SINGAPORE – Come July, rugby sevens will enjoy just its third appearance at the Olympics. An upstart on the grandest stage and once regarded as the poor cousin of the 15s format, the sport’s debut at the 2016 Rio Games had played a major role in attracting legions of followers.
And even as sports like pickleball, padel and flag football continue to gather momentum around the world and jostle for sports enthusiasts’ attention, rugby stalwarts such as South African great Bryan Habana and Australian sevens icon Alicia Lucas are certain that the sevens format has a bright future.
The duo are in Singapore for the HSBC SVNS Singapore event as HSBC’s global rugby ambassadors. Speaking to The Straits Times on the sidelines of the final day action on May 5, Habana was enthusiastic about the rising popularity of the sevens game.
The former South African rugby union player, who won 124 caps for the Springboks and was part of the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning side, said: “Any Olympic sport that’s not mainstream is always going to be up for a challenge.
“But looking at the success that rugby sevens has had and the impact that it’s had on the Olympics, and listening to stories of the players that have been there and what they have experienced, it has been amazing for the sport.”
The 40-year-old pointed to the fervent atmosphere at the National Stadium and Argentina’s league title triumph during the HSBC SVNS Singapore over the weekend as an example of why the sport will continue to enthral.
He said: “The sport has really grown in popularity in the last 2½ decades. Sevens is a very easy entry point into the game of rugby for supporters or for new players.
“And then you add the party atmosphere at matches, it is a festival in and around the stadium, the family engagement that happens and there are very cool, interactive opportunities on the concourses.
“You add that to how anything can happen in terms of results and how Argentina came to this tournament and have won, it is incredibly exciting.”
But he warned that the sport must also look for new ways to excite fans, while not losing the essence of the game.
In March, there were reports that World Rugby is considering reducing the tackle height in the elite 15s game and a global trial of a 20-minute red card as part of a radical plan to broaden the appeal of the sport.
Habana said: “One potential challenge is the constant law changes… that are put into play to try and make the game more attractive, whether it be with space, whether it be in the contact area, and that’s probably the one challenge that rugby administrators need to sort out.
“So as you constantly innovate and adapt and try to win new audiences, you need to try to not do it in a way where you fundamentally lose the core foundation of the sport.”
Lucas, a 2016 Olympic gold medallist, hailed the impact that tournaments like the HSBC SVNS has had on the women’s sevens game, which has entered new markets such as Singapore this season.
The 32-year-old said: “The appetite for the women’s game is huge. And with HSBC SVNS, the opportunity is there for these female athletes to showcase how incredible they are on the world stage, especially at first-time destinations like Singapore and other markets.
“I hope there are girls who have come to watch today and they go on to pick up the ball for the first time and are interested in doing this sport.
“You can’t hope for more than that.”
