Event Information
Venue
The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced the schedule for the world's leading Rugby Sevens Tournament series, the IRB Sevens World Series. Once again the record-breaking series will comprise of eight Tournament locations kicking off in Dubai in late November and climaxing in Scotland in June 2008.
"Last season's IRB Sevens World Series was the most competitive to date, going down the quarter-finals of the final Tournament in Scotland before New Zealand were crowned champions. The eagerly awaited 2007/08 Series promises to be just as exciting," said IRB Sevens Manager, Beth Coalter.
"The new Series will again kick off at the end of November/early December 2007 in Dubai and South Africa and then early in 2008 to New Zealand, USA, Hong Kong, Australia and England before climaxing for the second successive year in Scotland at the end of May, the traditional home of Rugby Sevens," added Coalter.
Tournament dates are as follows:
Dubai – Nov 30/Dec 1
South Africa – Dec 7/8
New Zealand – Feb 1/2
USA – Feb 9/10
Hong Kong – Mar 28/29/30
Australia- April 5/6
England – May 24/25
Scotland – May 31/Jun 1
The 2006/07 Series saw the introduction of three new Tournament locations in Adelaide, San Diego and Edinburgh. Each proved to be successful additions garnering record crowds and attracting widespread interest.
"The inclusion of these exciting new locations into the Series proved both popular and also served to foster the growing global appeal of Rugby Sevens. Each Tournament was a resounding success with over 29,000 fans attending in Adelaide while San Diego's attendance of 25,000 was a record for a USA Sevens event. The series climax in Edinburgh was also a huge success with the competitive action on the field backed up by a cumulative attendance of almost 30,000 in the Murrayfield stadium to see New Zealand lift the title."
"The popularity of Rugby Sevens continues to experience significant global growth and the IRB Sevens World Series is central to its appeal. The 2006/07 Series was without doubt the most successful in the history of the event. With the standard of play, the number of participating Unions, attendances and broadcasting figures all reaching new levels the IRB Sevens World Series is firmly established as a key event on the global sporting calendar," added Coalter.
Rugby Sevens' brand of fast-paced action, world class players and global locations is attractive to sports fans across the globe. Last season's IRB Sevens World Series attracted crowds in excess of 250,000, with Rugby World Cup Sevens 2005 in Hong Kong attracting 120,000 supporters over the three competition days.
A world record crowd of 50,000 attended the final day at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, while Rugby Sevens is also played at the Pan-American Games, Asian Games, Pacific Games and World Games events. In 2009 for the first time ever women will have their own Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament that will be held simultaneously with the men's tournament in Dubai.
The 2006/07 IRB Sevens World Series was the most competitive to date. A total of 32 Unions participated throughout the Series' eight tournaments, while there were four different tournament Cup winners (the most number since the series began), with Samoa underlining its growing stature with a first Series title in New Zealand.
