Traditional rugby, played with 15 players on the pitch for each side, was first introduced on the Olympic level in 1900. The sport lasted through the 1924 games before the IOC ultimately discontinued it for more than 90 years. Rugby has recently been reinstated as an Olympic sport for the 2016 games, but in a slightly faster style, as a 7-on-7 format.
As “7s” grows in popularity, Glendale, Colo. has become a pilgrimage destination of sorts for rugby aficionados, due primarily to the annual RugbyTown 7s tournament. This growth is evident through the presence of the Viti Barbarians of Fiji in this year’s field. Much of the Barbarians’ roster is taken from the Fijian national team that took gold in the 7-on-7 debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic games.
Rugby 7s legend Waisale Serevi – who is a partner to the tournament in Glendale – mentioned some of his goals for the future of RugbyTown 7s in an interview with Mile High Sports ahead of this year’s tournament.
Read the full story by Nate Stein with Mile High Sports at http://milehighsports.com/fijian-national-team-headlines-the-6th-annual-rugbytown-7s/
