The Singapore leg of the HSBC SVNS Series is striking — not only for the action on the pitch, but also for the architectural marvel surrounding it. The futuristic National Stadium has the world’s largest retractable dome roof and a state-of-the-art cooling system.
Cold air is pumped under the spectators’ seats to counter temperatures that exceed 30C at this time of year. Unfortunately for the players on the pitch, the enjoy very little benefit — and once you add the relative humidity that ranges between 75-90 per cent, you’ve created a greenhouse for the players to compete in.
The heat and humidity in the stadium push players to their physical limits, spiking their heart rates and tiring them rapidly. But it also affects their performance and can, therefore, change game plans.
The conditions in the stadium become an ‘invisible defender’ as they cause sweat and condensation to accumulate on the ball, making it more like a bar of soap than a piece of sporting equipment.
Players will normally look to dry their hands on their shorts and jerseys, but this becomes impossible after a few minutes, when the kit is saturated.
I used to try and find some dirt on the pitch to rub into my hands, which acted as a natural absorbent — but finding dirt kept getting harder and harder as pitches became more pristine and pruned.
The wet ball significantly increases the pressure on a team’s ability to catch and pass. It has the combined effect of slowing down the catching process and reducing the distance that players can pass effectively and efficiently.
Before the tournament weekend in Singapore, every team will have discussed closing the distance of the pass and being even more precise about decisions to offload. The fairly standard 15m miss pass (among professional sevens players) suddenly becomes more of a gamble. This, in turn, leads to more direct, physical rugby.
I would try to adjust a few things when the ball was wet. The first was consciously trying to spread my fingers wider when I’m catching and passing. The aim was to increase the surface area that’s in contact with the ball for a better grip.
The second is gripping a little further around the ball when passing, so it’s slightly more of a ‘cradle’ with my back hand. This helped stop the ball from slipping down and out of my grasp.
The third would be trying to take as much pace out of the ball during a catch without sacrificing efficiency by letting it hit my chest. I would still try to reach for an early catch, but I’d over-emphasise the bend in the elbows to slow the ball down and get it under control.
As mentioned, the humidity and ‘heavy’ air encourage more direct and physical rugby, so the contact area becomes even more important. This is always a battleground on a sevens’ field and often dictates the winner as the team that dominates the contact can keep the ball in attack and turn it over in defence.
As jerseys and the balls get wetter, it is paramount that you hold on in every tackle. With tackles happening at such high speed, it’s easy for a slight loss in grip to lead to the ball popping out. This can be catastrophic in rugby sevens, where possession dictates the game.
I would always try to carry the ball in two hands, where I could, which would allow me to wrap it tightly as I entered contact. I also found that having a little bit of tape on the wrist would help get some good purchase on the ball when sliding in contact.
With players sliding so much in the tackle, the race to the breakdown is also amplified. Winning the height battle and arriving early decreases the pressure on the presentation of the ball from the carrier.
Flipping it over to defence, tacklers are encouraged to put all their energy into making dominant tackles, as the risk is so high for the attack to spill the ball.
The heat and humidity in Singapore also affect how the coach uses the players on the bench. It often goes unnoticed, but it plays such a pivotal role across this tournament, particularly.
The wet ball forces more players to be more precise and careful, which becomes far harder once they start to tire. The threshold for making a mistake is lower, so a smart move from a coach is to introduce players a minute or two earlier than they normally would, ensuring fresh minds and hands are trying to execute the game plan.
This also ensures the workload is spread out among the team so the effect of the heat and humidity is minimised across the weekend. Teams that share the workload the best are often the ones competing for the cup by the end of Sunday.
When the confetti canons go off, and the trophy is lifted, the winning team will be the one that has respected the unique climate of Singapore and adjusted accordingly.