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The role of the Central Coast Sevens in Australian rugby
James Preston
Roar Guru
12th October, 2016
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Competitions like the Central Coast Sevens are pivotal to developing Rugby Union players in Australia.
James Preston
Roar Guru
12th October, 2016
11
1998 Reads

Rugby participation in Australia is growing overall. The two major areas for growth for Australia don’t come from the traditional format of the game, but from sevens and women’s rugby, in particular women’s sevens.

When looking to the future of rugby globally, there’s no doubting sevens’ trajectory as a growth area for the sport. The Rugby World Cup remains the pinnacle, but Olympic exposure and increasing professionalisation of sevens teams means it should be taken seriously as a second professional tier.

So beyond schoolboy rugby competitions and grassroots sevens tournaments, where do we see high-level play in the format?

The Central Coast Sevens is probably the best example we’ve come across. It’s Australia’s premier rugby sevens festival outside of the world series.

Teams from Australia, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand and Japan will contest this year’s tournament on the Central Coast from October 21-23. It’s broadcast live globally. It’s a big deal.

And the best thing about it is, it is designed as a pathway for development in an era where those are hard to find. Introducing international teams connects grassroots rugby in Australia with international opportunities, giving us some kind of yardstick.

$20,000 prize money is on offer for the winner of the Cup division, with teams either invited or asked to nominate. For clubs, that kind of money is important.

The Olympic gold medal-winning Aussie women’s team as well as the men are both returning from the Rio Olympic Games will be joined by the national development teams with a focus on strong preparation for the start of the World-Series and working toward the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

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Several local teams will also be competing.

The competition has been run since 2009 and includes both men and women competing across four divisions; Cup, Plate, Boot and Ball.

With seven successful tournaments having been hosted to date, consideration needs to be made to adopt the Central Coast Sevens model on a broader scale.

Competitions such as the National Rugby Championship have helped to bridge the gap between club rugby and Super Rugby, but there are still many talented players that fall through the gaps.

This is where an increase in sevens tournaments similar to the Central Coast Sevens can come in handy.

Exposure is everything when it comes to identifying potential talent and events such as these provide tremendous exposure for some of the best young athletes in the country. It also offers these players the potential to test their skills against seasoned professionals from the invitational teams.

Perhaps the next logical step is to create a national sevens competition. This competition could act as a direct pathway to both the NRC and representative sevens squads.

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As has been said many times on The Roar, if sevens is the future, a circuit is needed.

For more information and to purchase tickets ahead of time click here. Be sure to bring the family!

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