Players and the XVS effect
Red Rose men’s side reached the World Cup final but the game faces an uncertain future
The financial lure of XVS can dilute the talent pool of sevens, which despite the opportunities to become an international athlete and the Olympic promise can put off many players. Australia, a traditional rugby powerhouse finished only 10th at the sevens World Cup and have struggled compared with their women’s side.
Australia sevens captain Lewis Holland confirms there is difficulty in attracting boys to the game, whereas due to fewer professional opportunities for women, it is easier to attract their top athletes.
“The girls’ team I believe have the best of the best. Whereas ours is a young side, a lot of boys just coming out of school, they are getting up to speed but then they have the pressure of if they want to play XVS. It is a bit of a juggling act,” he said. “We are slowly getting there, because we have XVS and [rugby] league to compete with, so our playing pool isn’t necessarily the best of the best.”
Ben Ryan, who coached Fiji to Olympic gold, believes that the XVS philosophy among British clubs can make the switch to sevens more difficult than it might be in the southern hemisphere.
He said: “In the southern hemisphere it is easier to flip from XVS to sevens as it is more of an athletic, open game. Whereas in the Premiership at the moment, it is less skills and more power, more attritional, it is about keeping the ball over multi-phases.
“If we look at how the XVS game goes in the next few years it is going to go one of two ways. If we don’t get a hold of the laws around breakdowns, we are going to have even bigger players, more collisions and more injuries. But if we put a bit more of a slant on skills, then we are going to see a more athletic game that sevens is closer to.” another four years does provide some security – especially for the women’s game, as a key part of the bank’s strategy is to raise its profile.
Tricia Weener, HSBC’S global head of sponsorship, said: “We are hoping for an alignment of the men’s and the women’s games at each of the tournaments. We have been working very closely with World Rugby to make sure that happens.
“We want to see diversity in its widest sense. We want to ensure that the women’s game is elevated to the same level as the men.”
This is a powerful statement, as figures show that only one per cent of commercial sponsorship goes to women’s sport. At the moment just the Dubai, Sydney and Paris tournaments are shared by the men and the women. Female players frequently state the importance of playing alongside the men, as it showcases them to crowds who do not usually watch the women’s game. Brett Gospher, World Rugby chief executive, said: “The desire is to integrate as many of the tournaments as possible. We would like to use the men’s game to promote the women’s game.”