A relatively young sport captured the heart of the French nation over the last week, with Les Bleus rugby 7s team, led by the ubiquitous Antoine Dupont, winning the country’s first gold medal of the 2024 Olympics, beating reigning champions Fiji in the final. As the international festival of sport that is the Summer Olympics begins, billions of viewers will tune in worldwide over two and a half weeks for wall-to-wall sports across 32 disciplines.
The beauty of the Olympic Games lies in its innate ability to captivate us with sports we might not usually watch, with traditional Olympic sports such as swimming, boxing, and athletics tending to dominate screen time. One such underexposed sport is Rugby 7s.
Traditionally, rugby has been associated with the professional Rugby Union 15s game, which has been on a steady rise worldwide since becoming professional in 1995.
In Ireland, the popularity of traditional rugby has been on an upward trajectory, boosted by recent Six Nations successes. The often brutal and physical game of rugby is a stunning spectacle, but complicated rules make it difficult for first-time viewers to understand. Concern is also growing in rugby circles about the size of players and lack of space on the pitch, causing major collisions resulting in concussions and other serious injuries.
Highly publicised cases of former rugby stars suffering from neurological disorders in later life are casting a dark shadow over the sport, and governing bodies have been forced to continually revise and rethink rules relating to collisions and tackles to make the game safer.
So, What is Rugby 7s?
Rugby 7s is a simplified version of the 15s game. It is easier to follow and is played at a faster pace on the same-sized pitch. The reduction of players creates more pitch space to prioritize footwork, skill, and evasion rather than heavy contact collisions.
A bonanza of speed, strength, agility, and skill with quick breakdowns and scrums make it a joy to watch. Primed athletes in peak condition compete in teams of seven players over a 14-minute period (two halves of 7 minutes) with roll-on roll-off substitutions from their 12-player squads. The game is lightning fast with regular scoring and excitement. If you look away for one second, the outcome of the game can drastically change.
Outside of the Olympics, the regular season of 7s takes place in a league known as the HSBC World Sevens Series, which is made up of 8 tournaments. The games are played over the course of a weekend with the finals taking place on a Sunday. The spectacular locations on the HSBC 7s circuit include Hong Kong, Singapore, the USA, Spain, and South Africa. Pageantry-style costumes and a carnival atmosphere bring a level of glitz and glamour that the 15s game simply cannot match.
The finishing positions of national teams in each tournament contribute to their overall league positions and points. The top-finishing team is crowned HSBC World 7s Champion at the end of the year, with the team that finishes bottom being relegated.
The Future of the Game
While the popularity of the game has been on the rise, and its introduction to the Olympics in 2016 has increased its position on a global stage, a possible option for World Rugby to grow the game further would be a Netflix “Drive to Survive” style documentary, allowing the public a behind-the-scenes insight into the sport while getting to know the exciting personalities on tour.
From an Irish perspective, there are plenty of personalities to showcase, such as former UCD student Harry McNulty, who has already accumulated close to 100,000 TikTok followers with his travel videos, and Jordan Conroy with an impressive 50,000 Instagram followers. Former Love Island winner and 7s Olympian, Greg O’Shea, would also encourage a strong viewership.
Internationally, USA sevens star Ilona Maher has amassed a TikTok following of 1.6 million with her entertaining videos and insights into the sport. New Zealand star Michaela Blyde has also risen to TikTok fame with her following reaching over 100,000 during the course of Olympics so far. These entertaining characters bode well for the likability of players and interest in the sport.
UCD has an astonishing twelve alumni competing at the Olympic 7s across the men’s and women’s teams. Although the men’s competition is now completed, the women’s is only getting started.
While the Olympics marks a high point for the sport, rugby 7s is still in its early days on this grand stage. These athletes will continue to train and compete on the global HSBC circuit, and the Olympic spotlight could be the catalyst that propels rugby 7s into mainstream success. For me, this dynamic, fast-paced version of rugby might just be the game’s future.
By Daire Lydon – Sports Writer