History of Sevens Rugby
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Sevens Rugby was first played in 1883 in the Scottish town of Melrose following an internal Rugby club dispute. A breakaway group formed, following the split, however neither the old or new club had sufficient players to field a team so it was decided that a seven-a-side match would take place.
The Rugby produced was like no other seen before. Players found space to work in, flare was added to a game now requiring more skill, timing and agility than in the 15-man game and the crowds loved it.
Sevens Rugby today is no different, with non-stop action played in two seven-minute halves with only a minute to break at half-time. There are seven players on each side and five reserves on the bench.
In 1993 the first Sevens World Cup was held, appropriately in Scotland, and since then the event has taken place - every four years - in Hong Kong, Argentina, Hong Kong and Dubai respectively. Fiji has claimed the title twice, on both occasions in Hong Kong, and England, New Zealand and Wales have won one a piece.
In 1999 Sevens Rugby took another huge step forward with the creating of World Series, governed by the International Rugby Board. In 2011 the World Series has adopted its first naming-rights sponsor with the creation of the HSBC Sevens World Series.
The World Series is contested by 16 nations, played in countries as varied as South Africa, Hong Kong, America, Scotland and Australia.
New Zealand has claimed the Sevens World Series on eight occasions since its inception in 1999, with Fiji, South Africa and Samoa the only other winners.
Australia has never won a Sevens World Series title, however they have featured in the top three in three of the eleven seasons - 1999/00, 2000/01 and 2009/10.
