Shanghai Rugby Sevens: The novice's guide

Hong Kong rugby now has a fellow-Asian rival as, after last September’s success, the Shanghai Rugby Sevens limbers up for its second year. The Shanghai Rugby Football Club out at Waigaoqiao will once again host the few thousand spectators expected to come by to enjoy the action on Sept. 4 and 5.

Shanghai Rugby Sevens is fully sanctioned by the International Rugby Board as part of a program to help Asian nations develop stronger Rugby Sevens programs, becoming the first stop on the IRB Asian Rugby Sevens Series.

Expect an event of high class international rugby with all the festival and fun that is associated with a truly social rugby sevens event.— Mark Thomas, event organizer

For those uninitiated, to keep up with the true Shanghai rugby fans, you’re going to have to cheat -- just a bit. We've got just the thing:

The game

With seven players on each side (hence the name of the game), the sport is a scaled-down version of the 15s game, only it is played on a full-size pitch, which means plenty of space and plenty of scoring. In other words, it is a delight for fans of fast and furious sporting action, and in recognition of this fact it was recently introduced as an Olympic sport.

Each game is only 14 minutes long and the scoring system is the same as standard rugby, with five points for a try and two for a conversion, which must be drop kicked. As guest of honor, ex-Australian international player Nick Farr-Jones says of the game, “It's quick and fast and I think it's a fantastic thing that it's been readmitted to the Olympics, and now played in Shanghai."

Shanghai Rugby Sevens teams

As SRFC general manager Ashley Jones explains, “We’ve adopted the Dubai model, with multi-tournaments within the tournament.”

This year welcomes an expanded roster of 12 international teams, 16 amateur club teams, four international women’s teams and two veterans’ teams. International teams confirmed are almost all the major Asian rugby-loving nations, including China, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, India and Sri Lanka. 

Last year saw South Korea defeat Japan 42-19 in the final, while Hong Kong beat Chinese Taipei to bronze, so no doubt those teams will be worth looking out for again this time round.

The venue and crowd

It's quick and fast and I think it's a fantastic thing that it's been readmitted to the Olympics, and now played in Shanghai.— Nick Farr-Jones, ex-Australian international player

The Shanghai Rugby Club does a fantastic job as hosts, and last year attendance was impressive all weekend, making for a cracking atmosphere that even Hong Kong Rugby Sevens crowds would be proud of.

All the details are covered, including little touches like a kid’s bouncing castle and play area, giving parents the time to relax, be it roaring approval at the action or enjoying a drink or two in the beer tent. 

The local sports bar chain Big Bamboo is set to do the catering -- this year there has been much mention of margaritas -- so expect a festival feel to proceedings, especially as there will also be live music going on well into the night.

It is an event that attracts a real cross-section of Shanghai society, all enjoying themselves together.

“Expect an event of high class international rugby with all the festival and fun that is associated with a truly social rugby sevens event,” says event organizer Mark Thomas. 

Long lunch

As is traditional, the weekend kicks off with a long lunch at the Guoman Hotel on the Friday. Keynote speakers are Australian Nick Farr-Jones, Englishman John Bentley and -- it has just been announced -- New Zealander Gordon Tietjens.

The kiwi is the current coach of the New Zealand Sevens team and has brought through players such as Christian Cullen and Jonah Lomu, while the former both represented their countries at full international level, so we can expect some celebrity-filled anecdotes once the booze starts to flow, which it inevitably will as Bentley, or Bentos as he is known, has assured us. “You’ll have to wait but don’t worry, I have plenty of stories -- most of which my old teammates would rather I kept to myself!”

The Shanghai Rugby Sevens tournament takes place on the weekend of September 4-5 at the Shanghai Rugby Football Club in Waigaoqiao.

Tickets are RMB 70 for Saturday, RMB 100 for Sunday and RMB 150 for a weekend pass, with VIP corporate hospitality tickets also available.

The long lunch takes place on Friday, September 3 and is RMB 880 per person or RMB 8,000 for a table of 10.

For more details on all the action and tickets visit www.shanghai7s.com or call +86 21 5132 5152.