About the iRB Sevens

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.

As sports historian Jack Pollard puts it "Sevens matches are unpredictable Tests of stamina, ball-handling expertise and blistering pace".

In 1976, in far-off Hong Kong, the creation of the sleepy Scots border town was hoisted onto the international stage with the inaugural Hong Kong Sevens.

The weekend festival featuring teams from all parts of the world captured international attention with its exciting brand of play in front of packed houses.

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.

In 1998, Sevens Rugby was also included into the Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur where Australia won the Bronze Medal.

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.

The IRB World Sevens Series takes in eight Sevens tournaments around the world, starting in the Middle East, then moving to Africa, North America, Asia, Australia and concluding in the UK.   The iRB World Seven Series Round Six will be held in Adelaide on 5th and 6th April 2008.  

Visit the IRB Sevens website