RFU Looking to end Mens & Womens Sevens Contracts

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/53526629

"We are having to make difficult decisions," an RFU statement said. "To ensure we have a sustainable RFU we have announced a proposal to reduce the number of roles across the organisation. We have also advised our rugby sevens men's and women's players that we may not be able to renew their contracts when they expire over the summer."

Even before the pandemic, the RFU was keen on a Team GB sevens team, to pool resources, and match up with the Olympics (but not the Commonwealth Games). Wales and Scotland weren't particularly keen, but they may have different ideas now.

In truth, the whole international sevens circuit is out of synch with the new normal, as it relies on touring the whole tournament around the globe. So far, though, only the RFU has looked at cutting contracts completely. It's unclear whether they would just hope to field a team of amateurs, Premiership and Championship players, or even not participate.

7s is a difficult one, because although it is a great spectacle, it will never pull in the sort of crowds the 15 a side game does. The trouble is it's very difficult to market what is in effect a niche sport, and with cost-cutting everywhere it's no surprise that the RFU is proposing to make cuts in that sector.

I think that a lot of professional sports are going to be tightening their belts considerably by necessity.

Only way the 7s would grow is if it was attached to the 15s game in type of pre-game crowd warm up.  Could be some of the non-picked players. Have a front rower on there just to get the crowd excited.

As long as only the real matches are the international circuit it won't grow.  It's inclusion in the Olympics hasn't helped as it implies it is bigger than it actually is.

7s is about what's off the pitch rather than what is on it.  Like the women's game telling people that they should care about as much as men's 15 isn't going to grow the game and make them sustainable.

If money is short the RFU must concentrate on what makes them money rather costing money. That is not good news for sevens or women’s rugby.

Wales has ended its sevens programme too.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-sevens/2020/08/28/wales-cancel-rugby-sevens-programme/

That's one step closer to a permament GB sevens team, should the RFU and WRU step back into the format. However Mark Dodson said only three weeks ago that the SRU remains committed to a standalone Scottish sevens squad.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/sydney-sevens-cancelled-as-world-rugby-invest-2-5m-in-olympic-funding-20200901-p55rff.html

World Rugby has cancelled the NZ and Australia legs of next year's Rugby Sevens. HK and Singapore legs in April are still on the calendar, and are supposed to serve as a warm-up for the Olympics.

If the Olympics is cancelled, or restructured in a way which leaves out some events, like rugby, then you have to wonder whether the shorter code will survive as a professional, international competition.

Hard not to feel that rugby is cutting back on a lot of areas as a result of the pandemic but has still failed to address some of the basic calendar conflicts, which are the real bottlenecks in the development of the game.