Rugby Sevens

Rugby is usually played with 15 players. Rugby Sevens, as the name suggests, is played with just 7 players on each side; three forwards and four backs. Sevens is played on a full-size pitch and because there are so few players, the game is very expansive and fast. Players are generally very fast, mobile and fit. A sevens match is usually only 14 minutes long (as opposed to 80mins for 15-a-side). Due to the short match lengths, sevens is usually played in tournaments with plenty of time between matches for the players to recover.

The rules of sevens are the same as 15-a-side rugby. One notable exceptions is kick-offs; in sevens, the team that scored is required to kick off.

The IRB runs an international sevens tournament. National teams from around the world play in a series of tournaments in different locations around the world. Tournament locations include Hong Kong, Dubai, New Zealand, London, Paris, George, USA and Singapore. The overall winner of the IRB Sevens Series is the team that gains the most series points. Series points are awarded for finishing well in the various tournaments.

IRB Sevens | RWC Series