Rugby Sevens

This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s Rugby Sevens news, interviews, reports, opinion and other content.

Emma Uren: Great Britain must learn from Olympic setback

4 August 2024 0 comments

Emma Uren has called on her GB Sevens team-mates to learn from a groundbreaking Olympic campaign after they finished seventh at Paris 2024.

Sir Gareth Edwards: Antoine Dupont ‘has a buzz about him’

4 August 2024 0 comments

Simon Thomas talks to Sir Gareth Edwards, rated by many as the greatest rugby player of all time, about the brilliance of Antoine Dupont.

Antoine Dupont inspires France to Olympic gold in Paris

28 July 2024 0 comments

Nine months on from their heartbreaking quarter-final loss in the World Cup to South Africa, Antoine Dupont inspired France’s Sevens side to win Olympic gold at the Stade de France.

Men’s Rugby Sevens takes centre stage as Dupont’s dream takes shape

26 July 2024 0 comments

The Olympics opened with rugby sevens’ biggest names competing for a spot on the podium as some of the games’ first medallists.

Bryan Habana expects ‘box office’ Antoine Dupont to light up sevens at Olympics

23 July 2024 0 comments

The Les Bleus captain skipped the 2024 Six Nations to focus on the shortened version of the sport. Bryan Habana expects “box office” Antoine Dupont […]

No stopping the American battlers

21 July 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points IT’S exactly 100 years ago since France and the USA met in […]

Jones will give all in chase for Olympic glory

2 June 2024 0 comments

By MILLY McEVOY Meg Jones knows rugby is unfair which is why she is giving it everything to get to the Olympics. The 27-year-old Leicester […]

Kildunne and Jones join GB Sevens

12 May 2024 0 comments

Red Roses Grand Slam stars Ellie Kildunne and Meg Jones will join Great Britain Sevens women’s squad in preparation for the SVNS Grand Final and […]

Series 3, Episode 37: Champions Cup, Dupont and Olympics with Mike Friday

9 May 2024 0 comments

There’s plenty on the agenda for the Rugby Paper Podcast this week. Ollie Little and columnists Brendan Gallagher, Chris Hewett and Nick Cain review English […]

Hooper helps Aussies reach HK semi-finals

7 April 2024 0 comments

Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper made his sevens debut for Australia in their 12-0 win against Fiji at the Hong Kong 7s. The 32-year-old, who […]

How one player really can make a team tick

3 March 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER WHY have France fallen off a cliff ?Can it really all be […]

Dupont looks sharp at 7s

25 February 2024 0 comments

Antoine Dupont’s Olympic dream got off to a winning start with two victories on his sevens debut for France at the World Sevens event in […]

Baloucoune eyes Olympics

18 February 2024 0 comments

Ulster wing Robert Baloucoune is eager for the chance to compete at the Paris Olympics with Ireland. Baloucoune, 26, was previously in the sevens set-up, […]

Kelly clocks up the miles for his ‘family’

4 February 2024 0 comments

Nick Powell talks to Fin Kelly ahead of an epic challenge to help fund his women’s sevens side and support a charity close to his […]

I can see why Dupont has gold in his sights

24 December 2023 0 comments

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK IT is very hard to think of France without Antoine Dupont as a driving force as both scrum-half […]

Olympics causing financial headache

17 December 2023 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN The new cycle of French senior men’s rugby starts here – a month-and-a-half after the 2023 Rugby World Cup ended, and […]

Dupont deserves to be on Olympic stage

26 November 2023 0 comments

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED There are exceptions to the general rule – the best three-minute pop songs, James Joyce’s stories in Dubliners, the wonderful actor […]

Returning from the ‘dead’ to play again

26 November 2023 0 comments

Jon Newcombe talks to Morgan MacRae, the Welsh hooker determined to resurrect his career HAVING gone into cardiac arrest and having been resuscitated four times […]

Dupont is looking to take a sabbatical

9 July 2023 0 comments

Antoine Dupont could take a sabbatical year after the 2024 Olympic Games, reports in France suggest. The France captain, 26, is looking ahead to an […]

GB women clinch sevens spot at Paris Olympics

2 July 2023 0 comments

By SAM JACKSON GREAT Britain’s women’s sevens team won gold at the European Games in Krakow, Poland to clinch a place at the Paris 2024 […]

GB women earn Olympic Sevens qualification while men beaten to spot by Ireland

28 June 2023 0 comments

A gold medal in the European Games secured Great Britain’s women a place at the 2024 Olympic Sevens competition, but a silver medal for their […]

I would have always aimed for a career in rugby – O’Driscoll

7 June 2023 0 comments

Brian O’Driscoll has said he would’ve got involved in rugby in some capacity regardless of whether he was a player or not, and wants youngsters […]

