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OVERVIEW OF SEVENS RUGBY
RUGBY sevens is sanctioned by World Rugby, and is played under substantially the same laws and on a field of the same dimensions as the 15-player game. While a normal rugby union match lasts at least 80 minutes, a normal sevens match consists of two halves of seven minutes with a one-minute half-time break. The final of a competition can be played over two halves of ten minutes each, with a half-time break of two minutes. (In the IRB Sevens World Series, only the Cup final, which determines the overall winner of an event, is played with 10-minute halves; all finals for lower-level trophies are played with 7-minute halves. This allows rugby tournaments to be completed in a day or a weekend. However, sevens scores are generally comparable to union scores; scoring occurs with much greater regularity in sevens, since the defenders are more spaced out. Scrums are composed of just three players from each team. Because of the speedy nature of the game, good sevens players are often backs or loose forwards in fifteens rugby.
Rugby sevens was initially conceived by Ned Haig, a butcher from Melrose, Scotland as a fund-raising event for his local club in 1883. The first ever sevens match was played at the Greenyards, where it was well received. The first ever officially sanctioned international tournament occurred at Murrayfield as part of the "Scottish Rugby Union's celebration of rugby" centenary celebrations in 1973. Due to the success of the format, the ongoing Hong Kong Sevens was launched three years later. In 1993, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, in which the Melrose Cup is contested, was launched. Three of the best known sevens competitions are the Hong Kong Sevens, Wellington Sevens, and the Dubai Sevens which now make up parts of the IRB Sevens World Series.
Rugby union has been a men's medal sport at the modern Summer Olympic Games, being played at four of the first seven competitions. The sport debuted at the 1900 Paris games. It subsequently featured at the London games in 1908, the Antwerp games in 1920 and the Paris games in 1924. Shortly after the 1924 games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cancelled rugby union as an Olympic sport. There were numerous attempts to bring the sport back to the Olympic programme. The most recent was for the inclusion of the sevens version of the sport, which is played at similar competitions such as the Commonwealth Games. This was proposed for the 2016 Summer Olympics, and on Friday 9th October 2009, the IOC announced that Rugby Sevens will be included at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
As a result of the inclusion of Rugby Sevens in the Summer Olympics, World Rugby's World Cup Sevens has been disbanded to allow for the Olympic Sevens.
Click on any of the logos below or to your left to delve deeper into the crazy world of Sevens rugby.
THE HSBC Sevens World Series is a major fixture around the globe for die-hard rugby fans. Many of the world’s best players representing their country have cut their teeth in the 7s arena before graduating to full international honours at XVs rugby.
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series consists of ten stellar tournaments held around the world, in which national sevens teams compete for series points at each round.
An overall champion is crowned at the end of the season based on points accumulated throughout the ten events. The 2015/16 season sees five new destinations added to the series in Cape Town, Sydney, Vancouver, Singapore and Paris.
The 2015/16 carries added significance with many of the teams competing on the series having qualified for sevens' debut at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. The top four-ranked sides at the end of the 2014/15 series booked their place through the series - namely Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand and England on behalf of Team GB.
Promotion to core team status for the 2015/16 season was won by Russia and lost by Japan in Hong Kong, where 12 regional qualifiers will once again battle in 2016 for the one promotion place on offer in a separate 12-team competition.
Relegation from core team status is decided at the end of the season, with the bottom-ranked of the 15 current core teams* after round 10 in London losing their ever-present status.
VENUES & REPORTS*
* As & when each tournament is about to kick off, the logo will take you to the relevant page
IN May 2016, Ben Ryan's jubilant Fiji again secured the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series title in Paris, a week before the tournament ended in London, despite not winning a tournament since April 2016 in Hong Kong.
HSBC Sevens World Series 2015/16 core teams:
In May 2015, Fiji were gallantly crowned the HSBC World Series Champions...
Below we have standings of the World Series at the end of 2013-14, where New Zealand were again crowned Series Champions for the 10th time following the London 7s in May 2014.
All Blacks Sevens claimed the Marriott London Sevens as well as lifting the HSBC Sevens World Series trophy, beating Australia 52-33 in the highest-scoring final ever...
