‘Rugby has arrived in the United States’: PR7s’ record-breaking event

Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s) has rewritten history, set new benchmarks, and helped raise the sport’s standing in North America by welcoming a record-breaking crowd to Portland’s Providence Park last month for the 2024 PR7s All-Star Tournament.

As rain poured down from the heavens, supporters packed the stands in their thousands to watch six professional matches, which saw the USA and Canadian Women’s sides take the field. America’s Men’s team also took part in the highly entertaining event.

With the USA and Canada Women’s sides both medalling at the Paris Games, this tournament on November 17 was an opportunity for fans to watch some of their Olympic heroes in action before the HSBC SVNS Series got underway in Dubai from November 30.

The All-Star Tournament proved to be a record-breaking success both on and off the field, with PR7s reporting multiple successes on Wednesday. PR7s has listed 13 highlights in a press release that covers areas including commercial, broadcast, digital, social, and rugby.

Catch up on the action from the HSBC SVNS Series on RugbyPass TV, which you can sign up for HERE.

With RugbyPass TV streaming the event internationally and FS2 airing it in the U.S., more than 1.5 million unique accounts were reached on November 17. There were also more than 95,000 views on YouTube and 2.2 million organic views of content on Instagram.

This was the largest live audience in PR7s history with nearly 5,000 fans attending the event, which saw ticket sales surpass the previous record by 39 per cent. PR7s managed to reach these heights despite the one-sale less than one month before the tournament.

“The success of the PR7s All-Star Tournament shows that rugby has arrived in the United States,” CEO of Premier Rugby Sevens, Owen Scannell, said in a statement.

“The record-breaking attendance and global broadcast reach are clear signals that this summer has changed the game for the sport.

“Smashing records on a cold and rainy day with a super engaged crowd that turned up with less than a month’s notice shows the excitement for rugby’s moment is here to stay and we are proud to be part of making it happen.”

As for the rugby, there were 25 Olympians on show including 19 men and women who competed at this year’s Paris Games. There were three Olympic medallists on the USA team and four Olympic runners-up on the Canadian team.

Bronze medallists Sammy Sullivan also participated as a coach, and Alex ‘Spiff’ Sedrick – who scored the match-winning try and conversion in the Olympic bronze medal playoff against Australia – was also involved as a broadcaster.

Peter Sio Jr, Autumn LoCicero, Autumn Czaplicki and Alyssa Porter all made their national team debuts. Porter has gone on to impress on the HSBC SVNS Series, which included a try in the comeback win over Australia at last weekend’s stop in Cape Town, South Africa.

“This tournament was invaluable for our team, especially as we integrate young and emerging players,” USA Women’s national team coach, Emilie Bydwell, explained.

“Events like these provide critical opportunities for athletes to battle-test themselves against top-tier competition while preparing for what lies ahead.

“Our partnership with PR7s allows players to showcase their abilities in a big-time environment where the lights are bright.”

The PR7s All-Star Tournament also included a few amateur matches to showcase regional and collegiate talent, including the Oregon Rugby Sport Union and the University of Oregon. 15 local rugby clubs were involved in the event.

There was also a youth game between the Pacific Northwest Loggers and TOA Idaho which highlights the emerging generation in American rugby.