The IRB Sevens Series (International Rugby Board), is also known as the IRB Sevens World Series and is considered the premiere annual tournament for rugby sevens. That can be misleading, as it is actually a collection of tournaments run sequentially with the results from each tournament counting towards a league board (see below for the 2009/2010 fixtures).
The IRB Sevens World Series was initially developed in the 1999 -2000 season to give a more structured and commercial vehicle to the sevens games, incorporating many sevens tournaments that were already in existence and competed for by he top international teams in the world.
The IRB 7s series is made up of eight tournaments spread across the world. The eight are Dubai, South Africa, New Zealand, USA, Hong Kong, Australia, London and Scotland, making the world series a truly global game.
The series is experiencing massive growth in its fan base year on year. According to the IRB the 2006 - 2007 season had action from the various tournaments reaching 213 million people around the globe. On top of that over 250,000 people attended the 06/07 series across all its tournaments, with each bringing in over 25,000 spectators.
With such huge viewing figures, it is easy to see why the IRB are really pushing the development of the seven a side game. They have released numerous press statements and even a short video as to why the sport should be included as part of the Olympic program (it is already part of the commonwealth games).
The sevens circuit has proved fertile training ground for some of the biggest names in rugby, from all of the top nations. The likes of Joe Rokocoko, Matt Giteau, James Hook, Matthew Tait and Bryan Habana have all cut their teeth on the IRB sevens circuit whilst learning the game. More and more countries are sending their most promising players out to sevens tournaments to develop their running and handling skills whilst under pressure conditions.
But it is not just a development tool, Fijian rugby legend Waisale Serevi is far better known for his ability on the sevens field than his performances in the 15 a side game. And many others have become stars in their own right on the sevens circuit rather than in the full version of the game.
With the high profile, the IRB sevens can give players, especially the very top tournaments such as the Dubai and Hong Kong sevens, players are finding the sevens circuit to be great for raising their profile.
Check out our IRB Sevens rundown of all venues and previous winners.
2009/2010 IRB Sevens Series :
| Dubai Sevens Date : 4th - 5th Dec, Dubai, UAE » 2009 Tickets » 2009 Packages |
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| South Africa Sevens Date : 11th - 12th Dec 2009, George, South Africa » 2009 Tickets » 2009 Packages |
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| New Zealand Sevens Date : 5th - 6th Feb 2010, Wellington, New Zealand » 2010 Tickets » 2010 Packages |
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| USA Sevens Date : 13th - 14th Feb 2010, Las Vegas, USA » 2010 Tickets » 2010 Packages |
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| Australia Sevens Date : 19th - 21st March 2010, Adelaide, Australia » 2010 Tickets » 2010 Packages |
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| Hong Kong Sevens Date : 26th - 28th Mar 2010, Las Vegas, USA » 2010 Tickets » 2010 Packages |
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| England Sevens Date : 22nd - 23rd May 2010, Twickenham, England » 2010 Tickets » 2010 Packages |
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| Scotland Sevens Date : 29th - 30th May 2010, Edinburgh, Scotland » 2010 Tickets » 2010 Packages |
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