If you’re planning a trip to any of our IRB Sevens tournaments, then this simple guide to the rules and history of Sevens rugby might come in handy.

The basic rules of sevens

• Matches last 14 minutes – two seven minute halves
• Except in the final, which is 20 minutes long
• Each team consists of three forwards and four backs
• Five substitutes are allowed
• The game is played on a full sized pitch
• Scrums are contested by the three forwards
• Half time is just 1 minute
• The team that scores kicks off
• All conversions must be drop-kicked
• Conversion attempts must be taken within 40 seconds
• Yellow cards lead to 2 minutes in the sin bin

A very brief history of rugby sevens

Sevens originated in Scotland in 1883, when the Melrose Club needed to raise a little cash to keep the club afloat. They hit on the idea of a rugby tournament, but realised that getting a decent number of full 15’s matches played in an afternoon was pretty much impossible. So they cut it back to 7 players a side and sevens was born.

The Middlesex Sevens

For a long time the game was only popular in the borders area. But in the years between the first and second world wars the game’s popularity gradually increased. This was in large part due to the foundation of the Middlesex Sevens, which started in 1926. The following year the tournament attracted 10,000 spectators

The Hong Kong Sevens

It wasn’t until 1973 that the first international tournament took place at Murrayfield as part of Scotland’s “celebration of Rugby”. However, is wasn’t until three years later that international sevens really took of with the formation of the Hong Kong Sevens.

The IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens

In 1993 the first Rugby World Cup Sevens took place in Argentina with England claiming the title. The competition now takes place every four years. The last tournament took place in Dubai in 2009 with Wales narrowly defeating Argentina in the final. The next Sevens World Cup will take place in Russia in 2013. If you fancy going, we have a range of packages for the 2014 Sevens World cup in Russia.

The IRB Sevens World Series

The IRB Sevens World Series is sponsored by HSBC and is competed for by international teams from all the major rugby nations.

IRB Sevens World Series events

• The Gold Coast Sevens takes place in late November in Australia
• The Dubai Sevens takes place at ‘The Sevens Stadium in Dubai in early December. Take a look at our Dubai Sevens packages here
• South Africa Sevens takes place at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth in mid December
• The Wellington Sevens take place at the Westpac Stadium in New Zealand in early February
• The USA Sevens in kicks off at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas in mid February. Take a look at our Las Vegas Sevens packages here
• The Hong Kong Sevens happens in mid-March at the Hong Kong Stadium. Take a look at our Hong Kong Sevens packages here
• The Japan Sevens take place in Tokyo towards the end of March or the beginning of April every year
• The Edinburgh Sevens is played at Murrayfield in early May
• The London Sevens kicks off in mid May at Twickenham