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As we all know Saturday (June 12) marks the start of the inaugural National Sevens Series, in association with Ultimate Rugby Sevens.

The new Series first heads to London’s RugbyRocks, which is a brand new event itself.

Not only are RugbyRocks hosting top level sevens, they have also attracted barnstorming headline music acts like Feeder and Just Jack. Throw in a big screen for the England v USA FIFA World Cup and you have yourself a sensational day out at Richmond.

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News Editor Robin Heymann met with RugbyRocks organiser Rob Westworth to learn more. 

Rob, mixing rugby sevens and music seems like a perfect combination?!

Absolutely! We feel there is a real crossover between the two. Sevens is a fun, exciting and fast sport and compliments the music we have on offer.
 

By fusing sevens with music, are you broadening the appeal of the sport?

I feel we are yes. There a lot of people with a passing interest in Rugby and with the addition of music and entertainment they are more likely to come down to the event. We can hopefully convert them!

How did you come up with the idea?

Truth be told the idea came about in the pub! I’ve played various levels of rugby and am familiar with the sevens community from travelling around tournaments. I’m from Sales background with co-organiser Ed Kemp from a marketing background. It has proved a good fit in bringing this new event to life.

Is it exciting and nerve racking to host the first leg of this new Sevens Series?

It’s exciting to be involved and especially host the first leg of this inaugural National Series in our very own first year. It couldn’t be better timing. We know it is a big responsibility for us to open up the National Series but we are ready. With the levels of press and media surrounding the event we know the expectation is there. It is of course daunting at times but it has been a fun experience.

Having some of the best sevens players in the UK at your event is a big coup right?

Absolutely. The quality of rugby is going to be fantastic and the National Sevens Series is such a fantastic initiative and idea. It is going to be really competitive with established invitational sevens sides there like the Army, Samurai, and Marauders together with exciting sides people might not know much about.

Outside of the National Series, what other sevens will you see?

There is the Scrumqueens.com Women’s Open, which will see 12 top teams take part. There aren’t enough quality Women’s events out there, so we are happy to have such quality coming. There’s also the Men’s Open event. There are some sides involved that wouldn’t look that out of place in the main National Series. Both finals will be on the main pitch in front of the cameras.

Richmond RFC is no stranger to rugby sevens. What makes it such a good location?

Richmond is a great venue and they have been really helpful in the organisation, such is their experience in hosting the sport. The pitches are looking great for this time of year, there are good transport links and it is picturesque - especially with the sun out!

Looks like a cracking music line-up? Nixa, Tom Carty, Alex Gardener, The Parlotones, Feeder, and DJ Just Jack!? Wow.

We are delighted with the music line-up for the Zaavi.com Festival stage! We have a good blend of young and upcoming talent. We obviously wanted the Rock element to fit with the name too! Bands like the Parlotones and Feeder will really relate to the age of the audience we are attracting, taking them back to the hazy days when they were 16-17 with some classic summer tunes! Then we have DJs like Just Jack spinning tunes to finish the night.

Any wacky or unusual ‘Rock n Roll’ requests from the Bands?!

In terms of their riders, they have obviously sent over what they are expecting and some are longer than others as you can probably imagine. It’s just giving them exactly what they want but their demands aren’t too outrageous!

And you haven’t forgotten a certain football tournament that starts this weekend too?!

Don’t worry we are showing England’s opening match of the FIFA football World Cup against USA on the big screen after the National Series! We also have the England and Wallabies rugby International from Down Under in the morning. There are Jacuzzis, VIP Hospitality and a variety of food stalls. You won’t get bored.

What about the VIP experience at RugbyRocks?

Yeah the package is awesome. You get a prime view of the National Sevens Series on the main pitch. You have your own area, your own food and bar. You can have access to where all the artists are and where they are chilling back stage. Once that is all done they head down to the Thames where they are loaded onto a party boat to enjoy the festivities.

Anything else?

Yeah there are goody bags with vouchers at zavvi.com including Playstation games and DVDs. This all adds to the VIP experience. I want to thank the partners that we have got involved this year; Zaavi.com, Optimum Nutrition, Eden Park. Haymarket have also helped out with the player experience.

And we can see highlights of the tournament via Sky Sports?!

Yeah that’s the great thing. You can come to RugbyRocks and sample the atmosphere and the party and then watch all the best bits from the sevens on TV with Sky Sports the following week. It just adds to the profile of sevens and our event.

UR7s can’t wait for Saturday!

See you down there!

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For ticket information for RugbyRocks (June 12) click here

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The National Sevens Series, in association with Ultimate Rugby Sevens, is supporting the Julian Starmer-Smith Lymphona Fund. To learn more about the charity and to donate go to http://www.justgiving.com/jssfund