Lead columnist and ‘The Voice of Sevens’ Nigel Starmer-Smith gives his regular thoughts on the elite global game.

May I add a warm welcome to the world of Sevens! I'm delighted that at last we have a dedicated web-site that will provide you with all you might wish to know about the magnificent world of sevens rugby! On UR7s you'll be kept in touch with all that's going on in this great sport, and I hope you will play your part by providing us with your news and views on sevens across the world. What is more, if plain good sense prevails within the confines of the IOC then by this time next year we shall be celebrating the overdue arrival of Men's and Women's Rugby Sevens within the Games of the next but one Olympiad.

Over many years as BBC TV's rugby commentator I was lucky enough to attend thousands of 15-a-side matches, from weekly club games in the UK to international matches at home and abroad, all the British Lions tours and every World Cup. In that time I witnessed some epic encounters, thrilling matches at every level, but that was far from being the case on every occasion.

The beautiful game

The beauty of sevens, and in particular the IRB (International Rugby Board) Sevens World Series, is that every tournament has provided at some point sensational games, gripping encounters and a feast of exciting moments to savour. Sevens provides an unrelenting competitive intensity, a blend of the innate cut and thrust, spectacular tries and match-saving tackles allied to superb skills and remarkable fitness levels. But there are other important aspects to Sevens that set it apart. Not least is the fact that at international level so many countries have become truly competitive in the sport.

Recently we have seen Kenya beat England, Tunisia beat South Africa and both Tonga and Portugal triumph over Australia and all the signs are that these 'upsets' are destined to increase as the 'ability' gaps decrease and the enthusiasm of the 'emerging' Sevens nations continues to intensify. The simplicity of Sevens as a team sport to learn to play is also important, being less technical in many aspects, and not just because it requires a small number of players.

It’s party time!

It is easy to understand and follow as a spectator, and the nature of a tournament allows for other forms of family entertainment to be part of that spectacle. With disc jockey driven music, fancy dress, displays during intervals and crowd interaction with the big screen, all of which serves to create a unique festival atmosphere of sheer fun within the stadium. Small wonder that most IRB tournaments are a sell-out - Dubai now enlarged from 20,000 10 years ago to 55,000 now, Wellington - at 40,000 a sell-out within 2 hours of tickets being on sale; Hong Kong, always a full-house of 47000; George, a sell-out last month for the first time and the newest venues of San Diego and Adelaide set to double the crowd this year.

Only the UK-staged events seem to fail to fulfil expectations and one is left to ponder the reason why- especially when many other countries, from Argentina to Russia, Germany to Fiji would dearly love to host a tournament. Unique to the IRB Sevens is the camaraderie amongst the different teams, the social intercourse that is generated by having all the teams (16 usually, but 24 in HK and for World Cups) staying in the same hotel, eating in the same dining rooms and mixing freely - without diminishing in any way the intense rivalry when the teams are on the pitch.

More global than the 15-a-side game?

The fact that more than 50 nations have taken part so far in the IRB Sevens and that more than 80 nations entered this year's IRB Sevens Men’s Rugby World Cup in Dubai, just as 80 nations entered the qualifying tournaments for the Women’s World Cup, tells its own story. Thus you will find Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Georgia and Japan competing alongside the top seeds, Fiji and New Zealand in the 24-nation Men’s event, whilst China, Brazil and Thailand will be amongst the 16 Women's finalists at the same time. Rugby sevens: a truly global and universal game.

N S-S

Join us on Thursday for the second of Starmer’s four part review looking back at the last decade of the IRB Sevens as we celebrate its 10 year anniversary!