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.
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.
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!
Craig Morgan
Guest
The Central Coast Sevens is a significant development opportunity for Australian Sevens. It offers the strongest domestic clubs and players the chance to play at a higher level against some of the strongest opposition, providing a significant test and chance for players to show their ability against some of the best teams and players in the world...what better way to prove your worth and earn a state or Australian jersey. The tournament also offers state programs the chance to prepare for nationals, the tournament was used by ACT and NSW as selection trials again giving significant opportunity at state level. The tournament was used by the national programs to prepare for the world-series, it is also contract time so players were playing for contracts and coaching staff looking to players to earn their spots and unearth new talent. Funds by all accounts go directly back into the sevens program so not really to the ARU, the sevens programs run on bare bones so earning prize money assists them greatly and as has been shown in the past their is no promise that national teams win. Sunnybank famously claimed the prize several years ago over the national program. There is a place for all levels of tournament, each who contribute to the development of the game.
Des Bryant
Guest
@perthstayer was it called Viva 7's?
conor
Guest
Touch is aligned to rugby league In Australia.In most other countries it is aligned to rugby union.
mark bryant
Guest
No disrespect to CC7's but how does this help Australian 7's. International sides travel over, play go home, these players cant be picked for Australia. If Australian sides win prize money back to ARU. Tournaments need to be held at each level. Kiama Sevens is for only ARU teams. No international,invitational or rep sides $25k prize money back to clubs.
NaBUru38
Guest
There should be a Sanzaar Super Sevens in December-January.
Perthstayer
Roar Rookie
Mokichat - you're not wrong. But there's a long list of transferable/positive skills: position awareness, looking for gaps, count off, defensive line speed, offloads, continuity of play, playing what is in front of you. For 15's it is slow drip down. The "rugby" conversation is live in Perth (Touch, Pindan, Spirit, Force), decent brains need to formulate a plan to harness this. Touch did it well (yes it is league associated but many of my team are union players), I don't see why 7's can't, but only if and when they do will 15's get a bite of the cherry by lassoo'ing 7's players. NRC is seeing more tries/speed, 7's gives instant gratification society needs. 20/20 cricket has ballooned yet Test cricket still gets front page coverage and sustains the highest quality. There is room for both (one day cricket is the victim but I don't know where that fits in my analogy!)
Wal
Roar Guru
I'll be there after a great experience last year
AussieIrish
Guest
Problem with this is that Touch Rugby is affiliated with Rugby League and that suggests that the pathway is to League, rather than Rugby. Also, I understand the author’s search for optimism in Rugby in Australia and I hope that interest in 7s will lead to interest and participation. However, make no bones about it, interest and participation in 15s is slowly in decline in Australia. My experience is with my two boys, who have finally thrown off the shackles of AFL and now play in a 7s comp. The problem is that nearly all the people, in their club and other teams participating in 7s, have only a skirting interest in 15s. It’s not the nature of the game, it the belief that now days people are time poor and have to ration the time they spend in organised sport. In their opinion, the half a day required to play 80 mins of Rugby is too much. We are all searching for the magic bullet that will rejuvenate Australia’s interest in Rugby and maybe 7’s will do that. However, I fear that it will become like 20s Cricket and plough over the other forms of that game.
Mokicat
Guest
It's 'Touch', why add a second name to it? it is neither rugby nor league but a sport in its own right.
Perthstayer
Roar Rookie
I live in Perth, moved house last year and realised a rugby pitch was around the corner, next thing I know at nearly 50 I've started touch rugby. I was amazed that several nights per week through the year there are at least 8 teams within the teenager to late 20's age group (not all old buggers like me!). At the State Championships I was stunned at the hundreds of people avidly engaged in the wider sport we call rugby. I know Touch rugby is not close to 15's but it is very close to 7's. I don't think 7's is big in WA but I suspect if some effort was made then there is a ready made pool of talent.
Onside
Guest
Mens and women's 7's, are an end in themselves ,not a means to an end. (15 a side rugby) Both 7,s are legitimate sports in their own right, sharing the name rugby with 15 a side game. Similar to mens and womens cricket formats, sharing a name, but are often mutually exclusive. This does not mean players are incapable of playing all formats of either rugby or cricket ,but unlikely, like hoping that a new fan of 7's or big bash, will become a fan of the traditional game. Enjoy the growth in 7's rugby, but hoping it will transfer to growth in the full game, is blue sky.