Rio Olympics sport in the spotlight: Rugby Sevens

By WILLIAM ZWAR 

The exciting and unpredictable sport of Rugby Sevens will make its debut at the Rio Olympics, with 13 nations fielding both male and female teams.

There will be plenty of reasons to watch, following Kenya’s surprise win at Singapore in the World Rugby Sevens Series, which showcases how open the competition is. 

Sitting in eighth place in the rankings at the start of the tournament, Kenya didn’t appear to pose much of a threat leading into Singapore, but the team played out of their skins to comprehensively defeat Fiji 30-7 in the final. 

More reason to tune in is the Australian women’s team, who currently sit atop the standings in the women’s World Series and will go into the Olympics as gold-medal favourites.

The women’s success in Rugby Sevens taps into Australian Rugby Union's key measurements for the sport’s success in our country – including inspiring a new legion of fans and setting foundations for continual success at the top. 

However the biggest reason to watch Rugby Sevens at the Olympics is the energy that the sport emits. The competition is unpredictable, making it both one of the most exciting games and competition in the world. 

Held during the first week of the games, Rugby Sevens will kick off on July 6 and conclude on July 11, and will be held at Deodoro Stadium, Deodoro. 

The sport is a modified version of rugby union, which sees seven players from each team take to the field (down from 15 in the regular game). They play seven-minute halves, as opposed to the 80-minute Union matches.

Sevens has the same rules as Rugby Union. Sevens games are much shorter but the quicker pace and the spread of players on the field means the scores are usually comparable to Union. Players tend to be backs or loose forwards from Rugby Union.

Sevens players are generally required to be much quicker and have more stamina than Union players. The short games mean multiple games and even entire tournaments can be completed in a short amount of time.

Sevens is comparable to T20 Cricket with a relaxed atmosphere, which often sees fans in fancy dress embracing the festival-type atmosphere.

The sport's admission into the Olympics follows a decision at the 121^st International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in 2009 in Copenhagen and the competition will run from August 6-11 at Deodoro Stadium in Rio.

History

Rugby Sevens was invented in 1883 in Melrose, Scotland, when local butcher Ned Haig organised a game as a charity fundraiser. The game grew but did not break international borders until the 1920s, when the Percy Park Sevens was played in North East England. This event attracted many Scottish supporters. The Buenos Aires Football Club hosted a Sevens tournament the same year.

The first internationally sanctioned tournament did not happen until 1973, aligning with the “Scottish Rugby Union’s celebration of Rugby” centenary celebrations.

The Hong Kong Sevens tournament was launched three years later. It is still part of the World Rugby Sevens Series, which was founded in 1999.

The World Series runs every year and comprises several tournaments run through the year.

The Rugby World Sevens Championship has been contested every four years since 1993 while the women’s world championship has been contested twice, in 2009 and 2013.

Key teams at Rio

Brazil

As the host nation, both Brazil’s male and female teams automatically qualify. The men have never qualified to play in the World Cup but the women played at both the 2009 and 2013 World Cups. Although their performance then was poor, they are the best chance for the Brazil to pick up a medal.

Fiji

Historically, Fiji is the nation that plays the most consistently in the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Their men’s team is currently first in World Series rankings, while the women sit further down the pack in tenth position. The men’s team has won three competitions so far in the 2015/16 series and deserve the mantle they hold as favourites.

New Zealand

New Zealand has been the most dominant Sevens team at the World Rugby Sevens Series, having won 12 out of 16 seasons. The Kiwis are third on the World Series Standings despite winning three tournaments in the 2015/16 season. However, their form has fluctuated over the past 12 months. The women’s section is also quite strong; they sit in second position in the World Series standings.

South Africa

South Africa also performed in the 2014/15 series, and qualified due to their top four finish. The men’s team sit second in the world rankings after winning the South African tournament, as well as finishing runner up in New Zealand and Canada. The women’s team will not be competing at Rio.

Australia

The most notable member of Australia’s men’s team is Nick Cummins, aka “The Honey Badger”. The former Wallaby boasts 15 national caps as well as a colourful history playing with Western Force in the Super Rugby. He has enjoyed stints at Perth Spirit and Japanese franchise, the Coca-Cola Red Sparks. Cummins had his best year for the Western Force in 2014. That year, he started on the ground in every game and scored seven tries. Cummins plays as a winger and will be hoping to have an impact at Rio.

Meanwhile skipper Ed Jenkinson is the most capped Australian Sevens player of all time, having competed in two Rugby World Cup Sevens campaigns. His leadership is crucial to the Australian team’s success.

Con Foley holds 36 caps and is a paramount figure in Australia’s forward line. The second most experienced player in the Australian squad, Foley has a lighter rugby frame but Rio should prepare for his strong influence on the field.

Like host nation Brazil, the women could be Australia’s best chance of taking home a medal. Australia has won four tournaments from five in the 2015/16 World Series and have proved to be the most dominant team. Lead by skipper Sharni Williams, they will be a difficult team to stop.

Predictions

New Zealand should go in as favourites for the men’s gold medal, however Fiji may be better acclimatised to the weather in Rio. Winning the most recent World Series will lend them confidence in their quest to capture the gold medal. For the women, Australia will prove to be too strong and seem near certainties to take the gold medal ahead of New Zealand.

@zwar_w