7SWGPS 2018: starring universal Amédée and experienced Mikhaltsova
The Kazan leg of the Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Grand Prix Series concludes the season. The major favourites of the tournament, Team Russia and Team France, will face tough competition for the European title at the pitch of the Central Stadium in Tatarstan’s capital city.
Alena Mikhaltsova, the absolute leader of the Russian side, is 100 percent likely to come to Kazan. Moreover, Mikhaltsova is the captain and star of Team Russia – she has earned 366 points in 84 matches of the World Series. Last season Mikhaltsova scored 22 conversion attempts in 20 matches, so there is no doubt that her mindset and functional state will play a decisive role for the national team in the Kazan tournament.
22-year-old Montserrat Amédée is the leader of the French. The athlete had done gymnastics and played handball before she took up rugby. However, she is good at handling the oval ball at the green play of field – she has scored 135 points for her team in the 2017-2018 World Series, which is the best result for France. It should be noted that Amédée is truly a universal player – she can execute both tries and conversions quite successfully.
During the French leg of the Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Grand Prix Series, the Irish squad finished third thanks to Lucy Mulhall’s contribution. This season the athlete has played 27 games for the national team and earned 85 points. Scoring is Mulhall’s best card – 249 points in 80 matches for the Irish national team. If Mulhall plays well in Kazan, her opponents will face tough competition.
Traditionally, Team England has a good chance for giving a notable performance in the Kazan leg of the Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens GPS. The rugby players have won the European Grand Prix Series six times, more than any other team. The English finished fourth in Marcoussis, France, and will certainly make a point of bouncing back. Heather Fisher will give a helping hand, with her performance statistics to impress – 93 matches for the national team, 34 tries and 172 scores.
Lastly, the Spanish side should not be considered a lost cause, either. The rugby players from this country have become 8-time medallists in 15 European Championships. They make one of the most unpredictable teams of Europe led by their star, 28-year-old Patricia García, who is the most valuable player of the World Series both in the history of the tournament and the previous season. Besides, García participated in the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, this fact adding class to the prominent rugby player. The success of Team Spain at the Kazan leg of Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Grand Prix Series will largely depend on her.