The sevens rugby tournament was one of the biggest success stories of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with a record 171,000 fans turning up over all sessions at Ibrox stadium.
With the Scotland sevens team set to be resurrected on a one-off basis if the sport is one of those selected to be played during the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Rob Robertson speaks to a former world-class star of the shortened game who believes their coming together should not just be temporary and sevens should be reintroduced by the SRU as a full-time part of the pathway system to 15s rugby.
It was a statement from David Nucifora, the man now in charge of Scottish rugby, that caught the eye of former Scotland sevens player James Fleming.
It may have been made ten years ago, soon after he was appointed High Performance Director of the Irish Rugby Football Union, but it has given Fleming a bit of hope that the shortened version of the game may be reinstated in the country that invented it. He has also been heartened by the possibility of sevens rugby being included in any slimmed-down Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow.
Fleming noticed the views of Nucifora, who has taken over the role of adviser to the SRU on all matters rugby, when he was looking into the background of the man who helped turn round the fortunes of Irish rugby before he stepped down from the IRFU after the Olympics.
One of the first things he did back in 2014 when he was brought in to revamp the Irish pathway system was to re-start their sevens programme. Will he do the same with Scotland?
Scotland doesn’t have one just now after it was disbanded along with the ones in Wales and England to create a UK team instead. They do though come together for Commonwealth Games and a few other smaller events but are not on the prestigious world sevens tour.
Fleming is hoping sevens is included in the Commonwealth Games and is encouraged from Nucifora’s comments from his early days with Ireland and hopes he may now be considering bringing back a full-time Scotland sevens team.
“I was injured and sadly missed the sevens tournament at Ibrox at the 2014 Commonwealth Games but it was a huge success,” said Fleming. “I hope it is included in the 2026 Commonwealth Games and even if they end up playing the tournament at a smaller venue like Scotstoun I am sure it will get big attendances.”
Fleming is looking at the bigger picture for sevens and you can understand why one of the best sevens players of his generation has a bit of hope that the game, that was invented by Melrose butcher Ned Haig, may have a role to play in Scottish rugby under Nucifora when you hear his glowing praise for sevens rugby.
“Sevens is a wonderful game in that it allows you to judge talent and give players the opportunity to play another form of the game that shows you different things about their strengths and weaknesses,’ said the Australian when he reinstated the Irish sevens programme a decade ago.
“Sevens is a game that has really developed. It’s a very confrontational game. You quickly learn about players whether they can tackle, whether they can carry – a whole range of different things about them that are important to both forms of the game.
“As we (Ireland) are starting in Division C it will very much be a crawl before we can walk scenario. This year (2014) the sevens programme will be based on the couple of tournaments that are available to us, a couple of warm-up tournaments and the camps where we assemble the talent we have identified.
“We are conscious that we don’t place any extra burden on any of the provincial teams so primarily it will be academy, sub-academy and club players. Giving players an opportunity to jump into that player pathway. Hopefully, we will find players we haven’t seen before and they may very well end up being players that are re-introduced into the 15s game at a higher level.”
With the demise of the semi-pro Super 6 league the gap between amateur and professional men’s rugby in Scotland is as wide as it has ever been. With no third professional team in Scotland, the opportunities to get to the top in the men’s game is narrow with Fleming believing a sevens programme could fill the gap.
“David Nucifora was clearly a fan of sevens rugby when we brought it back into the Ireland set-up and hopefully he will consider doing the same in Scotland as the game really helps the skills set, stamina of players and can be a springboard to the pro ranks,” said Fleming who scored 112 tries in 45 HSBC world sevens tournaments over a nine-year-period.
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‘When they were younger Darcy Graham, Blair Kinghorn, Magnus Bradbury and Jamie Ritchie all got exposure to a higher level of rugby being in the Scotland sevens programme taking on quality opposition from other countries than they would have done playing at amateur level in the Scottish Premiership. There is no third pro team in Scotland and the path to the top of the game here is narrow but could be opened out a bit by reintroducing a men’s sevens team and also a women’s one.
‘When I read Nucifora’s comments I was heartened as it showed he was really supportive of Irish sevens and it is a positive for Scottish rugby he is now here and he could bring the sevens programme back.
‘He has the challenge to try and get a young playing base playing a high standard of rugby but in the 15s game there is even less opportunity with Super6 not being there. What is the middle level? Could it be the sevens in Scotland? You are miles off if you haven’t been in a pathway system. Seven is an easy game to understand. It is fast-paced and exposes every single skill on the pitch apart from front row. It is a valuable tool.’
Fleming singles out Ross McCann, who was part of the GB sevens team that failed to make the Olympics as a case in point as to how the game prepares you for 15-a-side rugby. McCann was called up by Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend for their summer tour and won his first cap against Canada. He was also handed a pro contract with Edinburgh.
Fleming’s hopes that Nucifora will bring back sevens will be welcomed by many but realistically how would the SRU, who are currently £10.5m in debt find the money to set one up? The ex-Scotland sevens star has a suggestion.
‘It would be worth exploring sponsorship of the team because if you go to any sevens World Series event you will see Scottish flags in the stand and there are so many Scots all over the world,” said Fleming, who was part of the team that won the 2017 London sevens at Twickenham by beating England in the final. “There was always strong support for Scotland when we had a team on the World Series and it could be a good commercial proposition.
“Scotland invented sevens and Scotland sevens is a strong brand. I spoke to a lot of guys in business when I was on the circuit and the Scotland brand travels the world. We went to a lot of dinners and saw the money roll in and cash from events like that worldwide could help pay for the team. Also the whole Scotland sevens squad when I played (he retired in 2018) would probably been paid collectively what one single marquee player in 15s rugby gets (around £250,000).”
“I tried explaining to my six-year-old Alex why Scotland doesn’t have a 7’s team anymore whilst watching the Olympics and it doesn’t even make sense with even a six-year-old logic,” said Fleming. “I understand the principle of a GB team at the Olympics but I don’t understand why you can’t have three teams Scotland, Wales, and England playing on the World Series and you have 36 guys competing for an Olympic spot which would drive up the standard.
“I know it won’t be easy for Nucifora but if there is a way to bring back a Scotland sevens team that would be great or even create a sevens programme based in Scotland that supports the UK sevens team. He certainly sounded like he is a fan of the game and realises its importance. There was a long road of ten years for the Ireland sevens team but it looks worth it as their men and women’s teams made the Olympics. We could start at the bottom with Scotland sevens like Ireland did and build from there.”
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