The second and third highest capped rugby union players of all time were joined by Olympic gold medal winning coach Ben Ryan, with the special guests of HSBC revealing the impact of the Olympic Games on rugby sevens.
The trio were commenting on the sand dunes of Al Maha Desert Resort, on the opening morning of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, three months after the sport’s wonderful debut in Rio, which saw Fiji clinch its first-ever Olympic gold medal. The appeal of Rio has helped propel the sport onto a global stage and few would now doubt the potential of sevens to reach the same global level as XVs, or even supersede it.
When asked about the development of sevens following the Olympic Games O’Driscoll said: “The Olympic Games in Rio this year has changed the sport of rugby sevens forever. What was once a game that was played in the shadow of XVs, as a side thought, is now played out in front of a worldwide audience with world-class players.”
O’Driscoll’s comments sit alongside research showing that Rio 2016 helped the sport reach nearly 17 million new fans. World Rugby’s social media fan base grew by 670,000 during 2016 and the upcoming Sevens series will be broadcast to more than 100 countries and territories around the world.
Ben Ryan puts local rugby amateurs through their paces.
According to Gregan this is an upward trend that shows no sign of slowing down: “We’re in the middle of a rugby revolution, a period of unbelievable growth for the game of sevens. This is an exciting, fast-paced sport that can be played anywhere, anytime and the Olympics has had a tremendous impact on propelling the game further into the public eye.”
Despite the surge in public interest, rugby sevens still faces challenges if it is to seize the opportunity of the Olympics. For Ben Ryan, that challenge starts with the grassroots.
“For me, capitalizing on the Olympic effect starts with the youngsters. We need to continue working from the ground up so that kids in the schools get the opportunity to play this special game and develop within it.”
The Dubai Rugby Sevens, the first leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, takes place from Thursday 1st December to Saturday 3rd December.
Over 100,000 sports fans are expected to walk through the gates at the Sevens Stadium across the three days of world class competition. Follow the conversation @HSBC_Sport on twitter and HSBC Sport on Facebook
