The game of seven-a-side rugby originated in the Scottish Borders late in the 19th century. The modern sevens is non-stop action played over two seven-minute halves, with seven players on each side, and three reserves. Sports historian Jack Pollard describes these matches as 'unpredictable tests of stamina, ball-handling expertise and blistering pace'.
Sevens is played on the same size of pitch as the fifteen-a-side game and the idea of the game is similar to the fifteen-a-side game, but tactics are very different. The scrums have three on each side, rucks and mauls don't occur very often as the emphasis is on the running game and crunching tackles! Today throughout the spring and autumn months, most of the local towns host 7‘s tournaments or ‘Sports‘, with the covered ‘Kings of the Borders‘ title up for grabs.
The Melrose Sevens is one of the most famous 7‘s tournament and a special event in the Scottish Rugby calendar, which has become one of Scotland's most exciting sporting events. For the Borders community the 'Melrose Sports' are also a chance for a convivial get-together with its appeal not limited to the growing rugby 'fraternity'. Despite the social gathering, the Melrose Sevens success is due to the consistently high quality of the play on the field itself; which is why it is always a packed house.
Seven-a-side rugby is now played in tournaments all over the world such as Fiji, Argentina, Canada, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Malawi and New Zealand.
See the Events Calendar for tournament dates