‘Never been a bigger year’: Why rugby sevens is set to reach new heights

With the new-look SVNS Series nearing its first-ever Grand Final in Madrid, and with the Paris Olympics just around the corner, World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin believes this is the biggest year in the already-decorated history of sevens.

As has been tradition on the circuit, Dubai hosted the first event of the revamped Series before the 12 best international teams in women’s and men’s sevens turned their focus to tournaments in Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver and Los Angeles.

It was then Hong Kong Stadium's turn to welcome fans from all over the world across a phenomenal long weekend. The Series will soon head to Singapore from May 3-5 before the inaugural Grand Final and play-off events in Madrid from May 31 to June 2.

Civitas Metropolitan Stadium, which is the home of Spanish football giants Atletico Madrid, will host the Grand Final to determine the HSBC SVNS champions and the four playoff sides who will have earned core status for the 2024/25 season.

But as Alan Gilpin told reporters on day three at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, “The excitement doesn’t stop there” with sevens set to get the Paris Olympics party started at Stade de France in 120 days.

“As you know, (there has) never been a bigger year for sevens. A really exciting reset in the Series, again hopefully you can agree we’ve seen some amazing rugby throughout the whole Series, particularly the last couple of days here,” Gilpin said.

“That continues into Singapore now where the league regular season winner will now be crowned, and then the excitement builds into Madrid where we have our end-of-season playoffs and grand finale.

“The excitement doesn’t stop there because the reason it’s such a big year for sevens is we’ve got an incredible Paris Olympics coming up in 120 days’ time, so rugby sevens will kick off Paris 24. We’re the first sport to start the Games in 120 days from today.

“It’s a hugely exciting year for sevens. I think we’ve seen the players and the fans really step up to that. Delighted to be here and looking forward to the rest of a great day.”

SVNS Series veteran Charlotte Caslick is primed for a third Olympic Games in 2024 after an impressive season so far with Australia. Caslick, 29, was part of the trailblazing Aussie women’s side that claimed Olympic gold at the Rio Games in 2016.

That Olympic gold had an undeniable impact on sport in Australia. The Aussies became icons back home, with sevens inspiring many as it played a leading role in both the growth and promotion of women’s sport.

World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin believes there has 'never' been a bigger year for the sport. Picture: World Rugby/Mike Lee.

As SVNS Series regular Isabella Nasser, who has enjoyed a breakout season with Australia in 2023/24, told RugbyPass last year, the success of that champion team was a motivating “turning point” as the Olympic hopeful switched her focus towards sevens.

Rugby sevens has come a long way in less than a decade. There are countless stories that could be told about how sevens has made a difference in the lives of people all over the world since becoming an Olympic sport.

“It’s been massive. Let’s just take the example of rugby sevens in Asia, we know that there is funding available to national governing bodies, not just in Asia but throughout the world, that wouldn’t be there but for Olympic status for sevens,” Gilpin explained.

“We had a brilliant debut in Rio in 2016, obviously Abby (Gustaitis – who was sitting next to Gilpin) was part of what we did in Tokyo. It was devastating to be in the Tokyo Games a year late with no fans… we’re so excited about Paris. It’s going to be an amazing six days.

“Paris will be our big platform, our kind of coming of age of rugby sevens in the Olympics. We’re in the Stade de France, we know it’s going to be full, it’s going to be buzzing for rugby, we get to kick off the Games.

“We’re in conversation with LA28, that’s why LA is such an important part of the sevens program for us. We’re in conversation with Brisbane 32 so we feel like we’re a proper Olympic citizen as a sport which is really important.

“That allows us to continue to drive funding into not just the elite end of the sport that we’re seeing here but more kids around the world have more opportunities to play.

“It’s a really important opportunity for the sport as a whole.”