With the spring semester off to a good start, it’s a great time to start preparing for a classic summer event. Rugby’s Summer Sevens are a staple here at Oakland University. Known as “Oakland’s closest thing to football,” the team is more than ready to deliver.

A look into the Sevens

The Sevens have a few different regulations than the regular 15’s played in the fall and winter months. Generally instead of having 15 to a side it is changed to seven, giving it its name.

“Playing the Sevens is very different than any other season,” OU men’s rugby team president, Ted Tansley said. “There is only seven positions and it goes prop, hooker, prop, scrum-half, fly-half, center and winger. Then one of those positions acts as a full-back and gets any breakaways that happen.”

The changed regulations include seven minute halves and a minute and a half of half time. With less people on the field, there is a ton more ground that needs to be covered. However, this also allows for each player to have more contact with the ball. Due to the smaller team size, the number of technical offenses decreases. On the other hand, it allows for faster game play and easier flow.

Back to the basics  

Due to the lack of coverage in the Sevens, players focus and rely on their basic rugby skills to lead them to victory. These include running, stamina, tackling, speed and decision making. It is important for each player, regardless of position or physical build, to train and try to improve in each of these areas. There are different skills that are more important in the Sevens than in the 15’s including footwork, greater perception of where the other team is and knowing if a player is covered. The lack of coverage allows for a greater chance of a tackle and opposition. Even though the Sevens allows time for individual players to shine, the game cannot be won without a team effort. When everyone on the team contributes to the effort, the game can be won much easier.

Summer at OU

With the summer months quickly approaching, the men’s team is doing everything they can to prepare. The main focus is improving skills and running plays. The easiest way to do that is just by playing a game of Sevens.

“We pretty much spend all of practice playing Sevens,” Tansley said. “We also do a ton of running, which I love.”

This allows the team to not only improve on their game play, but to work on their mindset as well.

“This is a game all about speed,” Tansley said. “And when keeping that in mind along with maintaining a defense that doesn’t allow a player to break away, then you have a successful team.”

 Keeping the team together

The Sevens can be an advantage in the summer. With most students only attending OU in the fall and winter semesters, the team tends to lose members over the summer.

“We only need seven guys and we expect a good amount to drop out from 15’s due to their home location and being a position that has difficulty playing Sevens,” Tansley said. “So the guys who are in the area tend to be the ones playing Sevens with us.”

The team practices often on campus in either the upper fields or the Rec Center on campus.

Not just a man’s world

The summer not only marks the beginning of the Sevens season but the announcement of the women’s rugby team. The team gained their official club sport status at the beginning of the spring semester.

“Women’s rugby gaining official club sport status has been a long time coming. The men have had their team at OU since ’05 and there has always been interest in starting a women’s team, but nobody was really willing to do the ground work for it till now,” women’s rugby team president, Katie Wright said. “I think it is really important that the women have a chance to play, but I think it is even more important that none of the rules were changed. It’s nice to be a part of a sport where no gender bias is holding women back from their full potential.”

The women’s team practices every Tuesday and Thursday from 5-7 in the upper fields. There is also conditioning on Sunday afternoon in the Rec Center. The Sevens are also planned on becoming a staple for the women’s team, as well. This allows for coordination between both teams.

“The rules for men’s and women’s are exactly the same,” Wright said. “No rules, regulations or equipment is changed for the women. We also practice and train the same hours as they do.”

Side by side

The men’s team has had a big hand in getting the women’s team off the ground.

“We (the women’s team) could not be more grateful for all the time and energy the men have put into teaching and training us,” Wright said. “ There are no selfish players in rugby. It is a team sport so you have to rely on your team to have your back. It is really nice to know that our brothers are here to have our back and help us out.”

The teams are still recruiting players and are encouraging students, regardless of skill level, to come out in either the summer for the Sevens or in the fall for 15’s.

“Almost all of the girls that have come out this year have never even heard of the sport, let alone played it,” Wright said. “The men’s team was extremely helpful in teaching all of us the rules and fundamentals of the game. We encourage everyone, men and women, of any skill level to come out for our summer Sevens season or fall 15’s season.”

 Contact Staff Reporter Lilly Reid via email at [email protected]