Super 7s

[WorkingClassRugger]

Okay. You may or may not be aware of the College Rugby Championship run annually in Philadelphia. An invitational 7s championship run by the same group that are behind the Las Vegas leg of the World Series. They are the primary drivers of the format of the game in the US.

Well, they are now looking to professionalize 7s into a league championship via their Super 7s concept. Originating in Canada, Super 7s known originally a Ultra/Marathon 7s basically is 7s run over 4/12 minute quarters with extended playing rosters (16) allowing unlimited interchange. They plan to play it during the mid day break at the CRC event, tape it and shop it around to broadcasters and investors alike.

Umm...I'm not too sure about this format. Seems like they are trying to turn something that perfectly fits the one off event platform and formalize it. I actually think it could descend into farce with Cricket score being the norm which I don't think would make for an enjoyable viewing experience.

 

[Omar Comin']

Yeah I don't think it would work as it would be too high scoring. And if every team isn't incredibly even it would be pointless. 7's for that length of time would work better on a smaller pitch.

The problem with high scoring sports is they don't really get all that interesting until near the end of a close game. Then again high scoring works for the AFL. And I suppose basketball would be an even more relevant comparison.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

They want to try and launch an 8-12 team league off it. I really cannot see it working. Talking with a few US based Rugby media blokes I know they all seems to be thinking along similar lines. Not too sure of it.

The general sense is that 15s should be the format to take the jump first but if they were going to chase a shorten version of the game that 10s would have been better.

Interestingly, according to one there are mumblings that they are pursuing this format as the group behind it have a gentlemen's agreement of sorts with those behind the NRFL not to compete against one another. Which if you ask me is a little short sighted. The NFL is the result of a few different professional ventures.

 

[Omar Comin']

I suppose soccer had a few failures in the US before the MLS became the relative success it is.

And what ultimately works in America might be different to what works elsewhere.

The more people there are around trying to get professional rugby happening the more likely it will happen.

 

[Nipper]

I think 7s in the US has been fairly well-received - Americans get the basic gist of the game, it's not bogged down with endless scrum resets and pointless kicking (or even tactical kicking, for that matter), and they love the speed and raw athleticism involved.

The problem is the format. Not too many broadcasters are willing to block out the bulk of two consecutive days of programming to air a live tournament. And if they are, not too many viewers are willing to sit and watch two days of 7s. Hell, I LOVE 7s and I put it on and leave it on in the background and only sit down to watch the big matchups and the US matches. Probably not an ideal scenario for broadcasters and advertisers - and let's face it - an attractive broadcast and advertising platform is what's required to get the game into the mainstream.

So, this experimental format seems to be an attempt to address that issue and experiment with a format that could work.

We'll see...

 

[SevensPhD]

Prefer an English Premiership type format with 4-5 teams playing a round robin over 3 hours. Would still have to change substitute rules for shorter turn-around between matches, but its better than 2 teams playing 7s for 48 minutes.

 

[Omar Comin']

Prefer an English Premiership type format with 4-5 teams playing a round robin over 3 hours. Would still have to change substitute rules for shorter turn-around between matches, but its better than 2 teams playing 7s for 48 minutes.

Alternatively you could have an 8 team competition where every side played each other twice before finals over 7 evenings of 3 hours each. That's with every session involving 8 matches (each team would play two matches per session of play). After that you could have a finals day where the top 4 playoff for a cup and the bottom 4 compete for a plate. That would also take 3 hours.

With that format you wouldn't have to change the substitution rules.

 

[Nipper]

From The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/29/super-sevens-philadelphia-us-rugby-professional-league

 

[USARugger]

This just sounds silly, to be honest.

In other news this is the first weekend in months I have to leave town for work, naturally.

"We're the boys from Temple U. We live in caves and ditches. We beat our cocks on jagged rocks - we're rugged sons of bitches"

 

[SevensPhD]

From The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/29/super-sevens-philadelphia-us-rugby-professional-league

The biggest obstacle they face is Tatham, who still owns the rights to ANY professional 7s in the USA. ANY, from 5s to 12s, indoor or outdoor. He is still paying USAR the sanctioning fee. So unless this group buys him out, then they cannot actually pay the players. Or this stays amateur (which is not the hopes).

Tatham's contract with USAR clearly states this.

 

[USARugger]

Any word on how Super 7s panned out? I've been inundated with conferences and meetings all weekend for work so unfortunately I couldn't make it out to PPL to support the boys.

@SevensPhD and @Workingclassrugger - either of you privy to the details of the broadcast contract with NBC?

Was there nobody in USAR/USA7s that could explain to the NBC folks about what a "loss leader" is? The fact that it's impossible to watch this tournament without an NBC sub is well..disappointing to say the least.

Kind've hard to grow the game if you make it incredibly difficult for people to watch.

Doubly so scheduling on the same weekend as the National Championships..which are streaming live and for free and their stream didn't come up 2 hours after it was supposed to.



The stream shit yesterday was nothing short of a disaster and honestly heads better be rolling after that. Unacceptable considering they have been doing this for years now and it has been an issue every single year. They have all year to plan this and they can't get their stream working?

Even better - the Youtube channel they linked to was taken down right before the CAL v. Temple kick off by the channel manager.

I work in web marketing full time now and if I was the marketing director for this tournament that shit would NEVER have happened and if it did it would never fucking happen again, much less several years in a row.

