Are you free on April 25? Well, you’re not anymore; get in loser, we’re going to Stirling University Rugby 7s!
Stirling University Rugby Club (SURFC) is hosting their second annual 7s Tournament at Stirling County RFC. It will be a day filled to the brim with fun, sunshine, and good vibes – and some rugby too.
What is Rugby 7s?
Rugby is usually played with 15 players on the pitch at a time, whereas rugby 7s is only seven players. 7s is much faster paced, with two seven-minute halves as opposed to the regular two 40-minute halves. Instead of playing one game, each team will play multiple games in the group stage before the knockout style playoffs. Rugby 7s is growing in popularity globally, so why not get on the bandwagon now?
Brig spoke to SURFC Captain, Harvey Cameron-Barr, and Social Media Officer, Grant Lindsay, who are arranging the event. Grant talked us through what the day offers. All three pitches will be in action, with games on two starting at 11am, and warmups on the third.
Red Bull are providing student DJs by the bar until 6:30, and on that topic, not only is the clubhouse bar open, there will also be a beer tent outside. The Red Bull and Oddballs cars will be stationed between pitches, with Red Bull giving out freebies all day long.
Gaff Media will be providing zorbs on the warmup pitch, and there will be a raffle on pitch one. There will also be gazebos, tables, and chairs around all the pitches to make sure you stay comfortable all day.
And then, of course, there’s the rugby. With a mixture of men’s and women’s games running from 10am until 5pm, there is always going to be something to watch.
SURFC 7s
Harvey started the SURFC 7s Tournament last year: “It was kind of a spur of the moment decision. We didn’t do particularly well in the league last year, and I wanted to keep the rugby going. There’s only around two other university 7s tournaments you can go to, so I thought that as Stirling we are pretty central, you know you’ve got Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee all about 40 minutes away, and all the other places around us. Plus, we’ve got a great venue at Stirling County.”
Grant pointed out another reason you should go to SURFC 7s: “Something at Stirling that we really miss compared to other unis is that we don’t have a set varsity event. Like we don’t have something that we can all come together and support a team, or support Stirling. So that’s kind of where 7s come in. We’re aiming to have as many sports teams come together and as many people from the uni to come down and support the event.”
As opposed to standard rugby, 7s is an all day event: “It’s pretty much an all day party. If you’re watching, you’re drinking from very early on. If you’re playing, you’re obviously not drinking but as soon as you get knocked out you’re pretty much on it straight away. It’s just a whole day of fun, it’s very unserious, it’s very social.”
Harvey is hoping that SURFC 7s continues to grow, like it has from last year to this year: “We’re really looking to expand it to not just uni teams, opening it up to clubs, and anyone that enjoys a bit of sevens and enjoys a bit of sun.”
Grant added that “compared to last year we’re inviting women’s teams this year, so that’s going to expand the event far more.
“7s is a day for everyone, it’s not just for people who enjoy rugby or come along to the rugby every week; it’s for people who want to have a good time as well!”
Tickets are available on Fixr, and are free for spectators.
If you’re going along to watch, make sure to remember the dress code – fancy dress. So whether that means you and your friends all wear a Hawaiian themed shirt, or you paint yourselves yellow and go as Minions, remember to have as much fun with it as possible!
Image Credit: Sheila Tett Photography.,
Student journalist and Sports Editor for Brig Newspaper
