Sevens rugby
Sevens rugby (also 7 rugby , English rugby sevens ) is a sport from the rugby family and was also included in the program of the Olympic Games in 2016 . It originated from the classic rugby union and, in contrast to the conventional variant, is played with only 7 instead of 15 players.
regulate
Sevens rugby is promoted by the World Rugby Federation and, like rugby union, has an official set of rules. The rugby union rules formed the basis, so the pitch is the same size.
However, the duration of a game is limited to 2 times 7 minutes with a one-minute break at half-time. Finals last 2 times 10 minutes with a two-minute half-time break. This way, sevens rugby tournaments can be held in a day or a weekend. Due to the reduced number of players with the same size of the pitch, the attacking team has an advantage and points are scored more often. Since possession of the ball has more value than field advantages due to the framework conditions, after points have been scored, in contrast to rugby union, the kick is carried out by the team that was successful. Elevation kicks and penalties must be performed with a drop kick. Alley and scrum , each with a fixed number of three players, are standard situations in the game, with some offenses being awarded a free kick instead of a scrum.
Virtually all sevens rugby players play rugby union. Teams in rugby sevens usually consist of players from the rugby union's back team and the third-row strikers, as they are more physically suitable for the faster and more intensive game and have better ball handling.
history
Invention and development
Sevens rugby was invented in 1883 by Ned Haig, a butcher from the Scottish town of Melrose . It was intended as a one-off effort to raise funds for the local rugby union club, but the idea was well received by the public. The first game officially supported by the World Federation took place in 1973 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh to mark the centenary of the Scottish Rugby Federation . Three years later, the Hong Kong Sevens tournament took place for the first time, which is still the most traditional tournament in rugby sevens to this day.
The Sevens Rugby World Cup was first held in 1993. It has been held every four years since then, with the national teams qualified for the tournament playing for the Melrose Cup trophy.
Other major competitions where rugby sevens are played include the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games . The world governing body also hosts a series of tournaments in cities around the world over a period of several months that feed into the final scoring of the World Rugby Sevens Series . The European continental federation Rugby Europe organizes a European tournament series according to the same principle .
Sevens rugby is played at many tournaments in Germany. Here there is above all the opportunity for young and small clubs that do not have a large squad of players to gain valuable game and tournament experience. The German championships in school and university rugby are also held in rugby seven. Since 1996 there has been a German championship in rugby seven for men, four years later the same competition for women's teams was introduced and in 2006 the Central German Championship with seven was founded as an independent league.
Olympic games
After rugby union was part of the Olympic Summer Games for the last time in 1924, the inclusion of sevens rugby in the Olympic program has been discussed since its establishment. The world federation referred among other things to the great popularity with spectators and the possibility for small nations like Fiji or Samoa to be successful in this sport. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused admission for the last time in July 2005. In the run-up to the decision, the Swiss representative of the IOC, Denis Oswald , caused a sensation by saying that although he was not a rugby specialist, he had heard from people in the sport that rugby sevens was a kind of joke. Oswald later stated that he had never seen a rugby match. In response to criticism during the application phase, a series of tournaments for women was also set up.
In August 2009, the IOC's executive proposed adding sevens rugby and golf to the 2016 Olympic Games program . This proposal was approved at the General Assembly of the IOC on October 9, 2009 in Copenhagen. On August 8, 2016, the team from Australia crowned themselves the first Olympic champion in women's rugby in the final against New Zealand. On August 11, 2016, Fiji won the final against Great Britain in the men's sevens rugby, winning Fiji's first Olympic medal.
Famous sevens rugby players
Famous sevens rugby players include Waisale Serevi , Christian Cullen , Ben Gollings , Jonah Lomu and Brian Lima .
See also
Web links
- Official Sevens Rugby Rules (German)
- Official site of the World Sevens Series (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fewer sports for London Olympics In: BBC Sport , July 8, 2005, accessed February 7, 2019.
- ↑ Duncan Mackay: Sevens captains hit back at "joke" remark In: The Observer , June 12, 2005, accessed February 7, 2019.
- ↑ Golf and 7-a-side rugby in Rio In: Kicker , October 9, 2009, accessed February 7, 2019.