7 Reasons To Look Forward To Rugby Sevens At Rio 2016 Olympics

Ball in Touch: Following the excitement and thrill of the London 2012 Olympic Games, we look at why the shortened version of rugby union will thrive at the next Olympic Games in Rio in four years time. Let us know if you are looking forward to it and get involved using the comments below or on Twitter @ballintouch Here at Ball in Touch towers we joined in with the nation in embracing the Olympic spirit, following the exploits of various athletes we didn€™t know doing sports we didn€™t fully understand and cheering them on regardless. A spectacular two weeks made heroes and icons out of those both well known and those less so. But whilst we were perfecting our Mo-bot in between events, there was one nagging thought that kept reoccurring in the back of our minds. €˜If only the rugby had been part of it€™. Three years ago rugby Sevens and golf became the first sports added to the Olympic schedule since triathlon and taekwondo joined the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The only problem was they would not be involved until 2016 and 2020 and thus missing the chance for a Team GB side to debut in front of a home crowd. No matter, good things come to those who wait and 2016 will be here before we know. So here are our seven reasons to look forward to the Sevens in Rio in four years time:

1. You Don€™t Need to Know the Rules

A common complaint for those new to rugby is that they don€™t really understand what is happening between the tries and kicks at goal. €œOne player tries to cuddle another and when he does something wrong all the big lads get together and have one big cuddle with the man with a whistle telling those off who try and cuddle incorrectly€ is one interpretation we€™ve heard. Sevens is a stripped down version of the game that excels on the basics of passing and running that make it perfect for a watching rugby novice. Everyone can appreciate that the faster you are the better your chances of scoring. Tactics and core skills still play a big part but if you have some guys who can run the 100m in just over 10 seconds, your chances just got a lot better. Dan Norton of England reportedly is quicker than Usain Bolt over 40 metres. To put things into context, the recent JPMorgan Premiership Sevens series saw the try count top 150 over just four evenings of action. This is compared to an average of about 3.5 tries per 80 minute premiership game. Blink and you€™ll miss it stuff.