Rugby sevens at the Commonwealth Games

Rugby sevens has been played at four Commonwealth Games since its first appearance, at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Appearing in 2002 and 2006, it is now considered a 'Core' sport by the Commonwealth Games Federation, necessitating its appearance at all future games, and was included in the 2010 Games. It is one of the two male-only sports at the Commonwealth Games, the other being boxing.

The 16th Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia saw the introduction of rugby sevens along with cricket, field hockey and netball. New Zealand has never lost a match at the Commonwealth Games, winning gold in all four Games at which the sport has been played.

Contents

Editions

Games Year Host city Host country Medallists
Gold Silver Bronze
XVI 1998 Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia  New Zealand  Fiji  Australia
XVII 2002 Manchester  England  New Zealand  Fiji  South Africa
XVIII 2006 Melbourne  Australia  New Zealand  England  Fiji
XIX 2010 Delhi  India  New Zealand  Australia  South Africa
XX 2014 Glasgow  Scotland

Winners

1998 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Men's Rugby Sevens  New Zealand  Fiji  Australia

In front of 20,000 fans at the Petaling Jaya Stadium, rugby sevens was an enormous success with New Zealand collecting its 100th Commonwealth Games medal with a 21-12 win over Fiji, the reigning world champions. Man of the match was the giant Jonah Lomu who had worked tirelessly during the 10-minutes each way final. Led by veteran star David Campese, Australia took the bronze beating Samoa 33-12.

2002 - Manchester, England

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Men's Rugby Sevens  New Zealand  Fiji  South Africa

Rugby sevens events were held at the City of Manchester Stadium, purpose built for the Games.

2006 - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Main article: Rugby sevens at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Event Gold Silver Bronze
Men's Rugby Sevens  New Zealand  England  Fiji

The venue for the rugby sevens was the Telstra Dome, on the western edge of Melbourne's Central Business District. Preliminary matches were held on 16 March, with the finals the following day.

The gold medal was won by New Zealand who defeated England 29-21 in the final on 17 March 2006. Fiji won the bronze medal, defeating Australia 24-17 in the 3rd place final. The game was overshadowed by a fit suffered by Australian Scott Fava after a legitimate tackle. Fortunately Fava recovered quickly and was released from hospital the following day.

2010 - Delhi, India

Main article: Rugby sevens at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Event Gold Silver Bronze
Men's Rugby Sevens  New Zealand  Australia  South Africa

The 2010 Commonwealth Games were hit by a number of safety and health concerns, even before they started. The venue for the rugby sevens was Delhi University.

The gold medal was won by New Zealand, defeating Australia in the final 24-17 after coming back from an Australian half time lead of 7-10. Australia were awarded the silver medal. The bronze medal play-off between South Africa and England was closely fought, eventually won by South Africa 17-14 thanks to a second half come-back.[1]

Overall

Medals table for rugby sevens at the Commonwealth Games (first competed for in 1998).

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  New Zealand 4 0 0 4
2  Fiji 0 2 1 3
3  Australia 0 1 1 2
4  England 0 1 0 1
5  South Africa 0 0 2 2

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.scotlandrugbyteam.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2043&Itemid=9
Sports at the Commonwealth Games
Core sports
Optional sports
Recognised sports
  • Fencing
  • Ten-pin bowling
  • Water polo