Lucky Number 7 Starts Prem Rugby Countdown
With an Olympic visit now just three years away, rugby 7s is set to continue its rise in popularity, and the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series marked the ‘week to go’ countdown with a giant number seven at the ground of the season’s first game, Gloucester’s Kingsholm.
This year’s edition of the competition officially kicks off on 1st August, with the large orange seven measuring 23 metres in width by 49 metres in length.
Rugby 7s was included in the Olympic roster for the first time at the last vote, and will make its debut at the Rio Games in 2016.
With all 12 Premiership Rugby clubs split across three regional rounds, the opening group of the tournament sees Gloucester Rugby, Bath Rugby, Exeter Chiefs and Worcester Warriors battling it out for a place in the Series Final at the Rec on Friday 9th August.
The series then moves to Northampton’s Franklin’s Gardens on the evening of Friday 2nd August for group B which is made up of Northampton Saints, Leicester Tigers, Newcastle Falcons and Sale Sharks. Completing the group stages on Saturday 3rd August at Saracens’ Allianz Park; Harlequins, holders London Irish and London Wasps will take on the hosts for a place in the Final.
Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio and new rugby expert for BT Sport who will be showing the series live, won the inaugural Rugby World Cup 7s in 1993 and he admits he can’t wait for this year’s competition to get underway.
‘The J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s is really the start of the season and it covers the opening few weekends and starts the coverage of BT Sport,’ he said.
‘7s is becoming such a massive sport. We have just had the Rugby 7s World Cup and we have 7s coming into the Olympic Games in 2016 and it has really been growing.’
‘We heard from some of the stars of the J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s tournament with the likes of Tom Homer who played for London Irish in the final, Matt Banahan who played for Bath, Tom Varndell who could feature for London Wasps and it will be very interesting.’
‘The only thing that is the same in the game of 7s since I played in the 1993 Rugby World Cup 7s is that there are seven players on the pitch. It is a much more dynamic and explosive game and one you are far better off watching than playing.’
‘I have always been a fan of 7s, particularly in the early stages of your career as it is a real development game and it is really growing across the world.’
