All Blacks fan Tim Cronin from RugbyShirts.net looks at the effect the Olympics and 7s is having on the game as a whole…
After a weekend in front of the telly watching some captivating action at the Wellington Sevens I've been reflecting on how much the shortened version of the game has evolved, and how, with it's impending entry in to the 2016 Olympics, it now truly is a viable sport with it's own identity.
Personally, I've spent years watching Sevens without really understanding the intricacies of the sport. I've enjoyed the balance between speed and size that the top players possess, and the supreme conditioning of those involved, without looking too closely at the defensive patterns which allow just six players (the seventh normally acting as a sweeper) to defend the entire width of the field, or the patience involved in being willing to lose ground in order to reload and create opportunities.
But here in Christchurch, New Zealand, the tide is turning, and I'm sure that's symbolic of things right around the globe. At local and regional tournaments the understanding of the game has grown immensely, and, even at amateur club level the teams competing at the various tournaments I've seen recently are taking the sport very seriously indeed.
With the Olympic Games acting as a very enticing carrot I think we're about to see some very talented players choosing Sevens over 15s, even if it's just until 2016.
In days gone by there really wasn't a decision to be made. Superstars like Jonah Lomu and Christian Cullen may have burst on to the scene in Gordon Tietjens' Sevens side, but realistically they were never, ever going to stay there. But now, with Sevens players enjoying lucrative careers and the lure of a gold medal hanging over their heads, the decision might not be so straight forward.
The first instance of this might well be Gillies Kaka. Kaka is a star in the making, a young player from Hawkes Bay, who, like fellow Magpie Israel Dagg has pace to burn, freakish skills and an eye for the try-line.
I was shocked that Kaka missed out on a Super XV contract this year, but that opened the door for Tietjens to throw him on to the Sevens circuit, where he instantly stood out in his first tournament last weekend.
Barring a shocking drop in form I can't see Kaka missing out on a Super Rugby contract again next year, but with the Rio Games only a couple of years away by then it would be tempting to pledge his allegiances to Tietjens in the hope that that show of faith would buy him a plane ticket to the biggest sporting show on earth in 2016.
And I'm convinced there will be a flood of players contemplating the same tough decisions in the very near future. Acceptance in to the Olympics, combined with the NZRFU's willingness to throw decent money at the contracted Sevens players has opened up an entirely new option for New Zealand's most exciting young players, and I'm sure that's a trend which will be repeated in every major rugby playing nation around the world.
On a side note, not only is Sevens now acting as a genuine career-path for young players, it has become a global game, with the Kenyan side making this weekend's final, and other sides such as Canada and the United States proving to be tough opposition for even the most accomplished teams.
Tim Cronin is a Rugby fan and full time writer based in the rubble of the Canterbury Crusaders’ home town, Christchurch. Tim is a part of the Pukeko Sportsteam, where his role is watching, writing, and complaining about all things rugby.
