Written by Nate Scott at USAToday.com
The United States men’s team kick off its rugby sevens campaign in the Olympics on Tuesday, leading a lot of people to ask: What, exactly, is rugby sevens?
Good question. Here’s the breakdown.
What is rugby sevens?
Rugby sevens is a sped-up version of rugby union which features teams of seven in matches with seven-minute halves. This is compared to rugby union, which has 15 players on each team playing against each other in matches with 40-minute halves. The games are played on the same size field as a rugby union field, so players have to cover an incredible amount of ground.
What’s the appeal?
Fans of “sevens” (as it is commonly called) argue it is a faster, more exciting version of the game. With defenders more spread out, scoring occurs at a much faster clip, so in matches of just 14 minutes you’ll often see a game with a score similar to that of a rugby union match.
Are the rules the same as rugby union?
More or less. There are fewer substitutions allowed, scrums are smaller, and there are no place-kicks, only drop kicks. The whole point of the game is to keep it moving, playing quickly, and get as much action as possible in the 14 minutes allowed.
The gold-medal favorite has to be the tiny nation of Fiji, which boasts one of the best and most exciting teams in the world. The team is a major deal in Fiji, and fans will be tuning in from the island nation with high hopes. New Zealand, South Africa and Great Britain are the other perennial world powers, but this year the USA also has a shot at the podium. Former sprinter Carlin Isles is now on the team after making the switch from track and field, and Patriots special teams standout Nate Ebner is also competing for the Americans before returning to his normal duties at Gilette Stadium after the Games.
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