Rugby sevens, sometimes called just Sevens or seven-a-side rugby, is a variation of rugby union in which sides consist of seven players who play seven-minute parts instead of the typical fifteen players who play forty-minute periods.
World Rugby, which oversees rugby unions worldwide, manages rugby sevens. Players of all skill levels enjoy this popular game, and summer is when individual and club competitions are typically held.
One of the most widely played variations of rugby, sevens is particularly well-liked in the South Pacific and is played throughout most of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Rugby Sevens Olympics History
Rugby has not been included in the Olympics in any format since the Summer Olympics in 1924, but the IOC decided to bring the seven-a-side variant to the games. The sport was played in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. After that, it will be played in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Australia, a significant rugby sevens country, is predicted to add the sport in 2032.
The Tokyo Stadium hosted the rugby sevens competition during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo from July 26 to July 31, 2021. Twenty-four teams, 12 for each gender, played in the tournament.
The rugby sevens competitions in the 2024 Olympics in Paris were held at Stade de France from July 24 to July 30, 2024. 24 teams participated in their own tournaments, competing against one another. The men's semifinal and quarterfinal phases of the rugby sevens events were played 2 days before the opening ceremony for the first time.
Rugby Sevens Olympics Rules
Sevens is played on a typical rugby union playing field. The field is up to 70 meters broad and 100 meters long. An H-shaped goal is located on either goal line. Various legal modifications impact rugby sevens, mostly to speed up play and accommodate the smaller player count.
- 7 players on the pitch for each team instead of 15.
- Seven-minute halves instead of forty-minute halves in a fifteen-a-side format.
- Drawn games proceed into golden point extra time, which consists of several 5-minute portions.
- Conversions must be made within 30 seconds after scoring a try. The previous cap was 40 seconds, but that changed in 2016.
- Every conversion attempt needs to be discarded.
- Unlike fifteen-a-side, when the team conceded kicks, in sevens, the team that just scored scores first.
- Extra officials known as "in-goal touch judges" are present during important competitions to determine whether kicks at goals are successful.
Rugby Sevens Competition Format
The competition is divided into two phases for both the men's and women's teams: pool play and a knockout round. For the pool phase, the 12 teams are split into 3 pools of 4. Every team in the pool gets to face the other three teams once.
Following pool play, the top eight teams - two from each group and the two best third-place finishers move on to the quarterfinals, with the remaining four teams going to a sympathy round semifinal. There are knockout rounds in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. The quarterfinal losers advance to the second comfort bracket semifinals, and the victors go to the medal semifinals.
The winner of the final wins the gold medal, the silver by the losing finalist, and a third-place playoff decides the bronze medal between the two losing semifinalists.