Note of 2013: this is the article I wrote for Rugby Magazine that appeared - edited - in the June 1995 issue.
This is taken from the file I submitted to Rugby.
The article as published was on two pages: page
1 and page
2.
Atlantis ready to take field. L to R: Bill Russell, Jason Fox, Brett Davis, Dixie Dean,
Nick Bell, Brian Driscoll, Thadd Hill.
(Missing Scott Stephens & Steve Burnham)
La Vila Joiosa, Alicante, Spain, May 20-21, 1995.
Atlantis, in a gutsy performance, achieved the major breakthrough
it's been seeking for years -- a victory in one of the major
"sevens circuit" tournaments. They emerged champions of a
tournament which included two Welsh teams, each with several
internationals, and a French team loaded with players poised to
get the nod for the French national team.
Championship Final
The Welsh Wizards (AKA Neath + guests) took the
field with five players that had represented Wales, including
three full Welsh internationals. Atlantis fielded seven
territorial players, including three Eagles.
Atlantis
Welsh Wizards
East, US
Scott Stephens
1
Glyn Llewellyn
Wales
Midwest
Brett Davis
2
Dai Edwards
Midwest
Jason Fox
3
Chris Wyatt
Wales A
East
Bill Russell
4
Steve Bowling
Wales
East, US
David Dean
5
Phil Wintle
East
Brian Driscoll
6
Leigh Davies
Wales U21
West, US
Thaddeus Hill
7
Richard Wintle
Wales
The Wizards got off to a one try lead just 15 seconds into the
match after winning their own kickoff (with Chris Wyatt and Glyn
Llewellyn, two 6'5, 230+ pounders on his back, Jason Fox
didn't have much of a chance), and taking the ball all the way for
a Richard Wintle score. Two more tries (Phil Wintle and
Steve Bowling) followed relatively quickly, and by half time, it
didn't seem as if the Wizards 19-0 lead would be in danger.
Nor did it seem that Bowling's one missed conversion would come
into play.
Nevertheless, despite being outweighed by 100 pounds or more in
the pack, Atlantis' superior fitness showed in the second
half. Co-Captain Bill Russell led the comeback by scoring
and converting Atlantis' first try early in the second half, and
brilliantly converted a left-of-center Scott Stephens' try to
bring Atlantis within 5 points with 2 minutes to go. A
minute later, Atlantis moved the ball into space where Stephens
got it to wing Thaddeus Hill for a centered 40-meter try. The
conversion finished the scoring at 21-19, and the final whistle
blew with Atlantis on the attack about 15 seconds after the
ensuing kickoff.
Hill, who had earlier run down a long Wizard break to prevent a
try, received the official nod as best player of the
tournament.
Atlantis and Welsh Wizards after the final.
Atlantis standing: Bell, Stephens, Dean, Russell. Seated: Davis (mostly cut off), Driscoll,
Hill, Fox, Burnham
Their expressions tell you the outcome
Benidorm, La Vila, and
the Benidorm Sevens
Benidorm itself is a pernicious little town
consisting mainly of British tourists who burn in the sun during
the day and carouse rowdily at night. For the most part, I
dislike it. Mostly, I suppose, because when I'm in Spain, I
don't like feeling that I'm in Yorkshire.
Left: Typical Benidorm hotel. One of our rooms several
stories up from the ground with Atlantis banner
Right: Captains & Coach. Jason Fox, Bill Russell, Emil
Signes. Atlantis banner behind them
Outside Benidorm, however, Spain exists. Spain -- actually
Valencian Spain -- is all you get 7 miles away in La Vila
Joiosa. Except, that is, for a rugby pitch located on the
edge of town, run by the local club. Despite its 25,000
population, La Vila not only fields a senior men's rugby team, but
also youth teams of all ages. They have their own field -- a
patch of green in the desert -- complete with stands, changing
rooms and showers, and their own clubhouse. A rarity in
Spain, this has come about through the efforts of individuals like
Ignacio Davila, organizer of the Benidorm Sevens and one of the
hardest working and most ambitious members of the club.
There are rumors that next year's sevens will actually move to
Benidorm itself, to the Benidorm soccer stadium, which seats
10,000 fans (La Vila can accommodate far less). This would
certainly bring more spectators (there were probably about a
thousand this year), but there's something inside me that fears
this move. Although I understand the desire to expand, I
really like La Vila.