RUGBY has strong historical links with the Olympic Games. Pierre de Coubertin, impressed by the sport’s spirit and values, recognised how strongly its ethos sat with his vision for the reborn Olympic Movement. He realised the strengths Rugby could bring to the Olympic Games – and he personally oversaw Rugby’s debut in the Paris 1900 Games and its subsequent appearances in the Games of 1908, 1920 and 1924. But a pitch invasion at the 1924 Paris Olympics had given rugby a poor image and this spelled the death knell for rugby at the Olympics.
The global development of rugby through the rapidly increasing number of Unions affiliated to the IRB and the explosion in participation and support for both the XVs and 7s disciplines of the Game cannot be denied over the last 100 years . This rapid growth reflected growing awareness and support for rugby within the Olympic Movement, culminating in a recommendation in 2001 from the Olympic Programme Commission to the IOC Session, that Rugby Sevens be included in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
While the IRB had proposed the inclusion of either Rugby Sevens or Fifteens, it was the Olympic Programme Commission that recommended Rugby Sevens as it felt this fast-paced youthful version of the Game was best suited to the multi-sport environment, as has been proven by the huge success of Sevens in both the Commonwealth and Asian Games, where it is now a core sport. Unfortunately, the recommended modernisations to the programme were not carried through but that did not stop the IRB from carrying on in its quest for rugby’s inclusion in subsequent Games.
Dr Syd Millar of Ireland, who succeeded Vernon Pugh as IRB Chairman, continued the campaign for Olympic admission with increased vigour. The IRB’s efforts reflected the global views of world rugby, leading to its inclusion in further IOC reviews for the London 2012 Olympic Games in 2005. Although rugby was short listed for consideration in the Olympic Programme, the IOC again decided not to introduce new sports and the goal of becoming an Olympic sport remained tantalisingly out of reach.
The newly elected IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset of France made the readmission of rugby into the sporting programme of the Olympic Games one of his top priorities. As Rugby Sevens has become increasingly popular around the world and is played at almost all major Regional competitions from the Asian Games, to the Mediterranean Games, and from the South Pacific Games to the Commonwealth Games, the aspirations of the rugby family eventually to fulfil the original dream of the founder of the Olympics remained high.
The final decision was made at the IOC Session in Copenhagen in October 2009. The IRB used a number of high profile people and events to influence the IOC to include Sevens at the 2016 games. In March 2009, two senior delegates from the IOC attended the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai at the invitation of the IRB. The event attracted 78,000 fans over the three days and saw Wales crowned Men’s World Champions and Australia won the first ever Women's World Cup.
Along with the World Cup, the IRB enlisted some of rugby’s biggest names to assist in the bid. In March 2009, the late Jonah Lomu, and Lawrence Dallaglio were announced as ambassadors for the bid and in April 2009 Waisale Serevi was unveiled as an ambassador to coincide with the Oceania National Olympic Committees' general assembly. May 2009 saw the IRB announce that they would drop the Rugby World Cup Sevens in order to improve the chances of the sport being included. The benefit of this move would be to make the Olympics the premier event in international rugby sevens.
On 13 August 2009 it was announced that the IOC executive board was recommending rugby sevens for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games and on 9 October 2009 the full IOC, at its 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, voted to include Rugby Sevens in the 2016 games.
Separate competitions for men and women were held at Rio de Janiero, using a similar format to the existing HSBC Sevens World Series, with 12 countries participating in each tournament. There was no doubt competition would be fierce for nations to qualify, and countries around the world already ploughed $ millions into ensuring their team would not miss out at a chance of taking home gold, including China, Portugal, Spain, Holland, France and many others who previously were not part of the global 7s circuit.
The final 12 teams who qualified for the Olympic comeback of rugby were:
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Australia |
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Argentina |
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Brazil |
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Australia |
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Canada |
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Brazil |
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Columbia |
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Fiji |
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Fiji |
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France |
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France |
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Great Britain |
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Great Britain |
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Japan |
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Japan |
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Kenya |
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Kenya |
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New Zealand |
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New Zealand |
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South Africa |
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Spain |
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Spain |
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USA |
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USA |
In a spectacular event that ran from Saturday 6th August to Thursday 11th August 2016, the breathtaking action blew away Olympic fans across the globe and it was the inimtable Flying Fijians that took Gold after annihilating England 7s 43-7 in the Mens competition, while four days earlier, the magnificent Australian ladies saw off the New Zealand Black Ferns to take the coveted inaugural title 24-7.
