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

I mentioned the World Cup Sevens in my previous article because it was that tournament in 1993, played at Scotland’s Murrayfield the home of Sevens, which spawned the concept of the IRB Sevens world circuit of tournaments. As much as it was the tournament itself that inspired the idea, so it was equally the success of the qualifying tournaments in Moscow and Sicily that created such an eager response from so many far-flung rugby unions for participation.

World Cup the catalyst

By the time the second World Cup Sevens kicked off, this time in Hong Kong 1997, the concept had taken root and the IRB launched their first World Sevens Series just two years later. This was very much under the guidance of the then Chairman of the IRB, Vernon Pugh QC, a man who had the vision to see that this was the path to eventually gain membership of the Olympic club, with all the benefits that this would accrue for the global game.

With the willing support of the Arabian Gulf RFU the first series was due to open in Dubai in December 1999, at the Dubai Exiles Rugby Ground. This was where the Dubai Sevens, ( now a vast venture of 9 separate, simultaneous tournaments, with an international invitation event as the principal showpiece), had first been staged in 1970.

Lets get this party started!

The first IRB Sevens of 1999/2000 season dawned with the sounds of Coldplay and Lou Bega's Mambo No.5, reverberating around the rugby stadiums of the world. Whilst the film Gladiator packed the cinemas, on the Sevens' front the epic battles were between the star performers of past Hong Kong Sevens, New Zealand and Fiji. They were totally dominant amongst the 31 competing nations, teams representing every continent, from Mexico to Japan, Uganda to Uruguay - simply a class apart.

They each won five of the ten tournaments, the pair contesting every final bar two, with Australia runners-up to Fiji at home in Brisbane and South Africa runners-up to New Zealand in Paris. For New Zealand the influence of coaching maestro Gordon Tietjens was already well established with well-known sevens experts in his squad including Eric Rush, Dallas Seymour, Karl Tenana, Amasio Valence, Craig de Goldi and occasionally a certain Jonah Lomu.

Men in Black

Fiji, reigning World Champions of 1997, revelled in the presence of Sevens' first superstar Waisale Tikoisuva Serevi, whose first Hong Kong appearance had been some 10 years earlier, with Vilimoni Delasau and the two Satalas the supporting act. But New Zealand 'pipped' the South Sea magicians for the first overall title only by winning the final tournament of the season in Paris. It was to be some long time before the supremacy of the Kiwis was to be so closely challenged- no-one could match their consistency of performance. Fiji it seemed had all the skills with ball in hand but they sometimes lacked the coolness of temperament, and the sheer doggedness of the Kiwis.

Hotting up!

One year on, and Australia became the closest rivals to their Antipodean neighbours, a team which despite lacking anything more than token recognition of the existence of Sevens at home had enjoyed four famous triumphs in Hong Kong in the Eighties - in the days of Campo and Noddy - David Campese and Michael Lynagh. 37 nations took part in the 2000/01 season, and the Wallabies won three tournaments, with coach Glen Ella's squad, full of Commonwealth and World Cup Sevens' experience including Richard Graham, Julian Huxley and Peter Miller. But it was the ‘Men in Black’ who took most of the glittering prizes - with six tournament titles and the overall crown.

From six wins to seven the following season, there was no stopping New Zealand as the likes of Chris Masoe, Tafai Ioasa and Orene Ai'i came to the fore with the (first!) retirement of the peerless captain, Eric Rush. But this was also the season in which coach Joe Lydon - ex star player and coach in Rugby League - came to England's rescue, masterminding their first tournament triumph, Hong Kong 2002. It was to be the first of three HK wins in a row and the start of the era which showed that 'a good little 'un' could beat 'a good big 'un' as half backs Simon Amor and Ben Gollings ran the show! Not forgetting the 'back-up' team of James Simpson-Daniel, Richard Haughton, Ugo Monye, Rob Thirlby, Henry Paul, and Tony Roques - a cluster of players who all seemed to be made for Sevens.

Specialist sport for special athletes

In fact it was about this time that I sensed that the message was finally sinking in - that Sevens could no longer be thought of as just an offshoot of fifteens. It was in many aspects an entirely different game; different tactics, requiring specialist attributes, superb handling, defensive skills, pace all round, and a level and a type of fitness that puts the emphasis on mobility, fast reaction and explosive speed more than great strength. There are those who still believe that a player can jump out of fifteens straight into sevens without a problem. At international level those days are long gone. In fact it's a great deal easier the other way round!

N S-S

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