Olympic future of rugby sevens looks bright after proving a hit on opening day

AWARE that rugby’s place in the Olympics will live or die on the success of Rio, World Rugby boss Brett Gosper declared “We only have one chance to make a first impression”.

Rugby sevens proved a hit on the opening day in Rio

AWARE that rugby’s place in the Olympics will live or die on the success of Rio, World Rugby boss Brett Gosper declared on Games-eve: “We only have one chance to make a first impression”.

The one chance came for rugby on Sunday morning and as far as first dates go, the IOC couldn’t have helped but be impressed.

Certainly IOC boss Thomas Bach looked like a happy camper in his seat at the sunny Deodoro venue, and not just because rugby was the one place he wasn’t likely to run into any Russians (they didn’t qualify).

Rugby sevens proved a hit on the opening day in Rio

As he watched the first session of the women’s sevens competition, Bach was kept company by a reasonably famous cricketer called Sachin.

The Little Master is a guest of the IOC at the 2016 Games, and asked what sports he’d like to watch, Tendulkar – a hitherto unknown rugby fan – picked the women's sevens and the hockey.

Even wearing a leg brace from a knee injury, Tendulkar appeared to enjoy the colour, movement and occasional brutality of the women’s sevens opening day.

Aussies star in the pool on Day 1

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He wasn’t alone. A small but boisterous crowd of around 2000 people packed into the temporary Deodoro Stadium and soaked up a top-shelf day of action.

Among them were the Australian governor-general Sir Peter Cosgrove and a horde of family members of the Australian side, including Waratahs halfback Matt Lucas, who is the partner of Alicia Quirk.

In 12 games on a pristine new deck, there were 80 tries scored in total.

Some were lopsided encounters but it’s not going overboard to suggest that what was on display could have secured another green light for the 2024 Games and beyond when the decisions are made next year.

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The IOC love to endorse sports with genuine appeal to both genders, and a fast and physical women’s game on the opening day hit the mark. So did it’s geographical spread: teams like the USA, Canada, Colombia, Japan and Spain showed just how much exposure and growth potential rugby possesses.

That much was clear when Aussie star Charlotte Caslick came off the field, did an interview with NBC and then turned on her phone. She had 600 new Instagram followers.

Good first impression.

Originally published as Olympic future of rugby sevens looks bright after proving a hit on opening day