Click to see all the exciting happenings at the first Olympic Rugby 7s tournament in history at Rio2016...
FRANKLINS GARDENS
28-29 JULY 2017
GROUP A |
GROUP B |
GROUP C |
GROUP D |
Friday 28th July 2017 |
||||
18:00 |
PA |
Wasps 7s |
31 - 10 |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
18:22 |
PB |
Harlequins 7s |
7 - 29 |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
18:44 |
PC |
Sale Sharks 7s |
0 - 27 |
Worcester Warriors 7s |
19:06 |
PD |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
33 - 0 |
Northampton Saints 7s |
19:28 |
PA |
Wasps 7s |
52 - 0 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
19:50 |
PB |
Harlequins 7s |
24 - 10 |
London Irish 7s |
20:12 |
PC |
Sale Sharks 7s |
22 - 12 |
Bath Rugby 7s |
20:34 |
PD |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
19 - 26 |
Saracens 7s |
20:56 |
PA |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
26 - 19 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
21:18 |
PB |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
31 - 10 |
London Irish 7s |
21:40 |
PC |
Worcester Warriors 7s |
35 - 17 |
Bath Rugby 7s |
22:02 |
PD |
Northampton Saints 7s |
10 - 7 |
Saracens 7s |
Saturday 29th July 2017 |
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QUARTER FINALS |
|||
15:00 |
Wasps 7s |
27-10 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
15:22 |
Worcester Warriors 7s |
24 - 28 |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
15:44 |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
24 - 26 |
Harlequins 7s |
16:06 |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
26 - 14 |
Saracens 7s |
BOWL SEMI FINALS |
|||
16:28 |
Northampton Saints 7s |
28 - 12 |
London Irish 7s |
16:50 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
19 - 12 |
Bath Rugby 7s |
PLATE SEMI FINALS |
|||
17:12 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
15 - 31 |
Saracens 7s |
17:34 |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
29 - 22 |
Worcester Warriors 7s |
SEMI FINALS |
|||
17:56 |
Wasps 7s |
21 - 17 |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
18:18 |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
29 - 24 |
Harlequins 7s |
BOWL FINAL |
|||
18:40 |
|
24 - 21 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
PLATE FINAL |
|||
19:02 |
|
12 - 22 |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
THE FINAL |
|||
19:24 |
|
31 - 12 |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
2017 WINNERS: WASPS 
GROUP A
BT SPORT CARDIFF ARMS PARK ~ 22 July 2016
| Cardiff Blues 7s |
17 - 15 |
Ospreys 7s |
Scarlets 7s |
12 - 26 |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
Ospreys 7s |
21 - 19 |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
Cardiff Blues 7s |
22 - 12 |
Scarlets 7s |
Ospreys 7s |
24 - 5 |
Scarlets 7s |
Cardiff Blues 7s |
24 - 22 |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
GROUP B
SANDY PARK ~ 23 July 2016
| Exeter Chiefs 7s |
36 - 5 |
Bristol 7s |
Wasps 7s |
36 - 21 |
Bath Rugby 7s |
Wasps 7s |
22 - 14 |
Bristol 7s |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
33 - 5 |
Bath Rugby 7s |
Bristol 7s |
33 - 12 |
Bath Rugby 7s |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
26 - 19 |
Wasps 7s |
GROUP C
FRANKLIN’S GARDENS ~ 29 July 2016
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
26-19 |
Saracens 7s |
Northampton Saints 7s |
19-29 |
Harlequins 7s |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
10-31 |
Harlequins 7s |
Northampton Saints 7s |
24-17 |
Saracens 7s |
Harlequins 7s |
42-17 |
Saracens 7s |
Northampton Saints 7s |
27-17 |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
GROUP D
KINGSTON PARK ~ 30 July 2016
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
31-12 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
26-24 |
Worcester Warriors 7s |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
7-55 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
21-24 |
Worcester Warriors 7s |
Sale Sharks 7s |
31-10 |
Worcester Warriors 7s |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
26-17 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
FINALS
RICOH ARENA ~ 07 August 2016
KO: 2pm
