A few weeks ago, in the wake of two exhilarating rugby sevens tournaments at the Olympic Games in Paris, World Rugby quietly announced the return of the global series in 2025. Even though the announcement seemed a little subdued, it’s clear that the sport is thriving and reaching new audiences every year.
It has never been so popular, with over half a million fans filtering through the gates at the Stade de France to become high on the all-action, energy sapping spectacle that is short in duration and high in drama. A day at sevens rugby is perhaps the best value money in sport at the moment. There was a tangible sense that this was a seminal moment for the sport, that the future is laden with further growth, that its popularity can only extend to more territories and fans over the coming years.
So, the global series was always going to return. And, following its popularity at the Olympic Games, it’s likely going to see a sudden bump in interest over the coming months. As of yet though, Ireland has failed to host an event in the calendar, despite being considered a heavyweight of world rugby. After all, the 15s side is ranked number two in the world, ahead of neighbours England, Scotland, Wales and France, all of whom have hosted an event at some stage since the series was established at the turn of the millennium. Indeed, last year Spain recognised the potential of the travelling extravaganza and hosted the Grand Final in June, becoming the only European event on the calendar.
Ireland’s failure to host an event therefore remains a glaring omission, like a star player left on the bench by a sulky coach. And yet the star player doesn’t seem to be making much of a fuss about being overlooked.
Ireland, of course, has only recently embraced the game. The men’s side only entered the series before the beginning of the 2019-2020 season. But the relatively new side hasn’t been only timidly embracing this new discipline, immediately highlighting the clear potential that is within the country. All that considered, the moment seems ripe for the series to finally come to Ireland.
Some politicians seem obsessed with the idea of attracting global events to these shores, whether their major tournaments like the Rugby World Cup or the Olympic Games. Those pipe dreams go back decades and will probably continue to invade public discourse from time to time well into the future. While the notion of an Olympic Games in Ireland is ludicrous for a wide array of obvious reasons, an official World Rugby report which explored Ireland’s readiness to host the 2023 quadrennial tournament revealed that the country was well short of being capable of hosting such an event. It was unrealistic from the outset, particularly given the standards that are being set in modern times.
A rugby sevens event in Dublin is a far more realistic concept, and one that all stakeholders should be able to get behind, even if there has yet to be a clamour for it to the same extent as there has been for larger tournaments. It makes sense to make a move at the moment too, following the interest the Irish teams’ performances generated at the Olympic Games during the summer.
Over 10 years ago, events were reportedly already bringing over €10 million into local economies. The series has grown exponentially since. Bringing an event to Dublin is a no-brainer.
While Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver and Hong Kong have already been confirmed as destinations that will feature in next season’s calendar commencing at the end of November, more destinations are due to be added in due course. That leaves a flicker of hope for a late Ireland inclusion at some point in the near-future, though the fact that the RDS will be undergoing a renovation this season leaves little room for the Aviva Stadium to host a weekend of sevens rugby. And that’s without considering the need to keep the venue free to host Six Nations games during the spring. In 2025, the country will host both England and France in Ballsbridge.
But it should already be clear that steps are being taken to host the event over the coming years. The argument for it, as put forward recently by Irish star Jordan Conroy, is undeniably obvious.
“We definitely have the facilities,” he said. “We have the infrastructure. I know there is a little bit of politics in there. But I think having a stage in Dublin would be amazing.” The city is just waiting for the stoplights to turn green.
Such an event would obviously catapult the sport to the next level of its evolution on these shores. Without the festival of rugby to showcase the spectacle, it risks being held back and will fail to build on the work that has gone into making Ireland a genuine contender on the world stage in such a short space of time. Young kids, the potential future stars of the game, have yet to experience the sport in-person – their imaginations won’t be captured unless they are afforded the opportunity to get up close and personal with the best players in the world.
And if Ireland insists on harbouring ambitions of hosting biggest tournaments down the line, this is an opportunity to take a first step on that journey. It can be a trial run, of sorts.
There’s an old Chinese proverb that rings true in this instance.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago – the second best time is now.” Sure, great opportunities have already been missed. C’est la vie. But it’s never too late to plant that tree.
