Rugby Sevens for the Olympics Show Your Support

Stev_o

Thanks to Rugbydump.com or i would have heard that the IRB are actively encouraging the whole rugby community to support their drive for Rugby Sevens to be introduced for the 2012 Olympics


The IRB's page is here http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/news/newsid=2024836.html#rugby%20olympic%20games

They also have a video hosted by RD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY5ybpfmOZ0

Iv already done posted my response so should you!:D

Amz

Once it's introduced for both men and women I'd love to see it. Friend of mine plays sevens for Brazil, it'd be awesome to see her at the Olympics

Stev_o

Amz wrote: »

Once it's introduced for both men and women I'd love to see it. Friend of mine plays sevens for Brazil, it'd be awesome to see her at the Olympics

That what the campaign is aiming for!

damnyanks

It's far more international then standard rugby, faster and entertaining. Maybe they need to make the pitches a bit smaller (70 meters perhaps) and you'll easily have one of the most popular sports in the world.

RuggieBear

damnyanks wrote: »

....entertaining.....

Well, that's in the eye of the beholder....:)

Amz

Well sevens is probably more accessible to a wider audience, when you consider it will mainly be competing with soccer.

RuggieBear

oh don't deny that at all. I just don't really like it.

I just find it a structureless mess tbh. Not really a team game but groups of individuals on each side.

Amz

Yeah, it doesn't rely on a strong 1 - 7 alright. If you've a few absolute speedsters you're away. There's just too much space to defend effectively. Smaller pitch for 7s might be an idea.

tolosenc

Or call it olympic rugby, and have 10 players and a slightly smaller field and 30 minute halfs. You know, tweak it a bit. Ideally it would be full XVs, but if that's the case there may as well only be 8 teams there.

Snickers Man

There's just one little fly in the ointment.

Rugby has always been a game in which the representative tier is comprised of nations, not states. The Olympics is not organised like that at all.

So it would not be a case of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales each being represented. It would be a case of Great Britain and Ireland--two separate teams, but each claiming jurisdiction over one small area.

So you could get a case where two Ulster players, both Irish internationals could end up representing Great Britain against Ireland at Olympic time.

Or you could have one representing Ireland and one representing Britain. Could happen. It is already happening this time around in the rowing when two former pupils from the same school in Coleraine are competing against each other, one for Ireland one for Britain.

Now it is not the end of the world and rugby has an admirable record of compromising on the little things so that we can concentrate on the major issues. But for the high profile sport that rugby is becoming it would be as well to get used to this idea early on.

Amz

People are forgetting that rugby was once an Olympic sport, but was dropped. It was last competed in at an Olympic Games in 1924.

The United States have two Rugby gold medals, making them top of the table in that sport

Snickers Man

BTW, does Britain enter a soccer team for the Olympics? Or is the very issue of a united British team one that precludes them from competing in the first place?

Hansel

Rugby 7's bores the arse off of me. No structure to the game at all. It's basically sprinting, but with a ball in hand, with the occasional bit of contact.

Snickers Man

Amz wrote: »

People are forgetting that rugby was once an Olympic sport, but was dropped. It was last competed in at an Olympic Games in 1924.

The United States have two Rugby gold medals, making them top of the table in that sport

A little context is necessary here.

In the 1924 Olympics, only three teams competed. France, Romania and the USA.

Four years earlier, there were only two: France and the USA.

The only other Games at which rugby featured were in 1900 and 1908. In the former case the three competitors were France Germany and Great Britain. In the latter, it was France, Great Britain and Australasia (a combined Australian/NEw Zealand team)

In 1900 Britain was represented by a club side, Moseley,. In 1908 by their county champions Cornwall.

The world at large, not to mention the world of rugby, has moved on considerably since then.

There would be some "issues" to consider. I'm not saying they couldn't be overcome but look how astonished many of the new rugby fans, attracted by the recent comparative success of the Irish team, are by the fact that the national anthem isn't played at away matches.

Some ground needs to be prepared. That's all I'm saying .

zAbbo

Amz wrote: »

People are forgetting that rugby was once an Olympic sport

Porbably because that was about 60 years before most of us were born

7's is entertaining to watch, and now that we've got our own 7's team - I'd endorse it.

It's not really comparable to the XV man game.

Stev_o

Whats all the negative comments about 7's =( iv played it every year and its great craic and great entertainment. Id put it on the TV every now and again to get a fix of good running rugby and some awesome skill.

Sevens aswell doesnt have the HUGE gap between the top tier nations and lower nations the biggest example would be Pourtugal beating Australia in the World Series and then later on winning the European Championship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCZI2uBpApQ

You also have the likes of Kenya who are progressing like crazy in the World Series i remember watching the series in Australia (cant remember the name of it) and it was Kenya vs one of the Pacfic Nations great game which Kenya would have one when one of their players zoomed away fro the try line only to cruely break his leg (Worse injury iv seen since Czekaj broke his leg against the Wallabies)

damnyanks

The IRB have no qualms about tweeking the game. This can only be a good thing to get it into the games

Hansel

damnyanks wrote: »

The IRB have no qualms about tweeking the game.

Only if it suits the Aussies.

