For rugby fans, the two-day USA Sevens tournament Feb. 9 and 10 will be a festival.
If it’s like last year’s San Diego inaugural in Petco Park, the Gaslamp Quarter should produce additional, endless entertainment.
To the loyal rugby fan, there is no other sport like it, and they come from far and wide in music-concert fashion.
Half of last year’s turnout of 30,000 came from out of town.
This showcase of nonstop action, for pure speed, athleticism, attacks, daring tackles and agility, is the only stop in the United States. Each nation on the year-round schedule has a single event. The teams will be coming in from New Zealand, where they have a tourney on Feb. 1 and 2.
The world conclave involves 16 countries, engaging in a total of 44 games. They’ re conducted on the same size field as traditional 15-aside rugby with only seven players per team.
Each nation competing in the 2008 tournament will be represented at the festival to share with fans exactly what makes rugby the “true world’s game.”
The International Rugby Board (IRB) started the Sevens series in 1997 in order to develop an elite-level competition series between rugby nations and develop the Sevens game into a viable commercial product. The 2006-07 series encompassed seven cities around the world, with the tournament season beginning in December and running through June.
The USA Sevens debuted in 2004 at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles and moved to Petco Park last year.
Teams from Mexico and Wales have been added. Mexico’s entry completes the North American entry challenge with USA and Canada.
Other teams include Australia, England, Scotland, France, New Zealand, Kenya, West Indies, Chile, South Africa, Samoa, Argentina and 2007 USA Sevens defending champion Fiji.
New Zealand Sevens won the last two at Dubai, South Africa, and Dubai of the United Arab Emirates. The inaugural San Diego tourney proved to be a true crowd-pleaser for an integral event that could shape the game of rugby in the United States.
Mexico’s entry might serve as a preparation and celebration of the addition of rugby to the 2011 Pan American games, to be held in Guadalajara. The country has added a strong youth program to bring depth and experience to its national side.
Tickets can be purchased through the USA Sevens Website, www.usasevens.com, or by calling 1-888-RUGBY-7S.