It was a fantastic way to introduce folks to what seems to be the inherent incompetence which permeates throughout the administrative bodies attached to rugby here. I wonder how many fans and family members went to tune in yesterday and probably won't try again after waiting 2+ hours for the stream to come up.

Can USA Rugby really afford to piss off thousands of current and potentially future fans? Fuck no.

Oh and to top it all off the website going down because they for some reason thought their $6-10/month web hosting package could handle a sudden influx of thousands of viewers..just brilliant.

**I did find the NBC Sports online stream this morning after doing some digging - that one that I didn't see advertised ANYWHERE - and naturally it is repeatedly blacking out and going to a "Coverage will Resume Shortly" screen**

The rant above is in regards to the stream that was being advertised yesterday for the "closed to the public" matches.

 

[BarneySF]

Okay. You may or may not be aware of the College Rugby Championship run annually in Philadelphia. An invitational 7s championship run by the same group that are behind the Las Vegas leg of the World Series. They are the primary drivers of the format of the game in the US.

Well, they are now looking to professionalize 7s into a league championship via their Super 7s concept. Originating in Canada, Super 7s known originally a Ultra/Marathon 7s basically is 7s run over 4/12 minute quarters with extended playing rosters (16) allowing unlimited interchange. They plan to play it during the mid day break at the CRC event, tape it and shop it around to broadcasters and investors alike.

Umm.I'm not too sure about this format. Seems like they are trying to turn something that perfectly fits the one off event platform and formalize it. I actually think it could descend into farce with Cricket score being the norm which I don't think would make for an enjoyable viewing experience.

Actually watching the CRC now live on NBC - some pretty good skills. All for the promotion of the great game - abbreviated or not - in this part of the world! Gots to get these Seppos into it.

 

[USARugger]

Michigan v. Ohio has been entertaining so far but Penn State v. South Carolina was absolutely dire.

Shame American International College weren't a big enough school (sigh) to get in - they've been dominating some of the teams who are in the tournament during the regular 7s season this year.

 

[SevensPhD]

To make it a little worse, this is the graphic that NBC has on nbcsports.com for the "rugby" championship:

 

[USARugger]

If anyone of you are reading - I'm for hire if you can pay me more than my second agency is making in revenue.

You can take it out of Nigel's paycheck.

 

[p.Tah]

To make it a little worse, this is the graphic that NBC has on nbcsports.com for the "rugby" championship:

Oh for fucks sake. Too funny

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Any word on how Super 7s panned out? I've been inundated with conferences and meetings all weekend for work so unfortunately I couldn't make it out to PPL to support the boys.

@SevensPhD and @Workingclassrugger - either of you privy to the details of the broadcast contract with NBC?

Was there nobody in USAR/USA7s that could explain to the NBC folks about what a "loss leader" is? The fact that it's impossible to watch this tournament without an NBC sub is well..disappointing to say the least.

Kind've hard to grow the game if you make it incredibly difficult for people to watch.

Doubly so scheduling on the same weekend as the National Championships..which are streaming live and for free and their stream didn't come up 2 hours after it was supposed to.



The stream shit yesterday was nothing short of a disaster and honestly heads better be rolling after that. Unacceptable considering they have been doing this for years now and it has been an issue every single year. They have all year to plan this and they can't get their stream working?

Even better - the Youtube channel they linked to was taken down right before the CAL v. Temple kick off by the channel manager.

I work in web marketing full time now and if I was the marketing director for this tournament that shit would NEVER have happened and if it did it would never fucking happen again, much less several years in a row.

It was a fantastic way to introduce folks to what seems to be the inherent incompetence which permeates throughout the administrative bodies attached to rugby here. I wonder how many fans and family members went to tune in yesterday and probably won't try again after waiting 2+ hours for the stream to come up.

Can USA Rugby really afford to piss off thousands of current and potentially future fans? Fuck no.

Oh and to top it all off the website going down because they for some reason thought their $6-10/month web hosting package could handle a sudden influx of thousands of viewers..just brilliant.

**I did find the NBC Sports online stream this morning after doing some digging - that one that I didn't see advertised ANYWHERE - and naturally it is repeatedly blacking out and going to a "Coverage will Resume Shortly" screen**

The rant above is in regards to the stream that was being advertised yesterday for the "closed to the public" matches.

USARugger, to be fair this isn't a USARugby event. Universal World Sports formerly USA Sevens LLC are the group behind the CRC. There the ones responsible for the streaming issues.

As for the contract. I don't have privy knowledge I'm afraid as my reach doesn't extend into that organisation. From what I can recall they share the ad revenue or something and NBC broadcast the ebents as part of their contract.

 

[USARugger]

Thanks for that, mate. It's starting to get a bit confusing with all of the new LLCs popping up in the field.

Are USA Sevens LLC under the umbrella of USAR or do they just have some sort of licensing agreement?

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Thanks for that, mate. It's starting to get a bit confusing with all of the new LLCs popping up in the field.

Are USA Sevens LLC under the umbrella of USAR or do they just have some sort of licensing agreement?

They're an independent for profit company. Same group that run the Vegas event under licence from USAR. They don't require a licence for the CRC as its their own property. The USARU have no hand in it at all.

Back to the S7s for a moment. This is what confuses me, UWS has the working relationship with USAR and the 12 city squads have already been mandated by USAR to qualify for the World Club 7s. Why nit just take that and build a 15s competition of their own and forgo this contrived exhibition.

 

[USARugger]

Force, Brumbies - take notes.