For the first time, the Sydney 7s will host an official leg of the Women’s Sevens World Series in February next year, as the gold medal winners continue to grow the women’s game.
The girls took out the first ever Rugby Sevens gold medal at Rio this year, but are also defending World Series champions after knocking off the only previous winner, New Zealand, last season.
While Australia has hosted the World Series 14 times since the tournament’s beginnings, and across four cities, this will be Sydney’s second year and the very first time that the Women’s event has been brought to Australia.
As defending champions and gold medalists, the argument for a home series tournament was too much to resist for the World Series organisers.
The shorter format of rugby has enjoyed tremendous growth in recent years and the women’s version has been no different, as participation and quality continue to rise.
While not an official leg of the series, the women did play at last year’s Sydney 7’s in exhibition matches against Ireland, a testing of waters of sorts.
Rio gold medal winner Emilee Cherry was thrilled with the whole experience and hopes it will only continue to get bigger and better.
“The feedback afterwards was the crowd were so impressed with how well we play, so hopefully after everything that will have happened this year, people will come out to watch us,” Cherry said about last year’s experience.
With her, and the whole team’s, eyes set on expanding the horizon of the sevens format, she has hopes that this opportunity will continue to grow the game and peak the interest of young women in Australia.
“To have those young girls come out and watch us, and hopefully be inspired to go the Olympics and win a gold medal, that’d be awesome,” she said.
“Hopefully they will come and have a watch, get a first-hand look and then grow into the game. Hopefully coming into Sydney sevens that keeps rolling on.”
Cherry hasn’t been the only one to voice their excitement of the historic event. Men’s veteran Ed Jenkins realises the impact that the women’s gold and World Series success has had on the game as a whole.
“What the girls managed to do by winning the gold medal has changed the landscape of sevens and rugby here in Australia,” he said.
“They did a great job of putting sevens on the map here in Australia.”
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