Want a game to run? Try Rugby 7's

Now that we know the basic rules of rugby. Playing a 15's aside game requires knowledge of tactical play but when it comes to a game that combines not only tactical but mostly speed, 10's aside or 7's aside is your game. I don't have the stamina or even breath to run a whole minute. So i'd skip this game for myself but you should give it a try. Lets go back to where it all began.

The photo "IRB Sevens" (RugbyBahamas, nd)

It started in the 19th Century in the mighty country of Scotland and the surprising part was, the idea of playing 7's aside rugby came from a Scottish butcher and his apprentice. Where in Scotland exactly? 

Ned Haig, the apprentice suggested a rugby tournament as part of the sports day event to raise funds for the club. At first they thought of doing a 20 aside match but the committee decided it was hard to work with. I mean, seriously, cramping up 40 men on the pitch seems so crowded. So as a solution to that problem, they decided to reduce the number of players in the pitch. This idea came from David Sanderson and thus on April 28th, 1883 the inauguration 7 aside rugby tournament was held (Heymann, 2009). Each match played two halves with maximum 15 minutes per game. So basically it's played with seven minutes a half with one minute break in between. The first team to win this tournament was the host themselves. After that the 7 aside tournament continue to grow throughout the rugby world. 

This type of rugby game focuses more on the running part in. So their skills in avoiding tackles and sidesteps are very important for a 10’s and 7’s game.

Basically the rules of the games are the same as 15’s, just that when a team manage to score, the conversion must be a dropped kick rather than the usual kicking tee.

The photo "Kicking Tee" (SportsWarehouse, 2012)

In a tournament if the match ended as a draw for a elimination match, extra time will commence in which the team who scores the first try will be the winner and the game ends. I normally heard the term "sudden-death" used in this context when my coaches officiates a tournament.

Position wise for 7’s

3 Forwards in the field, 2 Props and one Hooker.

Backs only provide Scrum – half, Fly – Half (Stand – Off), Inside Center, Outside Center, and one Winger.

The pitch dimension is still the same as a 15’s Game. So the team must have a different gameplay for a 7's aside game.

To have more understanding on the rules of this game please click on the link below

http://www.irblaws.com/downloads/EN/IRB_Laws_2012_EN.pdf , page 168 onwards.

Cheers

Reference

RugbyBahamas. IRB Sevens [image]. Retrieved from http://www.rugbybahamas.com/images/IRB_Sevens_01.jpg

Heymann, R. (2009) The Origins of Rugby Sevens: Ned's Legacy. Retrieved from http://ur7s.com/news/63 

SportsWarehouse. (2010) Kicking Tee [image]. Retrieved from http://www.sportswarehouse.co.uk/products/Gilbert-Adjustable-Kicking-Tee.html