Rugby sevens is an increasingly popular form of the game. Colloquially known simply as ‘sevens’, this form of rugby union features teams of seven players playing games of seven-minute halves. This is stark contrast to the full form of the game, in which 15 players per side play 40-minute halves.
International sevens are a great draw, but the game is popular at every level including club and amateur. Most tournaments are held in the summertime, with the full form of the game mostly a winter sport.
Rugby Sevens: An Overview
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Sevens’ contracted game duration allows organised tournaments to be played over a weekend, sometimes even a day. Many such competitions have tournaments rewarded with a cup, a plate, a bowl and a shield. This means players at different levels can compete. While full fifteen-a-side rugby tournaments, such as the Gallagher Premiership or the Six Nations, are naturally very serious in nature, sevens competitions have a very relaxed vibe.
Fostering a festival-style ambience, sevens tournaments have been known as popular end-of-season from the more serious rugby competitions and leagues. Fancy dress, music and other things of a carnival nature are often encouraged. Not that this sport isn’t official. Sevens is sanctioned and run by World Rugby, the organisation responsible for the rules and laws of the 15-player game. The biggest difference of all of course, is that here there are only seven players playing for 7 minutes per half with only a two-minute half-time break.
In the past, matches could lengthen as a tournament progresses with finals being played out over two 10-minute halves. Since 2017 however, finals have been limited to seven minutes per half. This was done to help to discourage fatigue and injury. Though games are short, scores in sevens are similar to full-scale rugby. This is because scoring opportunities are very regular in what is a fast-paced form of the game. The scoring system is the same: 5 points for a try, 2 for a conversion and 3 points for a penalty or drop goal.
Basic Laws of Sevens Rugby
Despite the lack of players, sevens is played on a regular union field. The pitch, as discussed in detail on our dedicated page, can be 100m x 70m or even more.
Differences to 15-a-Side Rugby
These are the main differences you’ll notice in sevens versus full-scale rugby union:
| Rugby Sevens | 15-a-Side Rugby |
|---|---|
| 7 players per team | 15 players per team |
| 7 minutes per half | 40 minutes per half |
| 2 minutes for half-time | 10 minutes for half-time |
| Conversions are drop-kicks | Conversions usually place-kicks |
| Conversions must be taken with 30 seconds of a try being scored | Conversions can be taken within 90 seconds |
| 5 replacements allowed | 8 replacements allowed |
| Scrums contain 3 players | Scrums contain 8 players |
| Yellow cards mean a 2-minute suspension | Offenders are suspended for 10 minutes |
| Games drawn in regulation time continue into ‘golden point extra time’ – 5-minute periods | Draws are allowed, except in knockout rounds in which case extra-time is played |
| Extra officials are present in major tournaments, such as in-goal judges to determine the success of kicks at goal | Normal match officials employed |
| Officials decide on advantages quickly | Longer decisions are commonplace |
| Kick-offs are taken by the team which has scored | The conceding team takes the kick-off |
The variations in law take into account the lack of players versus the fifteens, but also the shorter timescale of games. These variations are meant to speed up matches, which they do very successfully.
Player Positions
With only seven players in each team, this is how they line up in a rugby sevens match:
Forwards
- 1: Prop
- 2: Hooker
- 3: Prop
Backs
- 4: Scrum-half
- 5: Fly-half
- 6: Centre
- 7: Wing
This is a very fast-paced game. With that in mind, players in a sevens team are usually backs or loose forwards when competing in 15-a-side. Scrums in sevens are formed using one row of three players, whereas in 15-a-side eight players are used in three rows. Because of this, scrums are assembled much quicker and need fewer restarts. As well as this, the ball leaves the scrum faster.
Penalties in rugby sevens are taken using a quick tap. This is in contrast to a kick for touch and a resulting lineout in the full form of the game.
Rugby Sevens: A Brief History
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Many people think that sevens is an Asian version of rugby, and a recent variant at that. Both assumptions are wrong. Sevens actually stems from Scotland in the 1880’s, specifically Melrose. There, the Melrose Sevens is still played every year. Sevens’ popularity grew exponentially and right enough; it was driven by the incarnation of the Hong Kong Sevens during the 70’s. In 1998, the sport was included in the Commonwealth Games for the first time before the World Rugby Sevens Series began in 1999.
The World Rugby Women’s Sevens was next to be formed in 2012, while in 2016 the game was included in the Olympics for the first time. This drew a bigger, newer audience to the sport. Sevens has also been played in the Pan American Games and the Asian Games, while in 2018 a women’s tournament was included in the Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia.
Where Is Rugby Sevens Played?
Sevens is well established in many recognised rugby territories. Today, it is popular in the Americas, Asia, Africa and in Europe. Sevens and Asia are synonymous with each other. The Hong Kong Sevens tournament was crucial in bringing the game to a wide audience, chiefly in Asia but also around the world via TV. Though not for purists, sevens is arguably the most played format of the game globally.
This version of the game is more popular than 15-a-side matches in more niche rugby areas, such as Colombia, Kenya, Thailand and even Scandinavia.