THE SCOTSMAN REPORTED
Sevens rugby: Full-time dedicated squad in pipeline

Published Date: 24 June 2010
TWO aspects of seven-a-side rugby head the agenda for the top-level of the abbreviated version of the game in Scotland: the hosting of the Emirates Sevens, and the performance of the national team.
"The sevens came good at the end of the season, but wasn't so good early on with too many players being used and us not having enough players," said SRU chief executive Gordon McKie. "We're looking next season at a full-time dedicated squad, be they club players, academy or exiles. Graham (Lowe, director of performance rugby] is going to find them, and is speaking with Sportscotland to see what help they can give us. He is also looking at how we grow the structure – Glasgow are keen at the moment to have a circuit like the Borders for example.

"In terms of continuing to host an IRB leg, the contract ends next year, and if we are invited to renew I would say at this stage 'possibly'. We have to look at our strategy and whether we will remain as a core team – the IRB are looking at who is and who is not – so would we want to host an event if we're not a core team in the series? It has enhanced our reputation on the world stage, generated substantial economic benefits for Edinburgh and Scotland and our guys enjoyed playing at Murrayfield. Sevens is growing and is going to take off."

This article was posted on 28-Jun-2010, 13:26 by Hugh Barrow.