Waterman pushing for more opportunities for women in rugby

26 May 2023 0 comments

Ex-England 15s and 7s player Danielle Waterman feels that there is more work to be done in growing the women’s game and women’s opportunities in […]

GB sevens players pondered boycott

21 May 2023 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK Several Great Britain Sevens players thought about refusing to participate in this weekend’s London leg of the World Series due to being […]

GB Women end tough Toulouse campaign on a high

14 May 2023 0 comments

Amy Wilson Hardy’s length of the field extra time try meant Great Britain Women finished seventh at the Toulouse Sevens after winning their final match […]

Toulouse 7s: GB eliminated from Cup in both men’s and women’s

14 May 2023 0 comments

Great Britain endured a disappointing day two as they were knocked out in the quarter-finals of both the men’s and women’s Toulouse World Series Cup […]

Former coach Friday says England Sevens in period of transition

18 September 2022 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK Mike Friday believes England Sevens are in a transitional phase and will become stronger when they compete as Great Britain later this […]

2009 champions Wales name men’s squad for Rugby World Cup Sevens

7 September 2022 0 comments

Head coach Richie Pugh has confirmed his 12-man Wales squad for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, getting underway this Friday. Wales finished […]

England men and women name squads for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

6 September 2022 2 comments

England’s men’s and women’s teams have named their squads for the Rugby World Cup sevens getting underway this Friday in Cape Town. In what will […]

Time for stars to shine at World Cup Sevens

4 September 2022 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER A weekly look at the game’s other talking points The Rugby World Cup Sevens is upon us again and hopefully the […]

Omanyala enjoys golden finale after leaving Sevens

14 August 2022 1 comment

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER Triumph: Ferdinand Omanyala celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Commonwealth […]

Phillips out to guide China to Olympics

7 August 2022 0 comments

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Follow me on Twitter: @neilfissler FORMER England Sevens star Ollie Phillips has taken over as coach of the China […]

Mitchell: I’d love to play in World Cup

7 August 2022 1 comment

By BEN JAYCOCK Former England captain Tom Mitchell is hoping his Sevens career isn’t over yet and is keen to be involved in September’s World […]

Lethargic England fade from view

31 July 2022 0 comments

MEN’S SEVENS POOL A ROUND-UP Any hopes that England might be able to upset the predicted domination of the big four were over before they’d […]

There’s no 7s heaven for our Home Nations

31 July 2022 3 comments

Up and at ‘em: New Zealand’s Regan Ware wriggles free during the Rugby Sevens quarter-final match against Kenya PICTURES: Getty Images All five British teams […]

Exciting Scotland open up in fine style

31 July 2022 0 comments

POOL B ROUND-UP Scotland’s exciting, hungry squad were arguably the talk of the tournament on the opening day, hammering Tonga and Malaysia to sit top […]

Canada too strong for Wales

31 July 2022 0 comments

POOL C ROUND-UP Wales might have been confident of emulating Scotland’s achievement of clinching second in their group. Although they sit a place, and a […]

Uganda keep Wallabies in check

31 July 2022 0 comments

POOL D ROUND-UP Australia recorded the biggest win of the entire competition in their very first game, scoring ten tries in a 62-0 pummelling of […]

Aussies set up Fiji showdown

31 July 2022 0 comments

WOMEN’S SEVENS There will be a new Commonwealth Games gold medal winner in the Women’s 7s after Australia and Fiji reached the final of the […]

Big guns cruise into final stages

31 July 2022 1 comment

POOL B ROUND-UP Pool B had two clear favourites and it was ultimately followed a predictable pattern, with Australia and Fiji progressing at the expense […]

Red Roses fail to make the most of quick start

31 July 2022 1 comment

POOL A ROUND-UP Try scorer: Boatman Like the men, England’s women had both New Zealand and Sri Lanka in their pool, and in a further […]

Playing under one flag could threaten the union

24 July 2022 2 comments

CHRIS HEWETT GUEST COLUMNIST Rugby is just a game, as the saying goes, but that doesn’t mean it is bereft of history as an agent […]

Commonwealth games Men’s 7s Preview: Tough pool start will be good for us, says Bowen

24 July 2022 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK England have landed in a tough pool for next weekend’s Commonwealth Games 7s, but Tom Bowen believes it’s a blessing in disguise […]

Commonwealth games Women’s 7s Preview: Quansah out for revenge as she prepares England for challenge

24 July 2022 1 comment

Back in action: England winger Celia Quansah After enduring a horrific injury first time around, England winger Celia Quansah is hoping for a successful return […]

England, Wales and Scotland abandon individual 7s teams

20 July 2022 0 comments

England, Wales and Scotland‘s 7s teams have decided to play as Great Britain throughout the World 7s series, abandoning their individual union’s teams. Great Britain […]