QUARTER FINALS |
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|
17-24 |
Sale Sharks |
|
38-12 |
Northampton Saints |
|
19-24 |
Wasps |
|
17-28 |
Ospreys |
PLATE SEMI FINALS |
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|
40-10 |
Northampton Saints |
|
45-21 |
Newcastle Falcons |
PLATE FINAL |
||
|
28-22 |
Harlequins |
SEMI FINALS |
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|
21-26 |
Exeter Chiefs |
|
24-14 |
Ospreys |
FINAL |
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|
28-31 |
Wasps |
2016 WINNERS: WASPS
GROUP A
BT SPORT CARDIFF ARMS PARK ~ 15 August 2015
| Cardiff Blues 7s |
24 - 33 |
Ospreys 7s |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
19 - 24 |
Scarlets 7s |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
31 - 14 |
Ospreys 7s |
Cardiff Blues 7s |
5 - 26 |
Scarlets 7s |
Ospreys 7s |
17 - 12 |
Scarlets 7s |
Cardiff Blues 7s |
19 - 31 |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
GROUP B
KINGSHOLM ~ 20 August 2015
| Gloucester Rugby 7s |
36 - 5 |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
Bath Rugby 7s |
26 - 0 |
London Irish 7s |
Bath Rugby 7s |
10 - 26 |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
31 - 7 |
London Irish 7s |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
43 - 0 |
London Irish 7s |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
24 - 7 |
Bath Rugby 7s |
GROUP C
RICOH ARENA ~ 21 August 2015
Wasps 7s |
40 - 14 |
Harlequins 7s |
Saracens 7s |
12 - 31 |
Northampton Saints 7s |
Saracens 7s |
24 - 17 |
Harlequins 7s |
Wasps 7s |
49 - 5 |
Northampton Saints 7s |
Harlequins 7s |
26 - 12 |
Northampton Saints 7s |
Wasps 7s |
33 - 10 |
Saracens 7s |
GROUP D
KINGSTON PARK ~ 22 August 2015
| Newcastle Falcons 7s |
50 - 12 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
Worcester Warriors 7s |
19 - 19 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
Worcester Warriors 7s |
27 - 5 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
33 - 12 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
5 - 40 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
40 - 12 |
Worcester Warriors 7s |
FINALS
TWICKENHAM STOOP ~ 28 August 2015
QUARTER FINALS |
||
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
26 - 10 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
31 - 26 |
Harlequins 7s |
Wasps 7s |
33 - 5 |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
26 - 31 |
Scarlets 7s |
PLATE SEMI FINALS |
||
Sale Sharks 7s |
45 - 24 |
Harlequins 7s |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
14 - 12 |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
PLATE FINAL |
||
Sale Sharks 7s |
19 - 26 |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
SEMI FINALS |
||
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
19 - 14 |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
Wasps 7s |
33 - 12 |
Scarlets 7s |
FINAL |
||
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
17 - 14 |
Wasps 7s |
2015 WINNERS: NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS
THE rebranded Premiership Rugby 7s hosted a Welsh leg for the first time in 2014.
Cardiff Arms Park was the setting for the opening leg of the competition on Saturday July 26, which saw Scarlets, Cardiff Blues, Ospreys and Newport Gwent Dragons fight for the right to reach the Finals at The Stoop.
Davies insisted all four Welsh regions would fit seamlessly into the spirit of the tournament, with a host of hidden gems set to grab the spotlight on a thrilling night of 7s rugby.
"I'm really excited about the Welsh clubs getting involved with the Premiership Rugby 7s," said Davies, who is also chief executive at Scarlets. "The players are excited, the coaches are excited and now they know about it, the supporters are starting to get excited as well.”
The Premiership Rugby 7s may have be in uncharted waters in Wales but Davies expected the tournament to capture a public's imagination in the capital.
He added: "Cardiff Arms Park is iconic - it says it all. We're in the capital city on a Saturday night in the summer and for us that's an opportunity to bring new people into the game as well as our existing supporters.”
