SA Rugby high-performance GM Dave Wessels believes sevens players will increasingly split their time between the SVNS series and private franchise leagues.
The global sevens landscape has changed significantly since the 2020-21 lockdown, with World Rugby introducing a new three-division structure from the 2025-26 season and reducing the number of top-tier men’s teams from 12 to eight.
At the same time, private competitions such as India’s Rugby Premier League (RPL) – the world’s first franchise-based sevens tournament – have emerged as a potential new force in the format.
In a lengthy interview with SA Rugby magazine, in which he discusses the systems driving South African rugby’s success, Wessels predicts that sevens will evolve into a model similar to cricket.
“I think in future we will see a smaller number of mega events as part of the [SVNS] circuit which will be very commercially lucrative,” he said.
“And then very much like cricket, the players will spend the second six months of the year playing in private leagues, such as the RPL in India.”
Despite concerns in some quarters that sevens is dying — with Ireland no longer fielding a men’s team, and England, Scotland and Wales now competing as Great Britain – Wessels insisted SA Rugby remains all in.
“We’re very committed to sevens, and tournaments like Dubai, Hong Kong and Cape Town show the format is still in good health,” he said.
“One thing I do wonder, though, is whether combining men’s and women’s events on the same circuit has confused the product,” he added. “My sense is that the audiences for men’s and women’s rugby are slightly different, and women’s rugby deserves the chance to stand on its own rather than piggyback on the men’s game.”
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Wessels also highlighted the importance of rugby sevens being an Olympic sport.
“Retaining Olympic status is critical,” he said. “In many countries it unlocks Olympic funding that wouldn’t otherwise exist, and it gives athletes a genuine carrot in Olympic gold.”
The post Wessels predicts changing sevens landscape appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
SA Rugby high-performance GM Dave Wessels believes sevens players will increasingly split their time between the SVNS series and private franchise leagues.
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