Review Sevens Model: Xenos
Former Fijian 7s coach Ben Ryan is trying to set up a Big Bashstyle month-long tournament in Europe every August
The time has arrived for World Rugby to review the economic model of the World Sevens Series to alleviate the financial pressures that staging a tournament places on the host nation, Rugby Union Players Association chief executive Ross Xenos said yesterday.
The Sydney Sevens, one of the rare stops on the world circuit where both the men’s and women’s teams come together, will be staged at Allianz Stadium over three days beginning tomorrow.
As host nation, Rugby Australia is required to bring all the other competing nations to Sydney and put them up, which is largely made possible by government sponsorship. When all the other costs of the tournament are factored in, Australia is left in a position where it largely is funding its sevens programme on just three days a year. World Rugby, meanwhile, has the guaranteed income of the HSBC sponsorship and the broadcast rights, which it is able to bank. Xenos’s suggestion comes as Fijian men’s sevens gold medal-winning coach Ben Ryan is trying to set up a Big Bash-style month-long tournament held in Europe every August.
At present, the World Series runs from the end of November 30 (Dubai) to June 10 (Paris), so the scheduling is certainly doable. The International Management Group is working with World Rugby to determine whether individual countries are prepared to release players to proposed citybased franchises. But given that many nations, Australia included, are not able to pour money into their sevens program at anything like the same level as 15-a-side rugby, Ryan is fully confident the Big Bash-style tournament will be approved.
On making World Series funding more equitable, Xenos said: “While each of the host unions do a good job commercialising their tournaments and making small profits out of ticket sales and corporate hospitality, World Rugby are retaining the more lucrative sponsorship around the World Series and its broadcast rights without necessarily putting in place provision for them invest into the wellbeing of the athletes.’’
Xenos recently concluded a collective bargaining agreement that provided more security to sevens players. “But there were things that we would have liked to achieve in terms of improving the standards of those players which we weren’t able to do because of the way the World Series is currently structured.”
Over the past two years in Sydney, the Australian men’s team has reached the semi-final and final and coach Andy Friend says there is an expectation that the team will again lift.
He said: “This week is not about adding to the pressure on the boys. It’s about letting them enjoy the moment, backing their skills, backing their ability and getting soaked up in the whole vibe of what Sydney is doing for them and then doing the best they can do.” Friend might be allowing his players to chill out but he certainly is under the gun, especially since Australian women’s coach Tim Walsh said he would like to coach the Australian men.
“I’ve expressed my desire to stay with the team,” said Friend. “But I’m fully aware this job demands results.
“This team hasn’t won a World Series tournament or a Commonwealth Games since 2012, so we need to get wins.”