Rugby, rugby, rugby!
We have seen more and more rugby on TV these days, but within a couple years, the sport will be at its peak. I’ll admit I personally like playing the original version of fifth-teens way better, but it’s rugby sevens that will take America by storm.
Nationally, rugby sevens has seen a little more attention than the original. Sure we’ll get full fifth-teens every once in a while, but it’s competitions like the Olympics, HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, and Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship, that grab the most viewers, while bringing the most interest to newcomers. Rugby is a very easy game to watch once the rules are understood, and it is much easier to learn and see what is going on through sevens. It’s the same size field with the number of players basically cut in half.
A couple big components as to why sevens is the version of choice are the time of play, speed of the game, and the amount of electric plays that occur throughout the game. There are only two seven minute halves in rugby sevens, making it very easy for someone to watch an entire game and get hooked. This is a huge difference from the 80 minute game of fifth-teens. But there is a reason why the game is much shorter, and it’s a good one. Because there are only seven players on each team, compared to fifth-teen on each, the game play is much faster. Since the game play is faster, you guessed it, there are an increase in electrifying, jaw-dropping plays. There are way more breakaways, and way more opportunities to score.
Rugby has been super popular in Europe and other countries since the 1800s, and it’s time we see an increase in viewers in America. The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series just concluded a few weeks ago, but is an annual tournament that will restart towards the end of the year. By the way, the United States finished second overall this past season. If there weren’t already enough reasons to start watching rugby sevens.
Please… if you thought I was going to say lacrosse.
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