The summer months are sevens months in rugby circles. This season has been no different and with the Commonwealth Games sevens in Glasgow, rugby fans have been treated to a feast of running rugby.
As rugby union has grown worldwide, several ‘spin-off sports’ have been created as a result. As well as rugby sevens there’s rugby tens, beach rugby and touch rugby. Sevens is the most successful of these spin-offs by some distance and now has its own professional structure with its jet setting World Series. This is the position that all other rugby spin-offs must aspire to.
Touch rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the world currently. The minimal contact is appealing to those who are perhaps not designed for the rigours of contact. However, this does not take away from the difficulty of the game; as with sevens the fitness has to be impeccable if a player is to be successful.
The non-contact version of the game shares many similarities with sevens. Touch involves six players and although there is a smaller pitch many of the tactics remain the same as sevens. It is a game based around spreading the play and creating gaps to attack. Like sevens, it is a quicker version of the game that promotes handling and running skills. It is illegal to kick the ball in touch and so it encourages offloads and slick hands which make for entertaining viewing.
The European Touch Rugby Championships have been quietly taking place in West Wales this weekend. The event, held in Swansea, achieved minimal press coverage and not one TV camera was present. Despite this the event was still a very entertaining weekend of rugby. However, it is time that the sport was embraced by both TV producers and event organisers.
Touch rugby has long been a game only played in the playgrounds in Britain. However, Touch is now becoming a sport in its own right and should be given the attention that it deserves. The rugby sevens in Glasgow was one of the highlights of the Commonwealth Games. If Touch was introduced it could be equally successful.
It would also allow men and women to compete together in a team sport, something that makes Touch unique. This is a major selling point of the sport and makes it very accessible. Watching sport on television should be about inspiring more people to play the sport; the accessibility of Touch means that more people can be inspired to play.
The Commonwealth games introduction came before the launch of the IRB World Series. Touch is accommodating to a similar style of branding as the games are twenty minutes per half. Although this is slightly longer than a sevens game it is still half the length of a standard Union game, and the full weekend format could be adapted too.
There will be many reading this who may scoff at the thought of seeing Touch at the Commonwealth Games and even it having its own series. However, in 1998 Sevens was very much in its infancy and was allowed into the games. Touch is in a similar position currently and the introduction to the next Commonwealth games could boost the sport.
With the next Commonwealth games being held in Queensland, Touch would be well received as Australia are the current World Champions.
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