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<\/p>\nFrance\u2019s scrum-half Antoine Dupont will pursue gold at the Olympics in sevens<\/p>\n
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If the key to launching a new festival is getting the right headline act, then having rugby\u2019s biggest star on board is quite the coup. In the aftermath of French World Cup disappointment came confirmation of Antoine Dupont\u2019s long-rumoured move from the 15-a-side game into sevens, probably the best men\u2019s player on the planet sacrificing next year\u2019s Six Nations to chase Olympic glory.<\/p>\n
His arrival could not be more timely for a flagging format in need of reinvigoration. The rebranded SVNS series kicks off in Dubai this weekend, embarking on a revamped eight-stop global adventure that will conclude with finals weekend in Madrid in June. The relaunch comes after a difficult period for sevens, Covid wiping out much of the momentum built after a first Olympic inclusion at Rio 2016.<\/p>\n
The plan is to take the best elements of Dubai and Hong Kong \u2013 historically the two most successful stops on the world tour \u2013 and build upon them, with a more cohesive package around the fast and furious rugby format. Music and food offerings will sit alongside both elite and mass participation sporting contests designed to appeal to the \u201cleisure-hungry\u201d 18-35 demographic.<\/p>\n
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World Rugby hope to replicate the success of the Hong Kong Sevens <\/p>\n
For the first time, men\u2019s and women\u2019s competitions will take place at each location, with entry fees the same for both genders. The inaugural season will end at Atletico\u2019s Wanda Metropolitano as World Rugby bid to activate the fanbase in Spain, a country they consider a \u201csleeping giant\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recognised that we live in a time where we have to compete for fans\u2019 time and their wallets,\u201d explains Sam Pinder, World Rugby\u2019s General Manager of Sevens. \u201cWe can\u2019t stand still. The sevens series itself has been hugely successful since 1999, but we need to evolve and go with the times.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are successes in the Dubai model, where they have got that mass participation as an integrated part of the event. Hong Kong doesn\u2019t have that space, but has implemented an entertainment in and around the rugby that has certainly kept the party going, and attracted a lot of people to come along with the festival element of the event. Utilising those two components, we\u2019ve built out our vision and we are looking to implement that across the entire series.\u201d<\/p>\n
The travelling circus is no stranger to high-profile guest appearances but Dupont\u2019s arrival feels different, the game\u2019s biggest star forgoing one of its biggest tournaments to prioritise pursuit of gold. Former Australia captain Michael Hooper is on board, too, adding to a roster that includes some of the women\u2019s games biggest names: Charlotte Caslick, Jasmine Joyce and Ilona Maher, to name just three.<\/p>\n
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Australia\u2019s Charlotte Caslick is one of the stars of the SVNS series <\/p>\n
Dupont\u2019s decision to play in several events ahead of the Olympics should ease his transition into a French side coming off of a successful season. But how the scrum half adapts is of real intrigue, a Gallic god with all the gifts nonetheless untried in this arena.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s obviously got the perfect blend of skillset for it,\u201d assesses Harlequins fly half Will Edwards, who spent several seasons on the circuit before moving into the 15-a-side game, of Dupont\u2019s chances of making a success of the switch. \u201cThe general rugby skillset is very similar. <\/p>\n
\u201cEach small detail is highlighted to the nth degree because it is seven players on a 15-a-side pitch. Missing one tackle in a fifteens game, you are normally backed up by a mate; if you miss a tackle on a sevens pitch, they are probably going to go and score. It puts your one-on-one ability in all facets of the game under the spotlight.<\/p>\n
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Will Edwards spent several seasons on the sevens circuit <\/p>\n
\u201cHe will be fit enough, it\u2019s just a very different type of fitness. Sevens is at 90% of your max speed for 14 minutes straight in the heat, and there aren\u2019t as many breaks in play. How your body deals with it is different.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edwards believes news of Dupont and Hooper\u2019s defections will have pricked up the ears of plenty of potential sevens converts around the world – Marcus Smith, Joe Marchant, Adam Radwan and Ben Earl are four Englishmen he thinks could thrive. A version of the sport curiously unloved in some quarters has plenty of success stories, not least South African World Cup winners Kwagga Smith, Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, all stars of the seven-a-side game who have since stepped in to Springbok shirts.<\/p>\n
The next 12 months could well spark the format back into life. \u201cSevens should be on a nice upward curve with everything that is going on,\u201d Edwards suggests. \u201cIt is only positive when you get more big names going and playing because it brings more eyes to the game than there would have been previously. You hope it puts sevens back on the map.\u201d<\/p>\n
World Rugby are still awaiting official word of the specific timing of Dupont\u2019s move, with the Frenchman otherwise occupied with Toulouse for the next little while at least. But there is no doubt that his announcement has generated significant interest, not least in France, where tickets are selling well for the Olympic events next summer.<\/p>\n
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New Zealand\u2019s women secured Olympic sevens gold at Tokyo 2020<\/p>\n
Sevens will help kick off Paris 2024, with two days of competition before the official opening ceremony along the Seine. With rugby striving to break beyond its traditional borders, inclusion in a third edition of the Games affords it another vital opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a huge year for everyone involved,\u201d Pinder says. \u201cIt is a unique selling point for sevens that it is an Olympic sport. Sevens itself is a hugely positive vehicle for World Rugby to take it to new destinations and grow fandom.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Olympics is the pinnacle of sporting events. To be on that platform and in that arena with rugby sevens is something that we can capitalise on and grow the global awareness of the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n