IRB Sevens World Series - Format

Format

Sevens is a stripped-down version of rugby union from Scotland with seven players each side on a normal-sized field. Games are much shorter, lasting only seven or ten minutes each half, and tend to be very fast-paced, open, affairs. The game is quicker and higher-scoring than 15-a-side rugby and the rules are far simpler, which explains part of its appeal. It also gives players the space for superb feats of individual skill. New Zealand has been by far the dominant force in the IRB World Sevens Series, winning eight out of the 11 seasons. However, in recent years, several other teams have successfully challenged New Zealand's dominance. Fiji, long a power in sevens, were winners in 2005-06; South Africa won in 2008–09; and Samoa claimed the 2009–10 crown. Other strong contenders in recent years have included England, Australia, and Argentina, all of whom have won an event within the last two seasons. Many minor rugby nations have become competitive as well. Seven of the current 15 "core teams" that participate in all series events represent nations that are not within the traditional top tier of the 15-man game—Samoa, Fiji, Canada, Kenya, Portugal, Spain, and the USA.

Sevens is traditionally played in a two-day tournament format, with the Hong Kong Sevens (an anomaly as a three-day event) being the most famous. Prior to each season, a group of "core teams" is announced, based on performances in recent seasons. Through the 2011–12 series, the number of core teams was 12. The ranks of core teams were expanded to 15 for 2012–13, with the three extra teams determined by a 12-team qualifying tournament held as part of the 2012 Hong Kong Sevens. Each core team has a guaranteed place in all of that season's events. The 2012–13 core teams are:

  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • England
  • Fiji
  • France
  • Kenya
  • New Zealand
  • Portugal
  • Samoa
  • Scotland
  • Spain
  • South Africa
  • United States
  • Wales

Prior to the 2012 qualifying tournament, the most recent addition to the roster of core teams was the USA, which replaced its neighbor Canada for 2008–09.

The increase in the number of core teams did not directly lead to an increase in the size of the existing tournaments. However, two of the events were expanded because they became part of the IRB's new promotion and relegation system for core teams.

The 2012–13 series is the first to feature a formal promotion/relegation process. The top 12 core teams in the season table after the next-to-last round of the series in Glasgow will retain their status for the following season. The remaining three core teams will be determined in a two-stage qualifying process:

  • The first stage will be a World Series Pre-Qualifier held as part of the Hong Kong Sevens. Two qualifiers from each of the IRB's six regions will compete. The 12 teams will be drawn into three pools, with the top two teams from each pool, plus the top two runners-up, advancing to a quarterfinal round. The winners of the four quarterfinal matches will advance to the final qualifying stage.
  • The final stage, the World Series Core Team Qualifier, will be held as part of the London Sevens. The pre-qualifiers will be joined by the winner of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series, plus the bottom three core teams following the Scotland Sevens. The qualifier will be conducted with a pool stage followed by knockout play, with the two finalists and the winner of the third-place match becoming core teams for the following season.

Currently, in a normal event, 16 teams are entered. The Hong Kong Sevens had 24 teams through the 2011–12 series, but will expand to 28 teams in 2012–13; the 15 core teams and the winner of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series will compete for series points, while the remaining 12 teams will be those in the World Series Pre-Qualifier. Starting in 2012–13, the season-ending London Sevens will expand to 20 teams, with 12 competing for series points and eight involved in the Core Team Qualifier. The IRB operates satellite tournaments in each continent alongside the Sevens World Series which serve as qualifiers for Series events, and from 2012–13 also determine the entrants in the World Series Pre-Qualifier.

In each tournament, the teams are divided into pools of four teams, who play a round-robin within the pool. Points are awarded in each pool on a different schedule from most rugby tournaments—3 for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 for a loss, 0 for a no-show. In case teams are tied after pool play, the tiebreakers are:

  1. Head-to-head result between the tied teams.
  2. Difference in points scored and allowed during pool play.
  3. Difference in tries scored and allowed during pool play.
  4. Points scored during pool play.
  5. Coin toss.

As of the 2009–10 series, four trophies are awarded in each tournament. In descending order of prestige, they are the Cup, whose winner is the overall tournament champion, Plate, Bowl and Shield. In Hong Kong, the Shield was awarded for the first time in 2010. Each trophy is awarded at the end of a knockout tournament.

In a normal event, the top two teams in each pool advance to the Cup competition. The four quarterfinal losers drop into the bracket for the Plate. The Bowl is contested by the third and fourth-place finishers in each pool, while the Shield is contested by the losing quarterfinalists of the Bowl.

Originally, the six pool winners of the Hong Kong Sevens, plus the two highest-finishing second-place teams, advanced to the Cup. In 2010 and 2011, a different system was used:

  • The losing quarterfinalists in the Cup competition contested the Plate competition.
  • The four remaining second-place teams and the four best third-place teams, which contested the Plate in previous years, competed for the Bowl.
  • The remaining eight teams in the competition, which contested the Bowl in previous years, competed for the Shield.

In the transitional year of 2012, the Hong Kong Sevens was split into two separate competitions. The 12 core teams competed for the Cup, Plate and Bowl under a format similar to that of a regular event. The 12 invited teams all competed for the Shield, with the top three sides in that competition also earning core status for 2012–13. From 2013 on, the four trophies in Hong Kong will be contested under the same format used in regular 16-team tournaments. Only the 15 core teams, plus the winner of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series, now compete in the main draw of that event.

A third-place match is now conducted between the losing Cup semifinalists in all tournaments; this was introduced for the 2011–12 series.

Read more about this topic:  IRB Sevens World Series