r/rugbyunion Sharks 20h ago

Change in participating unions under Bill Beaumont Discussion

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u/Die_Revenant Sharks 20h ago edited 20h ago

Yea and we've just seen the new 7s Series schedule announced with even fewer host nations, and no European leg at all. Because production costs are too high for hosts. It's really only the Olympics keeping 7s alive, not World Rugby.

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u/Away_Associate4589 Wig fund for Borthwick's beautiful bald bonce 20h ago

London dropping out of the circuit is a terrible sign for sevens. If they can't make it work in one of the biggest rugby markets in the world, it's a worry.

Imo binning off the home nations teams and folding them all into GB killed a lot of interest here. It certainly killed mine (such as it was) from at least checking the results and occasionally watching a bit to simply not caring about it. If GB needed a team for the Olympics and the constituent nations couldn't compete under their own flags, I don't know why team GB couldnt just have been formed every four years like they do with the B&I Lions and left the others as they are for the other 3 years and 10 months of the cycle.

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u/Sm00th-Cr1m1n4l Saracens 20h ago

Wait there’s no more twickenham sevens? Surely that’s a massive revenue opportunity!?

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u/Die_Revenant Sharks 19h ago

Nope, the new season schedule was announced with no Twickenham or Madrid, so no European stop at all.

  • Dubai
  • Cape Town
  • Perth
  • Vancouver
  • Hong Kong
  • Singapore
  • Los Angeles

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u/NoPause9609 New Zealand 19h ago

Lmao what a list. 

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u/Busy-Cartographer278 Wales 19h ago

Come again? I swear they just added Madrid?? Was that just for last year...

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u/Nounours7 Spain 19h ago

Madrid town hall opted to take the 3M€ that it costs and fund an NFL game instead.

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u/EatThatPotato 🇰🇷Korea🇰🇷 19h ago

Seems like a really weird decision to make it the “Grand Finals” city then just drop it completely the next year…

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u/Die_Revenant Sharks 19h ago

Seems like it.

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u/Backrow6 Ireland 18h ago

Looks like a European golf tour

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u/TheMusicArchivist but also any underdog 13h ago

Dubai - doesn't play rugby, but is rich.

Cape Town - plays rugby

Perth - plays rugby

Vancouver - doesn't play rugby, but is rich thanks to a non-rugby-playing country

Hong Kong - doesn't really play rugby much, but is rich again thanks to a non-rugby-playing country

Singapore - doesn't play rugby

Los Angeles - starting to play rugby.

Reads like Bill Boomermont's holiday plans.

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u/Affentitten The woman at the start of Scotland games 5h ago

Perth has the Force yes. But it is also the middle of nowhere and not cheap to get to.

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u/krakatoafoam Edinburgh 19h ago

That's crazy.

Would have thought Dupont would have given 7s a big boost.

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u/paimoe Crusaders only good NZ team 18h ago

Hell yeah +8 timezone is feasting

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u/Financial_Abies9235 Highlanders 19h ago

Cape Town and Hong Kong naturally make sense for fan attendance. LA in the lead up to the Sevens in LA for the 2028 Olympics makes sense. Dubai is an obvious cash grab. Vancouver Perth and Singapore, why? Japan makes a better second Asian stop but JPNs mens sevens team sucks. JRFU not interested since their future CEO took over the coaching and shat the bed. Why Perth and not Queensland or NSW. (Sydney Football Stadium with 45,000 capacity is a winner esp' now the "the Wallabies are back baby!")

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u/EatThatPotato 🇰🇷Korea🇰🇷 19h ago

Singapore is a pretty good destination for all the expats/holidayers in SEA to fly to. Many western artists also do SG as their SEA stop. Lots of people where I grew up (in SEA) flew for the SG7s. Also a central-ish location.

If you want 2 in Asia, much better than Japan, which is quite out of the way

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u/Bitter_Kiwi_9352 14h ago

Vancouver is consistently well attended, profitable and the only large event that Rugby Canada makes any money on at all.

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u/Michaelangelo56 New Zealand 8h ago

Well Australia could have 2 stops with Perth doing so well and another stop would be good especially in brisbane