On October 4, 2012, the International Rugby Board, now known as World Rugby, announced the launch of a circuit now known as the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, the women's counterpart to the World Rugby Sevens Series for men. The inaugural 2012–13 season featured four events, with the USA Women's Sevens taking place at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston as the second event in February 2013.[1]
The following are details of all official regional women's international championship played in the USA since the first tournament in 2006, listed chronologically with the earliest first, with all result details, where known.
Rugby sevens background
Rugby sevens - a short form of the sport of rugby union - was first played in 1883, with the first (men's) internationals taking place in 1973. As women's rugby union developed in the 1960s and 1970s the format became very popular as it allowed games, and entire leagues, to be developed in countries even when player numbers were small, and it remains the main form the women's game is played in most parts of the world.
However, although the first Women's international rugby union 15-a-side test match took place in 1982, it was not until 1997 before the first Women's International Rugby Union Sevens tournaments were played, when the Hong Kong Sevens included a women's tournament for the first time.[citation needed] Over the next decade the number of tournaments grew, with almost every region developing regular championship. This reached its zenith with 2009's inaugural women's tournament for the Rugby World Cup Sevens, shortly followed by the announcement that women's rugby sevens will be included in the Olympics from 2016.
Results
Summary of results in the United States leg of the World Rugby Women's Sevens series:
USA Tournament 2006
Venue: Los Angeles, USA (Source USA Rugby)
Note: Believed to be as an exhibition match. It is also possible that the teams played a second time, before the final of the men's competition.
USA Tournament 2007
Played at San Diego, USA, on 9 and 10 February 2007 (Source USA Rugby)
Known Participants: USA A, USA B, Canada A, Canada B, China
- China bt Canada A
- Canada B bt China
- USA A bt China
- USA B bt China
Final
- Canada B bt USA A
- China 4th
USA Sevens 2008
Venue/Date: San Diego, 9–10 February 2008
- Initially Kazakhstan, China, New Zealand and Australia were expected
Pool 1
Canada, USA A, Canada Collegiate
Pool 2
USA, Canada A, South Africa
- Plus exhibition match USA vs South Africa
Group stages Although in groups of three, four teams played three games whilst the two A teams only played 2 each. The results are presented as one table.
- Canada A 5-21 South Africa
- Canada Collegiate 0-15 USA A
- USA 21-7 South Africa
- Canada 29-5 Canada Collegiate
- USA 24-0 Canada A
- Canada 26-10 USA A
- Canada 19-10 South Africa
- USA 15-0 Canada Collegiate
Classification matches
5th Place
- Canada Collegiate 10-24 South Africa
3rd Place
Final
Exhibition Match
USA Sevens 2009
Venue/Date: 9 February 2009. San Diego (alongside the IRB event).
- This tournament is ostensibly a World Cup warm up. There are 7 teams (including USA 2) and rather than playing in groups, each team plays three opponents and they are then all assessed to decide the classification participants.
- The teams (in "seed" order)are England, NZ Maori, Canada, USA, USA 2, China, Japan
- The subsequent classification games place Japan above China but the Chinese results are better against tougher opponents, as is the points for and points difference. Japan also appear to have played four games.
Group Games
- England 36-0 Japan
- Canada 17-5 USA 2
- USA 21-0 China
- NZ Maori 36-0 Japan
- England 15-7 USA 2
- Canada 26-5 China
- USA 45-0 Japan
- NZ Maori 22-12 Canada
- USA 2 15-5 Japan
- England 19-0 USA
- NZ Maori 14-12 China
Classification Games
5th 6th Play-off
Semi Final 1st vs 4th
Semi Final 2nd vs 3rd
Final
- England 17-12 USA (sudden death, 12-12 at full time)
USA Sevens 2010
Venue/Date: 12 February 2009. Whitney, Nevada (alongside the IRB event).
POOL A
- USA White 19-12 China
- France 29-12 USA Blue
- USA White 29-12 Germany
- Canada University 14-0 France
- China 24-19 Germany
- Canada University 17-10 USA Blue
- USA White 17-7 Canada University
- France 29-0 Germany
- China 36-0 USA Blue
5th/6th place
Semi-finals
- Semifinal: USA White 17-7 Canada National University
- Semifinal: China 26-14 France
3rd/4th place
- Canada University 31-0 France
Final
USA Sevens 2011
Date/Venue: February 11–13, 2011. Whitney, Nevada
- Australia, Brazil and Kenya were originally expected, and Kenya only withdrew a week before due to visa problems, being replaced by the Hawaiian Select. Tyrolian Select - from the Women Rugby Club, Innsburck - had originally intended to take part in the club event. The final was broadcast on NBC in North America.
POOL A
- USA 43-0 Tyrolian Select
- Canada 12-10 Netherlands
- USA 15-21 Netherlands
- Canada 66-0 Tyrolian Select
- USA 7-5 Canada
- Netherlands 89-0 Tyrolian Select
5th to 8th Place
- USA 17-5 Hawaii Select
- Maple Leafs 52-0 Tyrolian Select
7th Place
- Hawaii Select 34-0 Tyrolian Select
5th Place
POOL B
- France 21-7 Maple Leafs
- Spain 26-7 Hawaii Select
- France 36-0 Hawaii Select
- Spain 20-5 Maple Leafs
- France 12-14 Spain
- Hawaii Select 0-26 Maple Leafs
Semi Finals
- Spain 0-15 Canada
- Netherlands 17-7 France
3rd Place
Final
USA Sevens 2012
- Chile and "Adler Sevens" (German development team) also took part in the Women's Elite Sevens. Adler beat Chile 22-5 on the way to winning the tournament.[2]
Date/Venue: February 10–12, 2012. Whitney, Nevada
POOL A
- Netherlands 12-5 Stars & Stripes
- Canada 26-0 Brazil
- Netherlands 36-0 Brazil
- Canada 26-7 Stars & Stripes
- Brazil 5-36 Stars & Stripes
- Canada 28-0 Netherlands
5th to 8th Place
- Maple Leafs 5-12 Brazil
- Stars & Stripes 14-5 Japan
7th Place
5th Place
- Brazil 21-19 Stars & Stripes
POOL B
- France 14-5 Maple Leafs
- USA 17-5 Japan
- France 19-0 Japan
- USA 22-7 Maple Leafs
- Japan 0-22 Maple Leafs
- USA 19-12 France
Semi Finals
- Canada 21-12 France
- USA 17-5 Netherlands
3rd Place
Final
Women's Sevens World Series (USA)
USA Sevens 2013
Women's Sevens World Series (USA) 2014
Women's Sevens World Series (USA) 2015
World Rugby Women's Sevens Series (USA) 2016
World Rugby Women's Sevens Series (USA) 2017
World Rugby Women's Sevens Series (USA) 2018
USA Rugby did not host an event in the 2017–18 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, although it hosted the corresponding event in that season's men's Sevens Series. It chose to focus its resources on hosting the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens for both sexes in San Francisco.
The USA Women's Sevens returned for the 2018–19 series, but it moved from March to October, becoming the season opener. Also, the tournament moved to a new site—Infinity Park in the Denver suburb of Glendale, Colorado.
World Rugby Women's Sevens Series (USA) 2019
See also
References
- ^ "IRB announces Women's Sevens World Series" (Press release). International Rugby Board. October 4, 2012. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- ^ Jacki Finlan. "Adler 7s Wins LVIs Wom Elite". Archived from the original on May 3, 2013.
