Rugby Experiment Delivers in Debut

(ATR) Coaches, players find lots to like--and lots to question--about the new Rugby Sevens World Cup format.

The traditional four-team-pool-play format was scrapped for the tournament contested in San Francisco from July 20-22. Under the new system, for a team to play for the championship, essentially every match becomes a must win.

"I view it adds some tension to the tournament," World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper told reporters minutes before the championship match.

He said the initial feedback from spectators was "great".

"We have to evaluate afterwards for what that means. You learn from a World Cup when it happens."

Ireland men’s coach Stan McDowell told Around the Rings last year’s announcement from World Rugby about the format change was "a great talking point for all the teams."

McDowell says the format is necessary to connect with fans and promote the women’s game.

"I don’t think too many coaches want to see it replicated across too many tournaments," he cautioned. Chief among his concerns was the size of the tournament. Twenty-four men’s teams were competing, "probably too many" according to McDowell.

Canada’s Connor Braid was more direct with his criticism.

"Am I fan of this format? I don’t think so," he told ATR after losing to Wales in the 11th-place match.

Braid said the matches are a "bit spread out" leading to some player exhaustion and having three opportunities to win your pool games to advance leant itself to a more equitable tournament.

"For a World Cup why not have it this format," he said. "Teams should be putting all their eggs in one basket for it. I don’t mind it in this instance [but] I think we’ve got to stick with that pool-play format."

Samoan captain Alatasi Tupou believes his teammates like the new format.

"I think the boys would like more tournaments like that--it’s a challenge for us. If you lose the first match it’s tough."

Going forward, Gosper said this format is not set in stone in any way. "There will be a little bit of strategizing" from World Rugby before tendering the next Sevens World Cup. A report to the World Rugby board on the experiment is expected in September.

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