Our Guide to the Rugby Sevens this Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games are finally here, and Robina is lucky enough to be hosting one of the fan favourites in our very own backyard, the Rugby Sevens

Our guide to the rugby sevens:

For those of you who don’t know, the Rugby Sevens is an altered version of Rugby Union, designed to combine the sport’s most exciting elements into one fast and furious competition… Think bone-crunching tackles, silky ball movement and elusive running – all wrapped up into two explosive 7-minute halves.

Rugby Sevens shot to popularity due it’s lightning pace, but what has made an absolute crowd favourite is its famous carnival atmosphere. The fans of the sport have managed to create just as much as spectacle in the stands as the on-field action.

The Sevens crowds are famous for their ridiculously loud costumes and even louder chanting.

The unique party-like feeling it makes for is contagious. Name another sport where it is common to see supporters dressed as bananas, superheroes, storm troopers and in animal onesies all arm-in-arm cheering on their team. Our Robina Stadium will be at fever pitch during the tournament running from 13 – 15 April.

You can download the Rugby Sevens Schedule here.

Coming off the back of winning the Dubai and Sydney World Series Tournaments and famously claiming Olympic Gold in Rio, our girls have their eyes firmly set on winning at home.

Boasting a strong squad and with recent form to match, Australia’s Women’s team will go into the tournament as one of the favourites. The Australian camp isn’t getting carried away with expectations though, instead focusing their attention on preparation.

“We’re a really process driven team so we know that we’ve prepared well and we’re ready to walk off the field after the last game without any regret,” Australian Women’s Sevens and coach Tim Walsh.

“It’s always a privilege to play at home and something that we really enjoy” Walsh said.

Australia’s Men’s have also tasted recent success, putting together a stunning return to form to win the Sydney 7s (ending a six-year World Series Cup drought) and a third-place finish in Hamilton. After years of building and being a consistent headache for the traditional big three contenders – Fiji, South Africa and New Zealand, Australian coach Andy Friend is confident the Men can taste the same success as the Women’s team.

Starting the year, Friend named Australia’s three big targets – the Sydney 7s, Commonwealth Games and Sevens World Cup – and having already achieving the first, he has named a stellar squad to try and replicate the success at The Games.

“We targeted three major tournaments at the start of the season and the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast was one of those.”

“In this squad, I think we have an extremely talented group of players with the right mix of youth and experience so I’m looking forward to seeing this team perform to the best of their potential on the Gold Coast,” Friend said.