Pinetree Boy

Sevens may add some interest to the games to us rugbyheads but I wonder if it would be competitive enough. The sevens circuit is pretty competitive at the moment (NZ dominated this year but there are a number of teams capable of winning games) but if the big rugby nations made all their players available for sevens selection wouldn't you just end up with the top 4 or 5 rugby nations dominating again.

Stev_o

Pinetree Boy wrote: »

Sevens may add some interest to the games to us rugbyheads but I wonder if it would be competitive enough. The sevens circuit is pretty competitive at the moment (NZ dominated this year but there are a number of teams capable of winning games) but if the big rugby nations made all their players available for sevens selection wouldn't you just end up with the top 4 or 5 rugby nations dominating again.

Given the fact that at if the games start during this same time period for 2012 most teams will be back in force for their pre season training with matches etc i doubt most clubs would release their star players that could get a serious injury that could rule them out of the whole season.


Edit: Also i remembered that you dont have many 7;s players playing for clubs they either choose one or the other you occasionally get one or two who play in a 15 side but most are expert 7's specialist

Malmedicine

I thought this had been discussed and thrown out as having a chance at being an offical olympic sport but may have been a showcase sport or something along those lines. Anyway jist of the post I thought the olympic council discussed it and rejected it!!

Stev_o

Malmedicine wrote: »

I thought this had been discussed and thrown out as having a chance at being an offical olympic sport but may have been a showcase sport or something along those lines. Anyway jist of the post I thought the olympic council discussed it and rejected it!!

Nope its up for consideration along with karate golf and tennis in the IOC meeting 2009 Denmark

Gelio

obl wrote: »

Or call it olympic rugby, and have 10 players and a slightly smaller field and 30 minute halfs. You know, tweak it a bit. Ideally it would be full XVs, but if that's the case there may as well only be 8 teams there.

30 Minutes might be a bit long...
People not big into rugby could get tired of it
70 meter pitch sounds good though

thirdmantackle

amateur players only

Stev_o

thirdmantackle wrote: »

amateur players only

Well Olympic athletes are hardly amateur id say it would just take the same from that the Commonwealth games has only difference being that England Wales and Scotland would have to enter a combined team or they might just enter the British Army Team even if it is full of Fijians

Junior

thirdmantackle wrote: »

amateur players only

Stev_o wrote: »

Well Olympic athletes are hardly amateur id say it would just take the same from that the Commonwealth games has only difference being that England Wales and Scotland would have to enter a combined team or they might just enter the British Army Team even if it is full of Fijians

I don't think there's very many amatuer sports left in the olympics, cycling, athletics, tennis, all allow professionals..

Hazys

Snickers Man wrote: »

BTW, does Britain enter a soccer team for the Olympics? Or is the very issue of a united British team one that precludes them from competing in the first place?

The individual FAs for each of the british countries are afraid if that they create a United Kingdom team for the Olympics that FIFA and their retard of a President Sepp Blater will force them to have a United Kingdom team that competes in the World and European Cups, which none of them want.

Although I wouldn't mind an All Ireland Soccer team like we have for the rugby, but they might not feel the same up North.

Hazys

If they could get it in, it would be excellant for the sports world growth. At the moment the NFL is starting to steal markets for this type of sport from the IRB. NFL is very big in Germany and other central european countries, these are the countries the IRB should be developing.

Also the NFL is considering having their equilivent of seven's; Arena Football being spread around the world with an aim at making it an olympic sport (although years off, but they are consdering this the best way to spread the game). The IRB better take their chance before its gone.


Although id prefer to see the Paul O'Connell kick lumps out of Dan Carter for a gold medal in an olympic 7s tournement but i think it would be best for the growth of the sport to keep it for amateurs to keep it competitive for non traditional teams. For the next 3 olympics at least...


Questions I have to ask:

The olympics will probably only provide a timeline of 16 days for the rugby tournement. What format would the tournement be played in? How many days rest between games is sufficient?

Does the olympic committee require equal numbers of qualifing teams between continents?



Also i think its a joke that some1 can win a gold medal for jumping up and down on a trampoline and not for tackling and breaking tackles.

Stev_o

Hazys wrote: »

If they could get it in, it would be excellant for the sports world growth. At the moment the NFL is starting to steal markets for this type of sport from the IRB. NFL is very big in Germany and other central european countries, these are the countries the IRB should be developing.

Also the NFL is considering having their equilivent of seven's; Arena Football being spread around the world with an aim at making it an olympic sport (although years off, but they are consdering this the best way to spread the game). The IRB better take their chance before its gone.


Although id prefer to see the Paul O'Connell kick lumps out of Dan Carter for a gold medal in an olympic 7s tournement but i think it would be best for the growth of the sport to keep it for amateurs to keep it competitive for non traditional teams. For the next 3 olympics at least...


Questions I have to ask:

The olympics will probably only provide a timeline of 16 days for the rugby tournement. What format would the tournement be played in? How many days rest between games is sufficient?

Does the olympic committee require equal numbers of qualifing teams between continents?



Also i think its a joke that some1 can win a gold medal for jumping up and down on a trampoline and not for tackling and breaking tackles.

First point is that you will never ever ever see POC or Carter playing Sevens and secondly Sevens is near professional the teams entered will be end the same as the teams entered in the Sevens World Circuit and Commonwealth games etc.

Secondly if you ever watch a Sevens tournament it takes place over one day thats pools, knockouts and finals so there isnt any rest days what so ever.