It says much about the popularity of the Dubai Sevens that the controversy over a diminished world series will scarcely be noticed this weekend.
It is a long time since the annual festival in the desert was about merely rugby, let alone just the top-tier event involving the abridged format’s leading nations.
World series decline
Due to funding issues, the top-tier tournament will be without many of the teams that have given Dubai Sevens so much of its colour down the years.
Title winners in the city, such as England, Wales and Samoa, will not be here. Ireland, who were world series runners-up two seasons ago, have been disbanded.
The United States' men are absent. Scotland’s men will be here, but under the guise of Great Britain. And there will be no Kenya Corner.
It is all down to the fact the men’s and women’s competitions have been contracted to just the top eight sides from last year’s series.
World series pools
Men’s
A – South Africa, Argentina, France, Fiji
B – Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain
Women’s
A – New Zealand, United States, Fiji, France
B – Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Japan
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Fiji playeers celebrate victory after their 19-5 win over Spain to win the Emirates Dubai Sevens title on December 1, 2024. Getty Images -
Fiji players celebrate their win over Spain. Victor Besa / The National -
Fiji players celebrate their win. Victor Besa / The National -
Fiji players celebrate their win. Victor Besa / The Natio -
Action from the final between Fiji and Spain. Victor Besa / The National -
Action from the final between Fiji and Spain. Victor Besa / The National -
Action from the final between Fiji and Spain. Victor Besa / The National -
Fiji players celebrate their win. Victor Besa / The National -
Rugby fans during Emirates Dubai Sevens. Victor Besa / The National -
Action from the final between Fiji and Spain. Victor Besa / The National
Fixtures
New Zealand’s women will get the main schedule underway at 10.58am on Pitch 1 on Saturday when they face France.
Their male colleagues will kick off the HSBC SVNS – as the world series is now officially known – when they play Great Britain, at 12.26pm.
Although Great Britain is a misnomer: the combined unions withdrew their funding for that team at the end of last season. Initially they were set to be a part-time outfit, then Scotland stepped in to oversee the running of it, meaning the players are all selected from there.
Finals
For all the changes in the world series, the essence of the Sevens remains the same – namely, the 18 amateur tournaments which run concurrently over the three days.
For many, it provides the incentive of playing in a Pitch 1 final in front of thousands of supporters on the weekend.
These are ones to look out for:
Saturday, 6.33pm, Gulf Under 19 Girls
Saturday, 6.53pm, Gulf Under 19 Boys
Sunday, 3.40pm, Gulf Women
Sunday, 3.56pm, Gulf Men’s League
Sunday, 6pm, International Invitational Men
Sunday, 7.35pm, HSBC SVNS Women
Sunday, 8.11pm, HSBC SVNS Men
Dubai Sevens through the years - in pictures
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An early Dubai Rugby Sevens tournament, started by the Dubai Exiles RFC. The tournament was birthed in 1970, when the host club, Dubai Exiles, invited sides to play a competition in rugby’s abridged format. The invitees included teams from the British armed forces, who were happy for the break from garrison duties in what was then the Trucial States. The Exiles were the leading force in the early years of Gulf rugby. Courtesy Peter Thomas -
Dubai Exiles ar Rugby Sevens, December 1981. France have never won the Sevens. The closest they have got was when Les Bleus lost the 2011 final to England. But French hands have been on the Emirates International Trophy before, when Toulouse won the main competition in 1990.Courtesy: Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens -
The first Dubai sevens games were played on sand pitches. Courtesy Peter Thomas -
France have never won the Sevens. The closest they have got was when Les Bleus lost the 2011 final to England. But French hands have been on the Emirates International Trophy before, when Toulouse won the main competition in 1990. ALLSPORT/ Getty -
Some people get wistful about the old days of playing on sand. Others only remember the pain. “It was like playing in flour with bits of brick in it,” Mike Jackson, a former Dubai Hurricanes player, said of the experience. “Then you would get nicks and cuts that would go septic.” ALLSPORT/ Getty -
The tournament was played on sand up until 1995, when the pitches at the old Dubai Exiles ground were turfed thanks to huge investment by Emirates Airline. In the last final on sand in 1994, South Korea beat the Warblers 21-20. ALLSPORT -
Dubai was one of the legs of the new World Sevens Series formed in 1999. Even though both the event and the series have become increasingly formalised since, the best known faces are often to be seen with the amateur teams on the outside fields. Like in 2006, when the reigning world player of the year Dan Carter was waterboy for Stefan’s BHF. -
