Home > List > Rugby Union > Rugby 7s

Rugby Sevens is a popular variation of Rugby Union, with just seven players in each team rather than the usual 15, and played over a shorter time period. The duration of the game is 15 minutes with two halves of 7 minutes and a break of 1 minute. Rugby Sevens is played on a full Rugby Union playing field, which is 100m long and 70m wide. There are H shaped goalposts on each goal line.

The team scores seven points for placing the ball over the try line and two points for a kick through the posts. Furthermore, the team receives three points for a successful penalty kick. The player can kick the ball forwards but cannot pass the ball or throw it forwards.

Although it has recently become a popular version of rugby, the game originated in the 1880s with a sevens tournament in Melrose Scotland, a tournament that is still played today. The Hong Kong sevens tournament popularized this rugby variant, which is now played at the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games, plus the annual World Rugby Sevens Series.

---

---

Similar Sports

• Rugby Union — a football code played on a grass field by two opposing teams with two H-shaped goalposts at opposite ends.
• Rugby X — a variant of rugby sevens, though with teams of five on a ¼ sized pitch with shorter matches.
• Rugby Tens — also known as ten-a-side and Xs, is a variant of rugby union that originated in Malaysia, and is popular in many Asian countries.
• Arena Rugby — a variation of Rugby Union, played indoors on a smaller field resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game.
• Ki-o-rahi — a traditional New Zealand Maori game played on a circular field.

Related Pages

• Complete list of sports
• Modified Sports — shorter, faster and more exciting versions of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports