Why should you watch this

The key skills of the sevens game are running, handling and contact making for a fast-moving and exciting game for the fans as well as the players.

With seven players per team playing seven minutes each-way matches, the winning team is the one scoring the most points – 5 for a try and 2 for a “conversion” after the try.

Did you know…?

  • Seven-a-side contact rugby
  • Three-person scrum (instead of eight)
  • Tournaments generally held in the summer months
  • Seven-minute halves, one-minute half-time
  • Recognised at international level
  • There are 1,800 clubs across England where you are welcome to give the game a ‘try’!

How it Works

Traditionally Sevens was considered a bit of fun to wind down the season. Nowadays, however, it is seen as an extension to the season with more and more Sevens activities taking place.

Sevens is viewed as an important stage in the development of future England internationals. It truly is a global sport with a huge worldwide following.

The key factor in sevens is that, as the name cleverly suggests, there are only seven players in each team! This means more ground for each person to cover, but also more possession of the ball for each player.

There are just three people in a scrum and two or three in a lineout, whereas in the full game there can be up to eight players in each.

As a result, technical offences are less common and play is faster and more free flowing. In addition, set pieces are a lot simpler to understand, which is great if you can’t get your head around all those scrum laws!

With fewer players on the pitch, there is plenty of space for individuals to show off their skills. It is a game that really exploits the basics of rugby – running, passing, tackling and decision-making. To be successful you need speed, skill and stamina.