History of Sevens Rugby
Legend has it that Sevens Rugby was born in the Scottish town of Melrose in 1883 after an internal club dispute led to a breakaway group forming. Neither the old or new club had sufficient players so the local butcher invented a seven-a-side format which allowed competition to begin.
The rugby it produced was like no other. Players found space to work in. Speed and athletic skills came through, with timing and agility playing a greater role than the physical qualities of the 15-man game.
Sevens Rugby is non-stop action played in two seven-minute halves with one minute for half-time. There are seven players on each side with three reserves.
In 1993 a World Cup of Sevens was held, appropriately in Scotland, again in 1997, this time in Hong Kong then in 2001 at Mar del Plata in Argentina where Australia was beaten in the final by New Zealand.
Since then, Sevens rugby has taken another huge leap forward, with the creation of a World Sevens Series - a truly international series of tournaments involving 16 nations, played in countries as varied as Argentina, Chile, England, Malaysia, China and Australia.
Visit the IRB Sevens website for more information
