MOST people seem to agree the recent Sevens World Cup was a great success, but there was one element that caused some concern to coaches, players and fans alike.
The absence of a pool stage, with a knock-out format right from the start instead, meant that any team losing just one game was immediately out of contention for the main trophy.
Australia, for example, lost to France on day one and knew straightaway that the best they could hope for was ninth place.
Some said this was due to including 24 teams instead of the normal Sevens quota of 16, but this format led to the eventual winners &n...