GROUP A
BT SPORT CARDIFF ARMS PARK ~ 26th July 2014
Cardiff Blues 7s |
33 - 21 |
Ospreys 7s |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
21 - 14 |
Scarlets 7s |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
33 - 5 |
Ospreys 7s |
Cardiff Blues 7s |
22 - 7 |
Scarlets 7s |
Ospreys 7s |
28 - 61 |
Scarlets 7s |
Cardiff Blues 7s |
19 - 19 |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
GROUP B
KINGSHOLM ~ 31st July 2014
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
29 - 14 |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
Bath Rugby 7s |
19 - 24 |
London Irish 7s |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
33 - 12 |
Bath Rugby 7s |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
17 - 10 |
London Irish 7s |
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
5 - 24 |
London Irish 7s |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
24 - 0 |
Bath Rugby 7s |
GROUP C
FRANKLINS GARDENS ~ 1st August 2014
Northampton Saints 7s |
7 - 40 |
Harlequins 7s |
Saracens 7s |
33 - 12 |
Wasps 7s |
Saracens 7s |
0 - 36 |
Harlequins 7s |
Northampton Saints 7s |
24 - 21 |
Wasps 7s |
Harlequins 7s |
26 - 19 |
Wasps 7s |
Northampton Saints 7s |
33 - 14 |
Saracens 7s |
GROUP D
DARLINGTON NORTHERN ECHO ARENA ~ 1st August 2014
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
26 - 21 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
London Welsh 7s |
15 - 14 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
London Welsh 7s |
14 - 17 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
27 - 7 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
31 - 12 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
14 - 5 |
London Welsh 7s |
FINALS
THE STOOP ~ 8th August 2014
QUARTER FINALS |
||
Cardiff Blues 7s |
19 - 14 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
50 - 5 |
Northampton Saints 7s |
Harlequins 7s |
26 - 10 |
London Irish 7s |
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
10 - 12 |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
SEMI FINALS |
||
Cardiff Blues 7s |
14 - 24 |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
Harlequins 7s |
15 - 19 |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
FINAL |
||
GLOUCESTER RUGBY 7S |
12 - 5 |
Newport Gwent Dragons 7s |
2014 WINNERS: GLOUCESTER RUGBY
PREMIERSHIP Rugby launched The J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series in 2010, a new Friday evening summer 7s series, with KO at 7.30pm, which took place in July and August and was broadcast live and exclusively on ESPN.
The innovative tournament involved all 12 Premiership Rugby clubs during the summer.
The clubs were divided into three groups for the tournament, with the winner and runner up of each regional event going through to the final, which was won by Saracens at The Rec in 2010, and Newcastle Falcons at the Twickenham Stoop in 2011.
The 2012 J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series saw some action packed rugby with the likes of Matt Banahan, Tom Biggs, Freddie Burns, Shane Geraghty, Johnny Leota, Jonny May, Nils Mordt, Topsy Ojo, and Henry Trinder showing off their silky 7s skills.
Jonathan Joseph won Man of the Round at the Series Final in Bath on Friday, 3 August where he and London Irish captain, Alex Gray inspired the exiles to a sensational second half comeback to win a tight game with Gloucester to claim the first silverware of the 2012-13 season.
With Bath Rugby, Gloucester Rugby, London Irish, London Welsh, Sale Sharks and Saracens fielding strong teams in front of a sell out crowd at The Rec. The Series Final produced another night of thrilling, fast flowing rugby to end the Series in style with London Irish being crowned 2012 J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series Champions.
ROUND 1
THE STOOP ~ 13th July 2012
London Irish 7s |
14 - 21 |
Harlequins 7s |
ROUND 2
EDGELEY PARK ~ 20th July 2012
London Welsh 7s |
31 - 19 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
ROUND 3
KINGSHOLM ~ 26th July 2012
Exeter Chiefs 7s |
7 - 36 |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
FINALS
THE REC ~ 3rd August 2012
Saracens 7s |
33 - 12 |
Sale Sharks 7s |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
28 - 33 |
LONDON IRISH 7s |
2012 WINNERS: LONDON IRISH
ROUND 1
KINGSHOLM ~ 1 August 2013
Bath Rugby 7s |
19 - 29 |
Gloucester Rugby 7s |
ROUND 2
FRANKLINS GARDENS ~ 2 August 2013
Newcastle Falcons 7s |
28 - 22 |
Northampton Saints 7s |
ROUND 3
ALLINZ PARK ~ 3 August 2013
London Irish 7s |
12 - 24 |
Saracens 7s |
FINALS
THE REC ~ 9 August 2013
Worcester Warriors 7s |
12 - 35 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
GLOUCESTER RUGBY 7s |
24 - 17 |
Leicester Tigers 7s |
2013 WINNERS: GLOUCESTER RUGBY
CLICK LOGO FOR RESULTS & MATCH REPORTS...