Left: At Nereo ready to leave for practice (I'm the
background making last minute notes; my son Stephen is at far
right)
Right: Atlantis players enter the playing field (Camp de Joc
in Valencian) to practice a couple days before the tournament
The Benidorm Sevens began in 1987, and experienced its biggest
claim to fame in 1992, when it drew several national teams
preparing for the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Fiji beat Western
Samoa in the finals that year, 16-15. Since then, the level
has remained high, but it's no longer astronomical.
Benidorm, in fact, is now the best possible type of tournament for
Atlantis -- it's possible to win, but not likely: we have to
play damn well to do it.
Atlantis
Begun in 1986, Atlantis has attended 21 overseas
sevens tournaments, usually with good results. Given the
fact that, with very few exceptions, Atlantis players have to fund
their own transportation, this is remarkable.
This was the third appearance at Benidorm for the Atlantis men
(quarterfinalists in 1988, semifinalists in 1994); the Atlantis
women won their bracket in 1992.
Benidorm was the fourth tournament in which Atlantis competed in
1995. We've now fielded 33 players from 20 different clubs
this year alone, an indication that there's a lot of good sevens
players out there.
Atlantis squad at Benidorm. Atlantis' squad at this year's
Benidorm Sevens comprised --
Atl. #
Forwards
Club
238
Nick Bell
Northern Virginia
34
Scott Stephens
Washington
239
Brett Davis
Cleveland
236
Jason Fox
Cleveland, co-captain
Backs
102
Bill Russell
Old Blue NY, co-captain
240
David Dean
Johnson City, TN and NOVA
154
Brian Driscoll
Blackthorn (PA)
74
Steve Burnham
Maryland Exiles
229
Thaddeus Hill
Fort Worth
Although Steve Burnham had been to Benidorm with Atlantis in 1988,
not one of these players were members of last year's
semifinalists.
I went as coach/manager, and my son Steve, who had also
accompanied the team in 1988, returned as Administrative
Assistant, taking on all kinds of helpful roles including
collecting money and filming all our games.
Atlantis' entire squad at the "camp de joc": Signeses in
front with banner donated by George Betzler
Standing, L to R: Dixie Dean, Brian Driscoll, Steve Burnham,
Nick Bell, Thadd Hill, Scott Stephens, Brett Davis, Bill
Russell (obscured), Jason Fox
Harry McDonald of Cleveland was also selected, but dropped out
with an injury during the last week. Unfortunately we were
not able to replace him.
I was excited from the first moment this squad was finalized: it
may have been the fastest team I've ever coached, and with Dixie
Dean at fly half for all 6 games, we were capable of putting four
4.6 or better players on the field at the same time (Thad Hill,
Dixie, Scott Stephens and Steve Burnham).
Our only potential problem was size -- Nick Bell, at 6'3 230 was
our only legitimate big guy -- and with his injury in the
semifinals, the potential problem became a real problem -- a huge
problem, even -- . . . but all's well that ends well, as
Willy once said.
Practice, practice, practice. I'll never forget
something Welsh coach Alan Davies said during the Rugby World Cup
Sevens 1993 -- about how he struggled to come up with anything for
his team to do at practice for even an hour (a not-uncommon
attitude towards sevens). It showed: Wales lost to Spain.
We arrived Tuesday afternoon and practiced for two hours.
Wednesday we practiced two hours before lunch and scrimmaged La
Vila in the evening. Thursday we had one practice, and again
on Friday at 9 AM we got together with the Partizans (Belgrade)
and went through a long series of opposed situations.
I reckon that, of all the teams at Benidorm, the two that have
taken it most seriously over the last couple of years have been
Atlantis and the Ukraine. And it shows.
All work and no play ... ? Nevertheless, there was
plenty of time for other activities. They included the
Coke-Pepsi (old guys v. young guys) competitions at the Benidorm
Go Kart track, the Atlantis Benidorm putt putt open, a
rookie show (Stephens and Dean -- rookies again!), court session,
trips in a van driven by a mad Georgian (ex-USSR Georgia, that
is), etc., your basic rugby tour kind of stuff.
Nonstop action at the Atlantis Putt-Putt
Open in Benidorm. Foxie left, Bill Russell right.
(I'm in the background with a
red hat I bought in Benidorm that says "Trenton New Jersey")
?!
I closed all my evenings at Reg and Brenda Jones' Taff's Bar, the
only rugby bar in Benidorm. Where the players went was not
my affair. I know that they were at our hotel early to sleep
on both Friday and Saturday nights. And that's all I had
asked.
