Argentina may fly the flag for South America on the world stage, but there is little doubt that Brazil are the region’s leading nation in the Women’s Game after claiming a fifth consecutive CONSUR Sevens title on home soil in San Jose Dos Campos over the weekend.
Brazil’s victory in 2008 ensured their name went down in the history books as the first nation to qualify for the inaugural Rugby World Cup Sevens women’s competition, but their dominance in South America doesn’t mean they are resting on their laurels.
In fact, as Emily Barker told Total Rugby Radio this week, the team have spent the last year working hard on the physical side of their game to make sure they are ready to step up to the next level and compete at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Dubai this March.
A key part of this preparation was a visit to the Amsterdam Sevens last May to test themselves against the likes of England, USA, Canada and Aotearoa Maori from New Zealand and learn which elements of their game needing particular attention.
“We have an idea after going to the Amsterdam Sevens where we actually stand as a team, because we have won all the South American Championships until now and it has been difficult to place ourselves skill-wise,” explained Barker.
Reaping rewards from hard work
“We lost [in Amsterdam] and it was good. We saw that we needed to work on defence, we learned the new modern seven-a-side game, the game that they play. We saw that they are very strong sides and we hope to try to play at the same level.
“Since the last South American Championships – the RWC Sevens qualifier – we decided to build up our physical attributes because we decided that we weren’t as strong as other teams. We went to the Amsterdam Sevens and noticed that the girls were very strong, the England girls were strong and we weren’t as strong as they were, so we started to work very hard.
“Our coach Flavio [Santos] has been really careful and now we have got a physical trainer, a physiotherapist … we have progressed in Rugby Sevens, maybe because of being more athletic than a lot of the South American teams we have come through, we are taller, we are stronger and we showed it in the final that our technique and everything we have been working hard on has been put into practice and we have done a good job.”
Brazil had eased into the semi finals without conceding a point following victories over Colombia 17-0, Peru 43-0 and Venezuela 21-0, before Uruguay finally breached their defence in losing 20-5. Argentina, the side they had beaten in the 2008 final, also crossed for a try but the defending champions were still convincing winners at 45-5 to ensure the trophy remained in their hands.
The continued success enjoyed by Barker and her team-mates is now bringing them to the fore with increased media coverage in a country where football is king and the recognition that exposure brings with it as rugby slowly grows.
Success brings wider recognition
“It was interesting because the South American Championship was initially going to be just the men’s [event], the women’s wasn’t going to happen and I think that the moment it came through and the South American girls were going to play, then everybody was very, very happy.
“When the prizes were given out everybody kept saying we had been five-time champions and Brazil’s women wow, you know they are really good and then everybody suddenly realised that yes we are now starting to get a lot more TV coverage and people know now [about us].
“I was getting the train the other day with the rugby girls to go to training and these other University student girls they suddenly turned around and said ‘oh look it’s the rugby girls’ and that was the first time that someone in the street recognised us.
“I think that is going to help Brazil a lot and as soon as we get into the World Cup there is going to be some coverage I know for sure and I think Brazilian rugby is going to start standing out. The boys played a fantastic Sevens game against Argentina [losing 17-5 in the semi finals] and I was really proud of them. That is exactly where our rugby is going, little by little everybody is getting there.”
Abridged from an interview with Brazil's Emily Barker for this week's Total Rugby Radio show, available from Thursday via this website and also broadcast around the world by Total Rugby's partner radio stations, as well as on i-Tunes as a podcast.
