The Scotland and England national Sevens teams have been stirring up the rivalry between the two nations ahead of the eagerly anticipated Calcutta Cup clash this weekend, by taking part in a ‘coffee making’ competition at Mojo coffee shop in down town Wellington.
New Zealand is renowned for the number of coffee shops on its shores, reputedly having more per capita than any country in the world. In the capital Wellington, Kiwis pride themselves on their coffee.

Chris Cracknell and Tom Powell of England went up against captain, Colin Gregor and Scott Riddell from the Scotland Sevens squad as each pair took turns to try and make the perfect “flat white” coffee, which originates from New Zealand.
Each player received a lesson from a barista before having a go themselves. They were graded by the barista who gave both teams a mark out of ten.

With the Sevens squads travelling almost nonstop for six months of the year to a different time zone for each destination of the HSBC Sevens World series it is little wonder players are fond of coffee in order to stay alert and fend off the effects of jet-lag, keeping them in top competitive shape for the gruelling Sevens tournaments on the international circuit.

The pair from England were awarded five marks out of ten, and won the prize for the best coffee after the Scottish effort scored a three out of ten.

Chris Cracknell of England commented: “It was nice to be able to come out and do something a bit different today, something that is obviously close to New Zealanders’ hearts. I’m a massive coffee fan so am really pleased we were able to make the best “flat white” and come out on top. Hopefully it bodes well for us this weekend in the HSBC Sevens World Series and back home as well for our fifteens teams going head to head.”

Scotland captain, Colin Gregor added: “It was a close call but its better being beaten here in a coffee shop than out on the pitch! It’s great to be able to visit all these locations round the world on the HSBC Sevens World Series and getting to do something like this really highlights the different countries we’re playing in. I am disappointed we weren’t able to make the perfect coffee but with any luck the result on the pitch at the tournament will be different!”

Round four of the HSBC Sevens World Series kicks off this weekend at The Hertz Sevens, Wellington, New Zealand on 3 and 4 February 2012.