25 - 26th July 2014
THE vast majority of the top Rugby Sevens nations in the world will be expected at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
A total of 42 games will be contested across two days of fierce competition at Ibrox Stadium, as 16 teams battle it out in front of packed audiences striving for the single Glasgow 2014 gold medal.
With Rugby Sevens set to make its Olympic Games debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games will take on a new focus as the best teams in the Commonwealth look to get an early foothold on the sport across the next decade of competition.
Click below for the latest...
RUGBY has strong historical links with the Olympic Games. Pierre de Coubertin, impressed by the sport’s spirit and values, recognised how strongly its ethos sat with his vision for the reborn Olympic Movement. He realised the strengths Rugby could bring to the Olympic Games – and he personally oversaw Rugby’s debut in the Paris 1900 Games and its subsequent appearances in the Games of 1908, 1920 and 1924. But a pitch invasion at the 1924 Paris Olympics had given rugby a poor image and this spelled the death knell for rugby at the Olympics.
The global development of rugby through the rapidly increasing number of Unions affiliated to the IRB and the explosion in participation and support for both the XVs and 7s disciplines of the Game cannot be denied over the last 100 years . This rapid growth reflected growing awareness and support for rugby within the Olympic Movement, culminating in a recommendation in 2001 from the Olympic Programme Commission to the IOC Session, that Rugby Sevens be included in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
While the IRB had proposed the inclusion of either Rugby Sevens or Fifteens, it was the Olympic Programme Commission that recommended Rugby Sevens as it felt this fast-paced youthful version of the Game was best suited to the multi-sport environment, as has been proven by the huge success of Sevens in both the Commonwealth and Asian Games, where it is now a core sport. Unfortunately, the recommended modernisations to the programme were not carried through but that did not stop the IRB from carrying on in its quest for rugby’s inclusion in subsequent Games.
Dr Syd Millar of Ireland, who succeeded Vernon Pugh as IRB Chairman, continued the campaign for Olympic admission with increased vigour. The IRB’s efforts reflected the global views of world rugby, leading to its inclusion in further IOC reviews for the London 2012 Olympic Games in 2005. Although rugby was short listed for consideration in the Olympic Programme, the IOC again decided not to introduce new sports and the goal of becoming an Olympic sport remained tantalisingly out of reach.
The newly elected IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset of France has made the readmission of rugby into the sporting programme of the Olympic Games one of his top priorities. As Rugby Sevens has become increasingly popular around the world and is played at almost all major Regional competitions from the Asian Games, to the Mediterranean Games, and from the South Pacific Games to the Commonwealth Games, the aspirations of the rugby family eventually to fulfil the original dream of the founder of the Olympics remained high.
The final decision was made at the IOC Session in Copenhagen in October 2009. The IRB used a number of high profile people and events to influence the IOC to include Sevens at the 2016 games. In March 2009, two senior delegates from the IOC attended the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai at the invitation of the IRB. The event attracted 78,000 fans over the three days and saw Wales crowned Men’s World Champions and Australia won the first ever Women's World Cup.
Along with the World Cup, the IRB enlisted some of rugby’s biggest names to assist in the bid. In March 2009, Jonah Lomu and Lawrence Dallaglio were announced as ambassadors for the bid and in April 2009 Waisale Serevi was unveiled as an ambassador to coincide with the Oceania National Olympic Committees' general assembly. May 2009 saw the IRB announce that they would drop the Rugby World Cup Sevens in order to improve the chances of the sport being included. The benefit of this move would be to make the Olympics the premier event in international rugby sevens.
On 13 August 2009 it was announced that the IOC executive board was recommending rugby sevens for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games and on 9 October 2009 the full IOC, at its 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, voted to include Rugby Sevens in the 2016 games.
Separate competitions for men and women will be held at Rio de Janiero, using a similar format to the existing IRB Sevens World Series, with 12 countries participating in each tournament. There is no doubt competition will be fierce for nations to qualify, and countries around the world are already ploughing $ millions into ensuring their team will not miss out at a chance of taking home gold, including China, Portugal, Spain, Holland, France and many others who previously were not part of the global 7s circuit.