The tournament relocated from its original home in Al Awir to a new purpose-built site further into the desert in 2008. The new Sevens Stadium played host to that year’s Sevens, and also staged the format’s World Cup in 2009. -
The tournament relocated from its original home in Al Awir to a new purpose-built site further into the desert in 2008. The new Sevens Stadium played host to that year’s Sevens, and also staged the format’s World Cup in 2009. -
Nobody has tasted success in the international tournament at the Sevens more often than coach Ben Ryan. The Londoner oversaw wins with England in 2010 and 2011, then with Fiji in 2013 and 2015. -
Nobody has tasted success in the international tournament at the Sevens more often than coach Ben Ryan. The Londoner oversaw wins with England in 2010 and 2011, then with Fiji in 2013 and 2015. -
Rarely have more stars shared a field at the Sevens than when union royalty J9 Legends faced rugby league all-stars Joining Jack in the Vets event in 2013. It pitted the likes of Carlos Spencer, Stephen Larkham and Waisale Serevi against Jason Robinson and Andy Farrell. Jake Badger for The National -
J9 Legends made the final that season, but were beaten by Xodus Steelers in a classic encounter on Pitch 1. It was memorable less for the match, as the emotional scenes after, when J9 captain Serevi pushed Joost van der Westhuizen, who was stricken by motor neuron disease, through a guard of honour. Jake Badger for The National -
A year earlier, in 2012, Joining Jack had a celebrity fanboy running on water for their players. Bradley Wiggins had recently won the Tour de France and Olympic Gold, and was days away from being named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. A knighthood was in the offing, too. -
Joining Jack, a charity side that raises awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, do a good line in celebrity fans. In 2015, Owen Farrell struck a notable figure on the sideline, while supporting father Andy in the Vets tournament. -
One of the greats of England rugby, Maggie Alphonsi, played for Tribe 7s in the Invitational Open in 2014. “Maggie the Machine” was not the only World Cup-winner on the outside fields that season, either. Steve Thompson, the hooker for the 2003 champions England, played for Gulf Legends in the International Vets. Satish Kumar / The National -
In 2015, former Scotland wing Thom Evans danced past a load of defenders to score a try for UR7s Wanderers in the International Open on Pitch 2. It was his first touch of the ball on his return to the game after five years out with a serious neck injury while on international duty. Victor Besa for The National -
Perhaps the most poignant victory in all 50 years of Dubai Sevens tournaments came in 2017, when Speranza 22 won the final of the International Invitational. The team had been set up in memory of Marcos Speranza, who had won the Gulf Under 19 title with Abu Dhabi Harlequins but later died in an air crash in his native Argentina. Courtesy Rory Greene -
The Al Maha team made history when they competed in the Gulf U18 Girls tournament by becoming the first all-Emirati female side to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Dubai Hurricanes’ bid for a hat-trick of Gulf Men’s League trophies will have to wait until next year. They won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The incredible 50-year journey of Dubai Rugby Sevens embodies the spirit of the city. Victor Besa / The National
History
The Dubai Sevens is older than the country in which it is played. While the UAE will be celebrating its 54th birthday next week, this will be the 55th Sevens.
Originally started as an invitational event played on sand, organised by the city’s first rugby club, Dubai Exiles, it is now one of the biggest sevens events in the world, along with Hong Kong.
South Africa have won the Emirates International Trophy more times than anyone else. The Blitz Boks are 11-time winners, with New Zealand next best on six.
Tickets
For the first time, there will be an admission fee for the first day. Tickets for Friday will cost Dh75. For each of Saturday and Sunday, admission is Dh455, while a season ticket is Dh595.
Entertainment
The Sevens has set high standards for itself in terms of the entertainment beyond the sport in recent years. Global stars such as Kylie Minogue have performed at the event, while Stormzy was there last year.
On Saturday, rapper Tinie Tempah will be performing at Beats on 2, while the day will reach its finale when Sean Paul and Shaggy perform on Pitch 8 after the rugby is finished for the day.
The next day will culminate with Grammy-nominated DJ Fisher playing the same venue.
Oh, and for the first time, there will be a zipline running from a point near the entry to Pitch 1 to the corner of Pitch 2.