Gata de Gorgos. My favorite evening was a visit to my
father's home town of Gata, where we were taken for tapas (hors
d'oeuvres) by my first cousin Pepe Signes Signes, met by my first
cousin Pepe Signes Querol, and ended up at my first cousin Antonio
Signes Signes's bar and restaurant, where we partook of good
Valencian food and some awesome sangria. While walking
through town we passed Signes Street and Signes Furniture, and
Thaddeus was heard to remark, "Man, Emil, you really got it goin'
on: when I'm 40 I want to have my own town with Hill Furniture,
Hill Street, Hill's Bar and Restaurant."
Left:Thadd Hill & Dixie
Dean in Gata de Gorgos (Signesville)
Right: in Gata - With my son
Stephen (right) and cousin Pepe Signes Signes in the center
Atlantis at my first cousin Antonio Signes
Signes' bar in Gata de Gorgos. A little sangria on the
table.
Antonio and my son Stephen are in the back
We also stopped at a typical little restaurant in La Vila one
evening after practice for Valencia's national dish, paella.
Benidorm Sevens 1995
Twenty-eight teams participated in this year's
Benidorm Sevens. They were split into 3 brackets:
international (8 teams), senior club (12 teams), and junior club
(8 teams). Among them, the brackets comprised teams from 14
political entities:
Belgium / Bulgaria / Croatia / England / France / Gibraltar /
Morocco / Serbia / South Africa / Spain / Ukraine / USA / Uruguay
/ Wales.
International Division. Along with the Wizards
of Neath that we met in the finals, there were two other
co-favorites. One was "Rugby Vision: the sevens team of the
Llanelli Rugby Club," captained by Rupert Moon, and also
featuring Welsh internationals Tony Copsey, Robin McBride and Neil
Boobyer as well as U/21 international Paul Young.
The other fancied team was the French Froggies, loaded with
players on the verge of the French national team. They
included Olivier Carbonneau, barely beat out for the World Cup
squad by Franck Mesnel; Francois N'Tamack,
brother of World Cup winger Emile; Laurent Louberes, one of
France's most promising wings; and others of that caliber.
The Ukraine, last year's winner, was considered a possible
challenger, as were Atlantis and the Cape Stallions, a South
African invitational side of unknown strength, mainly from the
Mossel Bay area.
Bulgaria, represented by their National Students, and Uruguay, by
the British Schools Old Boys, the organizers of the Punta del Este
Sevens, did not figure to contend. Nevertheless, I had a
personal interest in both teams: as the person that had put
the Bulgarians in contact with Benidorm, I followed their progress
closely and supported them at every occasion. The Old Boys
were old friends from last year who helped Atlantis receive an
invitation to Punta del Este.
Pool Play
Atlantis 24 Llanelli 19. After
falling behind 12-0 and then 19-7, Atlantis clawed back with tries
by Hill, Dean (from a set penalty play courtesy of Jerry Mirro),
Stephens and Fox (on two successive kickoffs won and advanced by
Nick Bell). Fox had Rupert Moon on his heels for the entire
60 meters.
Thadd Hill evades Llanelli tackle to score the winning
try (final score was 24-19)
Left: Nick Bell wins ball in air /// Right: Bill Russell
defends vs. Rupert Moon (Llanelli and Wales) at scrum
Atlantis 14 Froggies 14. Atlantis held a late 14-7
lead on the Froggies on tries by Fox (quick tap penalty) and
Stephens (from kickoff), and were controlling the ball, but a long
kick was counter-attacked for the tying score.
Atlantis 7 Ukraine 19. In Atlantis' final game,
the Ukraine played a brilliant pressure defense, showing gaps and
then closing them with double-team tackles that forced Atlantis
into turnover after turnover. Steve Burnham scored Atlantis' only
try on a good switch with Dean.
In other Division A games, the Ukraine defeated the Froggies
14-12, but lost to Llanelli. The Froggies then crushed Llanelli in
one of Saturday's final matches.
In the easier Division B, the Wizards had their way and easily
defeated Bulgaria, Uruguay, and the Cape Stallions. The
Wizards looked unstoppable and seemed to be the class of the
tournament.
Division A
W
L
T
1
Ukraine
2
1
2
French Froggies
1
1
1
3
Atlantis
1
1
1
4
Llanelli
1
2
Division B
1
Welsh Wizards
3
0
2
Uruguay
2
1
3
Cape Stallions (SA)
1
2
4
Bulgaria
0
3
Championship Rounds
Quarterfinals. All eight teams
qualified for the quarterfinals, with seedings based on Saturday's
play. In these matches, the Wizards of Neath easily defeated
Llanelli, but all other matches were won by the Division A teams
-- Ukraine over Bulgaria, Froggies over the Cape Stallions, and
Atlantis over Uruguay.
