Dubai Sevens Explained

Last Season:2023 Dubai Sevens
Pixels:180px
Sport:Rugby sevens
Inaugural:1970
Teams:16

The Dubai 7s is an annual rugby sevens and social event held at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, UAE. Founded in 1970, the event is the longest running sports event in the Middle East.[1]

Events

The Dubai 7s has six competitions each year:[2]

Dubai is the first leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series. Sixteen teams compete in the men's tournament divided into four pool of four teams each. On the first day, each team plays the other three teams in the pool. The two highest-placed teams in each pool advance to the quarterfinal knockout rounds, and the bottom two teams move to the challenge bracket.

Dubai also hosts a stop on the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series. Twelve teams compete in the women's tournament.

For the invitation tournaments, rugby teams take part in 15 sections.[3] The rugby invitational tournament is popular, with hundreds of teams participating.[4] The netball tournament includes teams in three sections: gulf women, open youth, and open women.

The Dubai Sevens is one of the more popular sporting events in Dubai, with over 100,000 fans attending the 2016 event.[4] [5]

Venue

The Dubai 7s has been held at The Sevens Stadium since 2008. Facilities at The Sevens include: eight rugby pitches, six cricket pitches, four netball/tennis courts, one basketball court, a grandstand, and ancillary facilities.[6]

The tournament's move to that venue in 2008 was a success. The tournament broke the World Series single-day attendance record in its first year with over 50,000 fans appearing on the first day of the tournament.[7]

World Series results

Summary of results

Five teams have won the Dubai Sevens at least once. The early years of the tournament on the World Series were less competitive. Prior to 2003, New Zealand won the final with a comfortable 20+ point margin each year. In the first decade from 1999 to 2008 only five teams (New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, South Africa, and England) had reached the Dubai Sevens final. Since then, the tournament has been more competitive, with several additional teams making the final and semifinal stages.

Summary of Dubai Sevens results on the World Series (updated to 2022):

Team Champion Runner-up Semifinalist Top 4 placing
align=left 11 1 5 17
align=left 6 5 8 19
align=left 4 2 9 15
align=left 2 6 9 17
align=left 1 3 5 9
align=left 2 3 5
align=left 2 24
align=left 1 2 3
align=left 1 1
align=left 1 3 4
align=left 1 1
align=left 1 1
align=left Total23234692

Results by year

YearVenueCup finalPlacingsRefs
WinnerScoreRunner-upPlateBowlShield
1999Dubai Exiles38–14[8]
2000Dubai Exiles34–5[9]
2001Dubai Exiles45–7
2002Dubai Exiles38–12[10]
2003Dubai Exiles33–26[11]
2004Dubai Exiles26–21[12]
2005Dubai Exiles28–26[13]
2006Dubai Exiles31–12[14]
2007Dubai Exiles31–21[15]
2008The Sevens19–12[16]
2009The Sevens24–12[17]
2010The Sevens29–21[18]
2011The Sevens29–12[19]
2012The Sevens26–15[20]
2013The Sevens29–17[21]
2014The Sevens33–7[22]
2015The Sevens28–17[23]
WinnerScoreRunner-upThirdFourthFifth
2016The Sevens26–14[24]
2017The Sevens24–12[25]
2018The Sevens21–5[26]
2019The Sevens15–0[27]
2020The SevensTournament cancelled due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.[28]
[29]
2021
I
The Sevens42–7
2021
II
The Sevens10–7
2022The Sevens21–5
2023The Sevens12-7

Notes:

The event held on November 7–8, 2001, was downgraded in status and excluded from the Sevens World Series after several teams withdrew in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Earlier winners

Winners of the Emirates International Trophy from 1988 to 1998:[30]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dubai Rugby Sevens: History. 13 August 2018. 24 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200524090430/https://dubairugby7s.com/legacy/history. dead.
  2. Web site: Dubai Rugby Sevens: Event information.
  3. Web site: Dubai Rugby Sevens: News.
  4. https://dubairugby7s.com/news/dubai-rugby-sevens-breaks-attendance-records "The Dubai Rugby Sevens Broke Attendance Records"
  5. https://www.timeoutdubai.com/sport-wellbeing/sport/389505-dubai-rugby-sevens-2018-dates-times-schedule-nightlife-and-fancy-dress "Dubai Rugby Sevens 2018"
  6. http://www.thesevens.ae/ The Sevens official website
  7. https://www.world.rugby/sevens-series/news/23795 "Dubai sets new Series attendance record"
  8. Web site: IRB Sevens I – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 1999.
  9. Web site: IRB Sevens II – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2000.
  10. Web site: IRB Sevens IV – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2002.
  11. Web site: IRB Sevens V – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2003.
  12. Web site: IRB Sevens VI – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2004.
  13. Web site: IRB Sevens VII – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2005.
  14. Web site: IRB Sevens VIII – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2006.
  15. Web site: IRB Sevens IX – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2007.
  16. Web site: IRB Sevens X – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2009.
  17. Web site: IRB Sevens XI – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2009.
  18. Web site: IRB Sevens XII – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2010.
  19. Web site: IRB Sevens XIII – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2011.
  20. Web site: IRB Sevens XIV – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2012.
  21. Web site: IRB Sevens XV – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2013.
  22. Web site: IRB Sevens XVI – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2014.
  23. Web site: World Sevens Series XVII – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2015.
  24. Web site: World Sevens Series XVIII – Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2016.
  25. Web site: World Sevens Series XIX– Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2017.
  26. Web site: World Sevens Series XX– Dubai . Rugby7.com . 2018.
  27. Web site: del Carme . Liam . Brilliant Blitzbokke bag Dubai Sevens title . Business Live . 8 December 2019.
  28. News: Radley . Paul . 2020 Dubai Rugby Sevens cancelled because of coronavirus . . Abu Dhabi . 29 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201028084806/https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/rugby/2020-dubai-rugby-sevens-cancelled-because-of-coronavirus-1.1056161 . 28 October 2020.
  29. Web site: 29 July 2020 . Plans revised for HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2021 . World Rugby . https://web.archive.org/web/20200729094233/https://www.world.rugby/sevens-series/news/577411/plans-revised-for-hsbc-world-rugby-sevens-series-2021 . 29 July 2020.
  30. Web site: Dubai 7s. Rugby7.com.