Sevens

Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union. While traditional XV-a-side games feature 15 players on each team and 40-minute halves, rugby sevens teams are made up of seven players who contest seven-minute halves.

The first game of rugby sevens took place on 28 April 1883. The first matches were played at The Greenyards, the home of Melrose RFC in the Scottish Borders. The hosts won this first tournament, beating six other sides to lift the Ladies Cup.

Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union. While traditional XV-a-side games feature 15 players on each team and 40-minute halves, rugby sevens teams are made up of seven players who contest seven-minute halves.

Fourteen players feature in a Rugby Sevens game. This format of rugby is seven-a-side, with two teams of seven players competing on a full size pitch. Each side competes to score tries, conversions, drop goals and penalties. The team that scores the most points wins the match.

A half in a game of Rugby Sevens is seven minutes long. Just as the name suggests, a Rugby Sevens match is split into two seven-minute halves and the game lasts for 14 minutes. This is much shorter than 15s, where each half is 40 minutes long.

The half-time break in a game of Rugby Sevens is a maximum of two minutes. According to rugby laws, half-time can be one to two minutes long. This is significantly shorter than 15s, where half-time lasts for 10 minutes.

The scoring system in a game of Rugby Sevens is the same as 15s. A try is worth five points and two additional points are awarded for a conversion. Drop goals and penalties are worth three points each.

The main rugby sevens tournaments include:

• The World Rugby Sevens Series
• The World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series
• The Rugby World Cup Sevens
• The Commonwealth Games
• The Summer Olympics

The laws in Rugby Sevens are different to 15-a-side rugby. Although the game is governed by the laws of rugby union, Rugby Sevens is subject to variations, including:

- Five substitutes and five interchanges (instead of eight)
- All conversions must be drop-kicked
- Only three players from each team can participate in scrums (instead of eight)
- Kick-offs are completed by the team that has just scored
- Yellow card suspensions are two minutes (instead of 10)

A Rugby Sevens side consists of three forwards and four backs. The three forwards are made up of two props and one hooker; the four backs contain a scrum-half, a fly-half, a centre and a winger.

Yes, rugby sevens is contested at the Summer Olympics. The sport made its Olympic debut at Rio 2016. 

Yes, women play rugby sevens. 

Women’s rugby sevens became popular during the 1960s and 70s, as it allowed the development of leagues and tournaments with smaller teams. The first women’s rugby sevens internationals were played in 1997.

The most famous rugby sevens players of all time include: 

• Canada: Ghislaine Landry
• England: Ben Gollings and Dan Norton
• Fiji: Waisale Serevi and Marika Vunibaka
• New Zealand: DJ Forbes, Eric Rush and Portia Woodman
• USA: Perry Baker

Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union. While traditional XV-a-side games feature 15 players on each team and 40-minute halves, rugby sevens teams are made up of seven players who contest seven-minute halves.

Rugby sevens is known for being fast-paced. As a result, the sport has historically attracted some of the quickest athletes on the planet. 

In the men’s game, look no further than Trae Williams and Carlin Isles, who have previously run the 100m in 10.1 seconds and 10.13 seconds respectively. 

In the women’s game, keep an eye out for Portia Woodman-Wickliffe. She’s been clocked running at 31 kph! This equates to 11.6 seconds over 100m, which is less than half a second outside the women’s qualifying time for Tokyo 2020!