14 Facts About Rugby 7s

Rugby 7s sevens is administered by World Rugby 7s, the body responsible for rugby union worldwide.

Rugby 7s sevens originated in Melrose, Scotland in the 1880s; the Melrose Sevens tournament is still played annually.

Rugby 7s sevens is sanctioned by World Rugby 7s, and is played under similar laws and on a field of the same dimensions as the 15 player game.

Rugby 7s sevens tends to be played at a faster pace than rugby fifteens.

Rugby 7s sevens was initially conceived in 1883 by Ned Haig and David Sanderson, who were butchers from Melrose, Scotland as a fund-raising event for their local club, Melrose RFC.

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From Dunedin, sevens spread north to Christchurch where Canterbury Rugby 7s Union held a Sevens tournament on 16 September 1893.

Rugby 7s sevens continues to be popular in the Scottish Borders, where the ten most prestigious tournaments make up a league competition known as the Kings of the Sevens.

Rugby 7s sevens has become popular in places such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai, which are not so successful in the fifteen-a-side code.

World Rugby 7s recognises the Irish Rugby 7s Football Union as the sport's governing body for the entire island of Ireland.

Rugby 7s sevens has been played at each of the Commonwealth Games every four years since its first appearance at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was the first major international multisports event to include the sport.

Rugby 7s sevens is a "Core" sport by the Commonwealth Games Federation, necessitating its appearance at all future games.

Rugby 7s sevens is played at various regional multi-sport competitions, including the Asian Games and the Pacific Games.

Rugby 7s union was formerly played at the World Games, but this has ceased as rugby is an Olympic sport.

WR, then known as the International Rugby 7s Board, organised its first official women's sevens tournament outside of the World Cup as part of the 2011 Dubai Sevens.