Rugby world cup sevens
This is one of the most significant international rugby sevens competition besides the Olympic Games. It is held every four years, as the tournaments for men and women are co-hosted at the same event. The tournament’s birthplace is in Scotland, dating back to 1993. The main prize is the Melrose Cup named after Melrose, a small town where the first rugby sevens game took place.
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens is a form of rugby, where teams consist of seven players instead of the usual fifteen. The game is played in seven-minute halves instead of the traditional forty minute halves. A sevens team consists of four backs and three forwards. It is a fast-paced game because matches last less than a regular rugby match and there are fewer players on the pitch.
World Rugby Sevens Series
It is an annual men’s tournament for national Seven’s teams. The season usually begins in November or December and lasts until May. It consists of ten tournaments, each carrying a certain amount of points, which are necessary to compete for the World Series Title. Only ten countries are hosts of the venue as it takes place in five of the six populated continents. The same fifteen teams are always competing for the title along with one regional qualifier.
World Rugby Women’s Sevens series
It’s basically a counterpart of the men’s World Rugby Sevens Series. The rules are similar with one of the differences being the number of the tournaments played. In the first series (2012-13) four tournaments were performed on three continents, but in 2018, six tournaments are scheduled. The format is the same, a team which accumulates the most points wins the series.
Rugby union tournaments
The Six Nations Championship
It is an annual competition between the teams of England, France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The format of the event is simple. Every team plays with each other, making a sum of total 15 matches.
Women’s Six Nations Championship
International women’s tournament, where the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales are competing for the trophy.
The Rugby Championship
A competition where teams from only four countries compete for the title and these are Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The tournament is usually played on a home-and-away basis until 2005. Since then, each team has to play the others three times, with the years of Rugby World Cup being the exception when the series is performed in a double-round robin format.
