The excitement levels are building as it is now less than a fortnight until the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro kicks off. From the 6 to the 8 August, 12 women’s sides will compete for a gold medal at sevens rugby. From 9 until 11 August it will be the men’s turn.
Here at Rugby World we’re pretty excited about it all too. Which is why we have brought out ‘Se7ens‘ our special issue all about the abbreviated form of rugby set to impress in Brazil. But rather than just assume you will go out and buy it, here are ten reasons it’s a must-have.
1: A guide to every men’s and women’s team
You may know a fair bit about sevens, but not all of us know the differences in style, team-to-team, or what these sides have gotten through to grace the Olympics. All of the sides in the men’s and women’s competition are covered in our special issue.
2: The stars to keep your eye on
During the Games there will be some heroes emerging from the arena, both for the men and women. If you don’t want to miss out, we have the big names to watch out for, with 14 pages of info on the stars set to shine.
3. Team GB’s captain writes for RW!
Tom Mitchell, captain of Team GB men writes a feature just for us on what it’s like to travel the world, playing sevens in far flung, exotic locations. If you want real insight into the life of a top-level sevens star, this comes straight from the horse’s mouth.
4. 24/7 – the facts on the game
Want plenty of pub ammo for when the Games are on, so all of your friends think you’re a sevens expert? We have 24 bite-size facts on the game, ranging from where and when the game was invented to the top point-scorers ever and where the famous tournaments are.
5. Listing
Many may want in on this whole sevens thing after Rio, but it can be hard to know where the big events are and which time of year to expect events to take place. So we’ve teamed up with the good folk at Ultimate Rugby 7s to put together a listing of all the big tournies in 2017.
6. Sevens in seven tweets
Basically this is the rules of sevens, but condensed down to the 140-character limit you get on Twitter.
7. Snapchat Diary
Sticking with the social media theme, we have hot snaps from two huge invitational and amateur sevens events, held in two countries on the very same weekend. A feast for the eyes.
8. Playing rugby with a hangover
We have one former international sevens player offering advice on how to play in a sevens event when you’re not feeling the freshest… And we also have advice for veteran athletes from one international player still lacing up the boots well into his thirties.
9. Idiots guides
We not only tell you how to design flash kit and do fancy dress properly, we also have former England wing David Strettle telling you how best to camp at a sevens festival, as well as a playlist thought up by one of NME’s finest.
10. Technical expertise
If all the guides and social stuff wasn’t enough, we also have technical advice from two of the best in the game, with South Africa men’s coach Neil Powell talking you through some handy drills and moves while Fiji men’s coach Ben Ryan explains his team’s attacking principles.This is as well as experts in S&C and nutrition.
So hopefully that grabs your attention. Se7ens is in shops now, and will be throughout the Olympic Games. Enjoy!