All Sights Set on World Rugby Sevens

The 2016-17 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is underway in Dubai! Though the sun is setting on this historic Olympic year, a new dawn in Rugby Sevens has arrived. Who will make the greatest impact?

The dawn of a new era in Rugby Sevens has arrived. On the heels of a hugely successful Olympic Games debut, anticipation and interest is at an all-time high as the 2016-17 HSBC World Rugby Women’s and Men’s Sevens Series kick off in Dubai. Opening round of the women’s series is already underway, with the men taking the field tomorrow (December 2). 

On the women’s side, Olympic gold medalists Australia are the team to beat, fielding the most experienced side heading into Dubai. They started Round 1 today with an impressive win over South Africa. Olympic bronze medalists Canada arrive in Dubai as one of the favorites with the second most experienced team, followed by Olympic silver medalists New Zealand. At the time of writing both had won their first matches, too.

Having Rugby Sevens in the Olympic Games has definitely been a game-changer.

Santiago Gómez Cora, Argentina Sevens coach 

Former England captain, TV commentator and DHL Rugby Ambassador Rob Vickerman labelled women’s Sevens as “one of the biggest success stories in Rio”. And the “Golden Girls” of Rio agree. “It has been pretty unreal since,” said Australian co-captain, Sharni Williams. “Just having people talking about rugby, and hearing their stories like kids being late to school and parents having to sign permission slips, seeing the growth of the game, it has been an honour to be a part of.”

On the men’s side, reigning champions and Olympic gold medalists Fiji are once again the team to beat, though Rob Vickerman wonders if the departure of head coach Ben Ryan will change the dynamics of the seemingly unstoppable squad. 

The Series itself has changed – for the first time featuring gold, silver and bronze medals in the men's and women's competitions. It’s a move that aligns the annual series with the Olympic Games – and it complements World Rugby’s restructured final day of competition. 

(Women’s Sevens) is one of the biggest success stories in Rio. 

Rob Vickerman, Former England captain, TV commentator and DHL Rugby Ambassador

DHL Impact Player 2016-17
What hasn’t changed is the foundations of the DHL Impact Player Award – our celebration of the efforts of those Rugby Sevens players who enable great things to happen on the pitch. But this season will bring some stiff competition as the final result will be calculated from each players’ six best tournaments. It will also bring DHL’s Impact Player honor to the women’s series, which will hold seven rounds this year, following the addition of Las Vegas to the schedule.

While try-scorers steal the limelight with dramatic leaps across the line, the great tackles, line breaks, offloads and carries that got them there often don’t make the front of the sports page. Since we understand only too well the importance of teamwork and details – and as the Official Logistics Partner of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series – we’re going to track the stats and highlight these heroes of the game.

Some say Rugby is the ultimate team sport, the only sport where the group is more important than the individual – where TEAM really means Together Everyone Achieves More. It’s true, in Rugby the team relies on everyone playing for each other, understanding their roles and positions and executing their skills to the best of their ability. But few players stand out in every match, those whose performances have made the most telling impact on the game. The DHL Impact Player Award honors those top performances.

We also know a little bit about track & trace – well, a lot actually – and we’re putting that technology to (another) good use. The DHL Performance Tracker will track the essential statistics in each match – the tackles, offloads, linebreaks, and carries – and award one point to a player each time they successfully complete any of those actions. The player with the highest points score in each round will be named the DHL Impact Player Award winner for that tournament. 

Who will have an impact?
Look at last year’s week-to-week Impact Player numbers and you’ll see that the list of potentials is long and distinguished. Nine individual players won Impact Player honors, with France’s Virimi Vakatawa, Fiji’s Kitione Taliga and New Zealand’s Rieko Ioane each with double the bragging rights (two players split the award in Singapore and London). Fiji’s Jasa Veremaluawas crowned the overall DHL Impact Player of the Series.

Veremalau is obviously the player everyone will be watching. The DHL Impact Player of the Year for 2015-16 is a menace to play against. Tall, fast and with hands like frying pans, the Fijian flyer is as adept under the high ball as he is at scoring in the corner. His stats alone last season warrant a second glance: 116 tackles, 40 breaks, 69 offloads and 135 carries. Add 29 tries to those statistics and you have a complete Sevens player who will be key for Fiji as they aim to retain their Dubai title.

Keep an eye out for Rob Vickerman, who will be offering daily impact player updates on Facebook and Twitter.

For the women’s series, where else to start but with the World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year 2016? Playing with a maturity well beyond her 21 years, Australia’s Charlotte Caslick has been a central figure in her team’s dominance over the last 12 months and also an inspiration and role model to young girls across the world. Blessed with great vision and speed of foot, nimble footwork and a turn of pace, Australia’s playmaker is at the heart of everything. The fact that she’s not afraid to make the big tackles on defense makes her an excellent candidate for the DHL Impact Player Award.

Though DHL Impact Players are by far not the only players whose performances have an impact on match or even tournament – and certainly not a Series – the DHL Impact Players certainly make great things happen on the pitch. They are a joy to watch and a pleasure to honor.

Take a look back at our 2015-16 heroes

Five things you need to know about the DHL Impact Player Award

DHL is the Official Logistics Partner of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.