Atlantis 33 Uruguay 7. Atlantis easily defeated the
Old Boys with 5 tries from its fast guys (Hill 2, Dean 2,
Stephens). Semifinals. The Welsh Wizards were tested for the
first time against the Froggies, but came through 31-14.
Learning from its Saturday mistakes, Atlantis beat Ukraine 22-0,
but lost Nick Bell, its only big man, in that match, and had
to play the Wizards in the final with a huge size disadvantage.
Atlantis 22 Ukraine 0. It was third time lucky, as
Atlantis erased Saturday's poor performance and avenged 1994's
semifinal loss by continually moving the ball away from Ukraine's
pressure D. Stephens had two tries, including one on an
excellently executed penalty play (courtesy of Dave Poquette), and
Hill and Dean added one each. Hill's was an incredible
80-yard effort in which he beat several opponents along the touch
line.
Atlantis after semifinal win
with the game referee. Nick Bell, who was injured in
this game, is missing from pic.
Other Divisions. The Plate Division was won by the
Cape Stallions (who beat Llanelli in the process) over Bulgaria,
who got there with wins over teams from Croatia and Belgium.
The Senior Club Division was won by Kiev (Ukraine) over the
Partizans of Belgrade, and the Junior Club Division by the host
club La Vila over Enfield (England).
Atlantis' scoring
Name
Games
Tries
Conv
Points
Scott Stephens
6
6
0
30
Bill Russell
5
1
12
29
Thaddeus Hill
5
5
0
25
David Dean
6
4
0
20
Jason Fox
6
2
0
10
Steve Burnham
3
1
0
5
Brian Driscoll
4
0
1
2
Atlantis Total
6
19
13
121
Opponents Total
6
12
9
78
Wrap up
Maybe it was the euphoria of the moment, but
afterwards, the consensus opinion was that this tour, with its
combination of hard work, camaraderie, plain old fun, and success,
was up there with the best in anyone's experience. Where is
Atlantis off to next? Good question. If they
hold it, we may come!
Note of July 2013: Where was Atlantis off
to next? Before the next Benidorm Sevens - which we
attended - we participated in the Cape Fear Sevens, the Dubai
Sevens, the Caribbean Sevens (T&T), Punta del Este Sevens
(Uruguay), Fiji Sevens, Japan Sevens (all with the men), and
the Hong Kong Women's Sevens (the precursor to international
women's sevens, see: http://www.emilito.org/rugby/olympicsandme/index.html).
Everyone did a vital job. Our speedsters all had dual
roles: Scott Stephens performed big man duties; he was
the big man after Nick Bell got hurt. Dixie Dean moved
effortlessly into the role of fly half/creator, and Steve Burnham
not only added his speed to the center in the dynamite
quarterfinal backfield of Dean-Burnham-Hill, but was hooker
reserve for the final.
Thaddeus Hill was a defensive nightmare to all our opponents, and
has convinced me that he is one of the best defensive wings in
the world.
Thadd with his MVP trophy
Jason Fox and Brett Davis brought traditional Midwest strengths --
ball-winning and defense -- to the team. Without Nick Bell's
athleticism at receiving and attacking from kickoffs, there's no
way we could have won the Llanelli game, and Brian Driscoll was
gap-finder par excellence.
Bill Russell's kicking was key. If he misses the tough kick
against the Froggies, we lose and have to play the Wizards in the
quarterfinals, where I don't like our chances. If he misses
the tough one against the Wizards, we have overtime.
Bill and Jason were wonderful co-captains to work with, and the
communication among us was continuous and valuable.
It was a great team! Those that remember the
nightmare days of the 1993 club disqualifications in the East
might have thought it would be generations before it would be
possible to field a team with Maryland and Washington players led
by an Old Blue captain, but the old wounds were not apparent, and
the focus on winning this tournament transcended everything else.
I spoke very briefly at the after-tournament function. I
said then, and I say now, "This was a victory for every team that
takes sevens seriously."
Post-script
Note of July 2013: a
weekend or two after the Benidorm tournament there was a
sevens tournament in Bethlehem, PA, my hometown. Both
Krista McFarren and Brian Driscoll were there playing.
Krista had been the captain of the
1992 Benidorm women's champions and Brian a member of
this 1995 men's champions. I gathered them together and we
took a picture of them with their respective trophies (which
are both now enjoying retirement in my house). They are both
wearing their tournament T-shirts and I a Benidorm polo.
June 1995: Brian Driscoll with 1995 men's
trophy, Krista McFarren with 1992 women's trophy
