Rugby Sevens is on the Rise

Rugby Seven on the Rise

by, Billy Mumphrey





Rugby in the United States is not nearly as popular a sport as it is in other countries. We have the NBA and the NFL, so Rugby sits right around college campus level of importance in the USA. Well, there is a Rugby Tournament coming to the United States you need to know about. The Las Vegas Invitational is a National Rugby Sevens Tournament played in Sin-City Las Vegas March 2-4. Here is what you need to know about “Sevens Rugby.”

 

Right off the bat, the main difference between regular rugby and Rugby Sevens is the amount of players. Usually there are 15 players on a rugby pitch and as you can guess, there are only 7 players on a Sevens team. Rugby plays 40 minutes halves; Rugby Sevens, you guessed it, plays 7 minute halves. Devotees will probably disagree with me, but I think the less players and shorter halves speed the game up considerably and make each score (called a Try) more important. Both versions are incredibly fun to watch, and I would argue that watching rugby players run with the ball and hit each other is just as entertaining as watching football players run and hit. I think with the rise of Rugby’s popularity in the USA in the last 30 years, we will see more and more people watching rugby. In fact, Rugby Sevens has become so popular around the world that in 2009, the Olympic Committee voted to add Rugby Sevens to the Olympic Games. And in 2016, Fiji National Team won the first gold in the Summer Olympics.

 

There’s also another interesting aspect to Rugby Sevens that I think will particularly interest fans in the USA. Unlike normal Rugby tournaments, Ruby Sevens tournaments usually take place all within one weekend and it lends itself to more of a party atmosphere, which the fans have totally embraced. People from countries around the world come and dress up in flashy and outrageous costumes to support their teams. This is the major reason why Las Vegas is the perfect venue for the upcoming Rugby Sevens tournament in March. Party atmosphere in the party capital of the world seems like a fitting choice. Local Big Time will definitely be watching this tournament and we highly suggest you do to. Check out the videos below: