Rugby 7s general chat

[Dctarget]

Rugby 7s (amongst most other events) scrapped from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Seen the list of sports out? Comm games is dead. Feels like bad news for holding the women's side in the sport.

Out:

• Rugby sevens
• Hockey
• Cricket
• Triathlon and para triathlon
• Squash
• Beach volleyball
• Diving
• Shooting
• Badminton
• Table tennis and para table tennis
• Wrestling
• Cycling road and mountian bike

In

• Swimming and para swimming
• Athletics and para athletics
• Cycling track and para track
• 3x3 basketball and wheelchair basketball
• Netball
• Boxing
• Lawn bowls and para lawn bowls
• Gymnastics
• Judo
• Weightlifting and para powerlifting

I'd rather the fuck Swimming off in all honesty. Australia shows and takes it all with a random Candian and some Brit breastroker.

Hockey and Track Cycling gone is a disgrace for shit like 3x3 Bball which is pure garbage played by hacks cut from normal Basketball sides.

 

[Adam84]

I can understand the merits of some of these decisions given the logistics that go into organising the events versus the output(number of athletes that compete, sport popularity), but in other cases, I can't.

Hockey had dedicated facilities built for 2014 Glasgow Comm Games and would be available for use. Rugby 7's used Rangers FC home ground, whether it's available though is another thing but there are other stadiums that could host.

It does seem they've taken exception to the big team sports and cut those, with a limited time frame providing for an athletes village for teams of Hockey, Rugby and Cricket alone is a couple of hundred athletes. So perhaps it's a cost/logistical issue.. Dam shame though.

 

[Braveheart81]

The sooner they just scrap the Comm Games altogether the better.

I think ultimately Victoria did every future potential host a favour by opting out and shining a light on how much of a white elephant it is now days.

It absolutely sucks for all the athletes who now miss one of their few pinnacle events but it's such a pointless event these days and costs everyone involved a huge amount of money.

 

[Adam84]

The sooner they just scrap the Comm Games altogether the better.

I think ultimately Victoria did every future potential host a favour by opting out and shining a light on how much of a white elephant it is now days.

It absolutely sucks for all the athletes who now miss one of their few pinnacle events but it's such a pointless event these days and costs everyone involved a huge amount of money.

Or did a good job at shining a light on how ill thought out and overcooked that bid really was..

Gold Coast did a comparatively great job of delivering the games. The cost to host the GC games was $1.2 billion, and the economic benefits of the games came in at $1.8 billion, not to include the legacy value of the infrastructure that was left behind(no white elephants). Victoria's regional bid was estimated at $6 billion when it was finally killed.

Hosting a major event and building bespoke facilities across regional centres throughout the state, whilst a charming idea, was always going to come in ridiculously expensive. Had they hosted it in Melbourne using existing infrastructure it would have been a fraction of the cost.

 

[Braveheart81]

Or did a good job at shining a light on how ill thought out and overcooked that bid really was..

Gold Coast did a comparatively great job of delivering the games. The cost to host the GC games was $1.2 billion, and the economic benefits of the games came in at $1.8 billion, not to include the legacy value of the infrastructure that was left behind(no white elephants). Victoria's regional bid was estimated at $6 billion when it was finally killed.

Hosting a major event and building bespoke facilities across regional centres throughout the state, whilst a charming idea, was always going to come in ridiculously expensive. Had they hosted it in Melbourne using existing infrastructure it would have been a fraction of the cost.

It was absolutely that as well.

I do think things have changed pretty substantially since 2018 and the economic benefits calculation is always incredibly rubbery.

It doesn't bode well for the future of the Comm Games given the substantially reduced 2026 schedule in Glasgow and the lack of any host so far for 2030.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I can understand the merits of some of these decisions given the logistics that go into organising the events versus the output(number of athletes that compete, sport popularity), but in other cases, I can't.

Hockey had dedicated facilities built for 2014 Glasgow Comm Games and would be available for use. Rugby 7's used Rangers FC home ground, whether it's available though is another thing but there are other stadiums that could host.

It does seem they've taken exception to the big team sports and cut those, with a limited time frame providing for an athletes village for teams of Hockey, Rugby and Cricket alone is a couple of hundred athletes. So perhaps it's a cost/logistical issue.. Dam shame though.

Argument can be that it doesn't have to be in the exact location if you need facilities. The Olympics show this.

Would be hard on short notice, I get that.

It was doomed from the moment they announced it as the regional Vic games with a bunch of councillors all smiling like they were going to get it done.

The work for these sorts of events is huge from infrastructure which comes at enormous cost nobody wants to pay and not all have ability to pay. NZ seem to have zero interest in hosting, SA won't and there would be huge security concerns around places like India. A lot easier to secure 1 Cricket team than an event of this size. When it seems destined to bounce between Aus and the UK it's doomed and at this point I don't think many would notice or care after the initial oh shit moment.

Track & Field athletes have been skipping it for ages as the World Champs fall around that time and they don't want injury so we end up with the 5-8 best Jamaican sprinters.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Sevens superstars tell Rugby Australia they want to play NRLW

A tug-of-war for the services of Maddison and Teagan Levi has broken out after RA chief executive Phil Waugh knocked back the sisters’ request to play rugby league.

www.smh.com.au

Well I'll predict they will go all together after 2026.


"The sisters, who have become the faces of Australian women’s rugby following their starring roles at the Paris Olympics, have attracted interest from NRLW clubs Wests Tigers and Gold Coast Titans for the 2025 season.

Teagan, 21, and Maddison, 22, stand to earn up to $100,000 as marquee players for a maximum 13-week stint in the competition next year, when the NRLW expands to 12 teams with the introduction of the Bulldogs and Warriors.

That sum is almost as much as they earn in a year under their fulltime contracts with Rugby Australia, which expire at the end of 2026.

Sources with knowledge of the situation talking on the condition of anonymity told the Herald Australia’s women’s sevens coach Tim Walsh and his staff have given the sisters their blessing to take a three-month break from their rugby commitments to play in the NRLW next year.

However, Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh and director of high-performance Peter Horne have come in over the top of Walsh and knocked back the sisters’ request.

RA powerbrokers want the sisters, who have previously played for the Gold Coast Suns in AFLW, to make themselves available for the Wallaroos’ World Cup campaign next year."


Rugby better stump up 100k each if you want them to go to the RWC then. I'm sure plenty of others will stick their hand out as well then.

 

[Strewthcobber]

How much funding for RA comes out of grants for the Commonwealth games?

Presumably it's not Olympics level, but it'll be something, and another source of revenue stopped out of the game.

I really don't understand the finances of Sevens, and how so many nations can make it work. It must be subsidized by other revenue sources?

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Yeah, iv'e always been a bit confused by the 7s set up and how it sustains itself.

At this point I assume it's a bit of an outreach program for Rugby in general that gets places like the US involved in the sport. If the US didn't it would very quickly drop off the Olympics radar as well

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

From stuff.co.nz just now:

"Sam Dickson, Scott Curry and Tim Mikkelson, who all captained the All Blacks Sevens at various stages, have announced their retirements."


The rest Is behind a sorta paywall but I'm guessing it's mostly a recap of their respective & impressive careers.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

That's a pretty big set of departures but with 7s canned from the Comm Games I wonder if some pulled up stumps quicker. Gives NZ a full cycle to develop a side to try and win Gold at the Olympics.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

From rnz.co.nz:

Player achievements​

Tim Mikkelson

All Blacks Sevens number: 190

Debut: George 2007

World Series Crowns: Seven

World Cup Victories: 2013, 2018

Olympics: Silver medal 2021

Commonwealth Games: Gold Medal 2010, 2018, Silver medal 2014

Individual achievements: Fourth highest try scorer in World Series History, 2013 World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, 2011 New Zealand Rugby Sevens Player of the Year.

Scott Curry

All Blacks Sevens number: 216

Debut: Dubai 2010

World Series Crowns: Six

World Cup Victories: 2018

Olympics: Silver medal 2021

Commonwealth Games: Gold medal 2018, Silver medal 2014

Individual achievements: New Zealand Rugby Sevens Player of the Year 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021.

Sam Dickson

All Blacks Sevens number: 241

Debut: Dubai 2012

World Series Crowns: Four

World Cup Victories: 2018

Commonwealth Games: Gold medal 2018, Silver medal 2014, Bronze medal 2022

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Singapore (5 & 6 Spril) & Los Angeles (3 & 4 May) confirmed as the final two stops on the 2024/25 Series:

Singapore and Los Angeles confirmed to host the pinnacle of HSBC SVNS 2025 as schedule confirmed | World Rugby

Following the record-breaking Olympic Games in Paris, the stars of rugby sevens are set to make a thrilling return to HSBC SVNS 2025, kicking off in Dubai on 30 November, 2024.

www.world.rugby

 

[Highlander35]

Singapore (5 & 6 Spril) & Los Angeles (3 & 4 May) confirmed as the final two stops on the 2024/25 Series:

Singapore and Los Angeles confirmed to host the pinnacle of HSBC SVNS 2025 as schedule confirmed | World Rugby

Following the record-breaking Olympic Games in Paris, the stars of rugby sevens are set to make a thrilling return to HSBC SVNS 2025, kicking off in Dubai on 30 November, 2024.

www.world.rugby

Reading that, it really feels Sevens has gone nowhere since COVID.

They were running 10 events with 16 teams each back in 2019 for the Men, that's down to 7 with 12 for the upcoming series with no Vegas and no European events.

There's no Sevens at the Commonwealth Games in 2026 (and probably moving forward as well) and there's been no announcement on any Rugby World Cup Sevens: based on the timelines for the 2018 and 2022 events we should at least know where any 2026 event should be hosted, even if we don't know anything about format.

 

[Strewthcobber]

It does feel like the whole structure of Sevens as a separate pro sport is teetering.

It's basically funded by Olympic federations at this point

 

[Love2Scrum]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/11/12/exclusive-aussie-sevens-star-signs-with-nrl-club-in-huge-blow-weeks-after-taking-out-games-top-award/

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Sucks for the 7s side right now but these blokes want to make a living from footy and tbh he was probably not going to get a job in 15s.

Good luck to him.

7s will revolve around Olympic cycles completely now so it gives them plenty of time to grow a team and it’s also a long time for a guy to hang around who may have options right now.

I hope a signing like this makes it less likely the Dragons go after Darby Lancaster which has been spoken about.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

Sucks for the 7s side right now but these blokes want to make a living from footy and tbh he was probably not going to get a job in 15s.

Good luck to him.

7s will revolve around Olympic cycles completely now so it gives them plenty of time to grow a team and it’s also a long time for a guy to hang around who may have options right now.

I hope a signing like this makes it less likely the Dragons go after Darby Lancaster which has been spoken about.

This will be like Jesse Parahi and flame out after preseason and no NRL games.

 

[Rudderless]

Australia are taking an U18 team to this tournament next month in NZ.

Auckland Tournament Dec 15-17, 2023 | Global Youth Sevens

The Global Youth Sevens is an international U18 Sevens rugby tournament for boys and girls, played at Dilworth School, Epsom, Auckland.

www.globalyouthsevens.rugby

https://www.globalyouthsevens.rugby/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GYS-Auckland-Draw_combined.pdf