The dummy’s guide to Rugby

MANILA, Philippines — If you haven’t already done so, do yourself a favor and add the Hong Kong 7s rugby tournament to your bucket list. It is the spiritual home of Sevens Rugby, the most treasured trophy on the circuit and certainly an unforgettable party in and out of the stadium.

An IRB Sevens Rugby tournament is unrivaled for entertainment value; 16 teams with 70 games played out over one weekend. Each game lasts 15 minutes with each team playing 5 or 6 times. The action is electric. With only 7 players from each side covering the entire field (120m x 68m) there is plenty of open space for the speedsters to show off. But at that velocity there’s bound to be some big collisions too.

Spectators roar at every attacking line break and at every crunching tackle. One game ends and the music begins. With one voice the stadium breaks into song and all inhibitions are lost as young and old move to the beat. Another game begins, more roaring, more dancing, more food and drink. The weekend finishes with the Cup Final and the entire city converts into party mode.

Keen for Hong Kong? Well you’re too late for this year. For the record, Fiji won their 11^th title with a come from behind victory over Wales. Below are the highlights from the final day’s play. If you’re pressed for time, forward to the last few minutes to see some Fijian magic.

If you’re shaking your head thinking that was frantic then you’re dead right. The beauty of rugby is that there is always a contest for possession so that a turnover instantly ignites the defensive team into attack. No time-outs, no separate offensive and defensive teams, just pure action.

Let me give you the dummy’s guide to rugby: 

1. Points are scored by either grounding the ball in the opposition’s in-goal area, which is called a try (5 points) or by kicking the ball through the goalposts (3 points for a penalty or field goal and 2 points for a conversion kick after scoring a try). The team that scores the most number of points wins the game.
2. In attack, players can run with the ball in hand in order to progress to the in-goal area, they can elect to pass but it must travel backwards or they can kick to a team mate so long as that player is behind the kicker at the time of the kick. If the player is tackled with the ball, they must release the ball immediately.
3. Once a tackle is made, the tackler must release the tackled player and the ball carrier can pass to another player or place the ball on the ground. If the ball is on the ground the players from both teams bind on to each other and attempt to push over the ball so that it comes out on their side thus gaining possession. This is called a ruck. The attacking team ensures continuity by going forward and winning the next ruck thus recycling possession.
4. The aim of the defense is to force a mistake from the attacking team by winning the ruck or intercepting a loose pass or forcing them to kick and give away possession. Tacklers must make contact below the ball carrier’s shoulders and players without the ball cannot be tackled.
5. Stoppages occur after infringements or if the ball goes into touch (out of bounds). In this case, play restarts with a lineout where both teams form a line and jump for the ball thrown down the middle. Generally if there is a minor infringement such as a knock-on (forward fumble), play will restart with a scrum where players from each side bind on to each other and push over the ball rolled into the middle. Penalties are commonly given for offside and ruck infringements.

Don’t be fooled, rugby is a complex game. That’s a 200-page law book butchered into 5 paragraphs. But don’t be disheartened by your initial confusion. Give it time and soon you’ll be feeling the same passion as those in stands in Hong Kong. For the rugby beginner, here’s a great video to get you started.

You may be wondering if the Philippine Volcanoes participated in Hong Kong this year. The answer is no but, in the near future, I am certain they will be regular participants. Actually there are 8 other tournaments just like the Hong Kong 7s played all around the world. This is called the IRB 7s Circuit and here is where the Volcanoes will truly explode.

The IRB 7s Circuit has 15 core teams. The last round of the season will be played in London where the promotion-relegation battle will take place. The top 12 core teams will automatically advance to the following season. The bottom 3 core teams plus 5 other non-core qualifying nations will battle for the remaining 3 spots on the 2014 circuit.

With only 2 rounds to play, Scotland, Portugal, USA and Spain are all in danger of relegation. 3 of those teams will battle with Zimbabwe, Russia, Tonga, Georgia and Hong Kong to determine the 3 teams to enter the circuit full time.

More work to be done

The Philippine Volcanoes have already qualified for the Rugby 7s World Cup in June as one of the top 24 nations in the world. But a bit more work has to be done to break into the 15 IRB core teams. Firstly, the Volcanoes must finish in the top 3 of the Asian qualifying series at the end of this year to gain entry into the Hong Kong 7s in 2014.  They must finish top 4 there and then top 3 in London.

Difficult? Certainly. Impossible? Never!! There is enough talent within the squad to shake the world order. Qualifying for the IRB Circuit will catapult rugby onto the back page of every major newspaper in this country. It will ensure there are full time professional rugby athletes playing and living in the Philippines. It will raise the level of the domestic competition and provide new impetus for grass roots development. It will also secure much needed sponsorship and funding.

‘We can compete at this level’

Countries such as Spain and Portugal have benefited enormously from their promotion to core team status. It was only last month in Las Vegas that Spain beat Australia, a traditional rugby powerhouse. This form of the game is so volatile, so unpredictable; we can compete at this level. We are built for 7s Rugby. Asian Cup glory and Olympic qualification would naturally follow.

But now that Hong Kong 7s is done for the year, my articles will switch focus to the more traditional form of the game as the Volcanoes prepare for the Asian 5 Nations tournament. They are still very much in the hunt for entry into the 2015 Rugby 15’s World Cup with qualifiers resuming in April. If you don’t believe me check this out.

The squad arrives in Manila on April 13 with the first match versus Japan in Fukuoka on April 20. Home matches on May 4 (Hong Kong) and May 11 (UAE) as well as an away game on May 11 (Korea) make up the remaining fixtures. The Volcanoes must avoid placing last in order to proceed to the final round of World Cup qualifiers in 2014.

If you never make it to Hong Kong, at least make the trip to Rizal Stadium to support the Volcanoes. The athletic spectacle will be jaw dropping and the entertainment value will leave you Harlem shaking. – Rappler.com