(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Emirates backed event has grown from a humble beginning the biggest oval-ball showdown on the planet
The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens has grown exponentially over the last 45 years to become one of the most highly-anticipated social events here on the sporting calendar.
From its humble beginnings back in 1970 when a handful of British expats at Dubai Exiles RFC inaugurated a tournament that drew a few players and spectators it’s now rightly regarded as one of the biggest oval-ball showdowns anywhere on the planet.
The Staffordshire Regiment won the first-ever edaition and regular innovations on an annual basis kept the concept fresh and new in its formative years.
Title sponsors Emirates Airline began their involvement back in 1987 and within a decade (1996) the emirate was hosting a qualifying round of the World Cup Sevens.
Three years later it was agreed that Dubai would start hosting a leg of the International Rugby Board’s (IRB’s) Sevens World Series – an arrangement of course that still stands to this very day with the newly-rebranded HSBC Sevens World Series.
The growth of the tournament thereafter unsurprisingly sky-rocketed; by 2006.
With a 2008 switch to Emirates’ purpose-built Sevens Stadium daily attendances regularly exceed 50000. Record crowds are once again expected this year.
Two years ago the venue staged the first event in the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series and now men and women legends of past and present veterans and boys compete across 14 separate categories.
In the men’s competition Fiji and New Zealand contested the first three finals between 1999 and 2002 with the latter prevailing on each occasion. That early dominance was snapped in 2003 when South Africa toppled the Kiwis 33-26 and the Fijians’ bad habit of finishing up as the losing finalists continued in the two subsequent competitions.
They lost to England in 2004 (26-21) and 2005 (28-26) before South Africa (2006 & 2008) and New Zealand (2007 & 2009) claimed two triumphs apiece between 2006 and 2009. England then did the back-to-back double for the second time this century in 2011 and 2012 prior to the Pacific islanders coming to prominence in the last two editions with valiant victories for Samoa (2012) and reigning champions Fiji (2013).
Meanwhile for the women Oceania neighbours New Zealand (2012) and Australia (2013) have had the bragging rights here to date ahead of a third contest overall this weekend.
alexkhaleejtimes.com
Finishing Positions to Points Breakdown:
Cup winner (First place) 22 points.
Cup runner-up (Second place) 19 points.
Cup third-place play-off winner (Third place) 17 points.
Cup third-place play-off loser (Fourth place) 15 points.
Plate winner (Fifth place) 13 points.
Plate runner-up (Sixth place) 12 points.
Losing Plate semi-finalists (joint seventh place) 10 points.
Bowl winner (Ninth place) Eight points.
Bowl runner-up (10thplace) Seven points.
Losing Bowl semi-finalists (joint 11thplace) Five points.
Shield winner (13thplace) Three points.
Shield runner-up (14thplace) Two points.
Losing Shield semi-finalists (joint 15thplace) One point.
HSBC Sevens World
Series 2014/2015 Calendar:
Round One: Australia (Gold Coast)
October 11th-12th2014.
Round Two: UAE (Dubai)
December 5th-6th2014.
Round Three: South Africa (Port Elizabeth)
December 13th-14th2014.
Round Four: New Zealand (Wellington)
February 6th-7th2015.
Round Five: USA (Las Vegas)
February 13th-15th2015.
Round Six: Hong Kong
March 27th-29th2015.
Round Seven: Japan (Tokyo)
April 4th-5th2015.
Round Eight: Scotland (Glasgow)
May 9th-10th2015.
Round Nine: England (London)
May 16th-17th2015.
The Last Decade in Depth:
Sevens World Series Roll of Honour:
1999/2000: New Zealand.
2000/2001: New Zealand.
2001/2002: New Zealand.
2002/2003: New Zealand.
2003/2004: New Zealand.
2004/2005: New Zealand.
2005/2006: Fiji.
2006/2007: New Zealand.
2007/2008: New Zealand.
2008/2009: South Africa.
2009/2010: Samoa.
2010/2011: New Zealand.
2011/2012: New Zealand.
2012/2013: New Zealand.
2013/2014: New Zealand.
Veunue: The SevensStadium
Tickets:
Thursday December 4:
Pre-Purchase: Free.
On The Day: Free.
Friday December 5:
Pre-Purchase: Dh300.
On The Day: Dh400.
Saturday December 6:
Pre-Purchase: Dh300.
On The Day: Dh400.
Season Ticket (Friday & Saturday):
Pre-Purchase: Dh500.
On The Day: Dh600.
Children under 12: Free Admission.Travel:
Night buses from the Sevens Stadium:
Thursday: 5pm-Midnight.
Friday & Saturday: 6pm-1am.
1). Movenpick JLT.
2). Girders JBR.
3). Barasti.
4). Dubai Media City.
5). Bidi Bondi.
6). Dubai Motor City.
7). Umm Suqeim 3.
8). Al Marooj Rotana.
9). Dubai Festival City.
10). Irish Village.
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