match, but a couple of balls won in the first half and some better
tackling and it might have been a game. The second game
should have been a win. The score keeping was probably right
(?), and although allowing a player sent off to be replaced is
clearly ridiculous, it was law in New Zealand this past
year. Rather, we had several chances to put them (the
defending Waikato club champions!) away, but we let them get the
ball and put us on the defensive. Waikato University was
nothing special, and our decision making and execution on defense
let us down early. There was a brief moment early in the
second half when we had a chance to make a run, but we just didn't
have it.
It was a team with the potential to play a lot better, and I think
we had the capability to beat about half the teams that
participated. We all made our share of mistakes; I certainly
made a huge mistake when I asked you to come up in a more measured
manner on defense: in retrospect we should have been flying up as
quickly as possible. Our opponents were far too skilled with
the ball in the open field to allow them to have that space.
Better to force teams as good as that beat you early than to face
the almost certainty that they'll beat you later.
Still, you were on balance a young team, and hopefully all of you
will learn and improve your game as a result of the
tournament. These tournaments are always worthwhile when the
players work hard and dedicate themselves to playing as well as
they can, and you all certainly dedicated yourself to that.
And last but certainly not least, we all had fun! Certainly
Billy's constructive criticism will make New Zealand a better
place.
I'm becoming taken again, after many years away from it, with the
possibilities of the 6 + sweeper defense; if any of you use it,
give me a report.
Atlantis Future News:
1. Bulgaria. Our team (we leave 3/13/95):
Chris Carney, P, Montauk, OMEX? and USA
Brian Collins,F ,
Washington Irish and USA East
Jason Fox, P, H, S, Cleveland Rovers and Midwest RU
Kevin Gallant, W, Daytona and USA East
John McCluskey, F,C, Manhattan, OMEX, 7s
Keith McLean, P, Philadelphia/Whitemarsh and USA East
George Miller, H, Charlotte and USA East
Bill Russell, S, Old Blue and USA East
John Walsh, C,W OMEX and
American Patriots (oops)
2. Spain (Benidorm Sevens).
Still spaces available but
filling fast. Call ASAP if
interested. Dates roughly 5/15
thru 5/23. Airfare probably
about $650 plus kit fee.
(Internal costs covered by
Benidorm.)
3. Cape Fear. We are defending
champions. I want to take a
good team! Call if interested.
4. UK in Aug? Stay tuned.
5. New York? [Thanksgiving Saturday.] I'm getting tired
of these Alien wimps kicking butt in NY. Drew Fautley has
quasi -promised free hotel accommodation in
New York on Friday and Saturday nights. Call if interested.
Again, thanks to everyone that participated: to all of you that
came at great financial expense, thank you and I hope the trip was
worth while. To our down under guests, thanks for bearing
with us and helping integrate us into Kiwi rugby, both socially
and on the field. To our captains, thank you and Herby,
see you soon! Doc, pay off your debts and get a hat!
Finally, in retrospect, don't think of this as an unmitigated
disaster. After all, three top New Zealand club sides
suffered the same fate as we. The tournament favorite,
Auckland Suburbs, ended up in the Bowl. Further, although
the quality was not comparable to Hong Kong at the top level, it
was certainly a far higher level at the bottom: there are at least
8 teams in Hong Kong every year worse than the bottom teams in
this tournament. (What I'm trying to say is that, if this
exact team had been in Hong Kong, we would very likely have been
in the Plate round.)
