USA Sevens

The Steinlager USA Sevens is an annual rugby union sevens tournament held in the United States. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series. While the Sevens World Series has been held since 1999-2000, the USA Sevens was only introduced in 2004, as part of the 2003-04 series.

The tournament originally was held in The Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The 2007 tournament was moved to PETCO Park in San Diego and held on February 10-11.

The format
The format is currently four pools of four. The group winners and second-placed teams will progress to the Cup (places 1-4) and Plate (places 5-8) competition. The third and fourth-placed teams will progress to the Bowl (places 9-12) and Shield (places 13-16) competitions. Seeding is determined by finishes in the last six competitions in the Sevens World Series. Wins are three points, draws two, losses one, with no points being awarded for a no show.

Future status
As of 10 August 2006 the contract between USA Rugby and the International Rugby Board was renewed for the USA Sevens to remain in the IRB Sevens World Series. USA Sevens LLC, the operator of the event, has also signed a "long term" partnership agreement with the City of San Diego and the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball to host the USA Sevens Tournament, February 9-11, 2007 out to 2011 at PETCO Park, the Padres' home field. It was important for the event to be held there because the average high temperature in San Diego in February is 72 °F (22 °C), considerably warmer than most of the United States at that time of year. Also San Diego has experience with this and other rugby events; if the event was to move outside of areas in the United States where rugby has some degree of popularity, mainly California and the Northeast, it is doubtful that the event could attract a decent crowd.

Media coverage
Versus currently holds the right to the USA Sevens.

History
The USA Sevens debuted at The Home Depot Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California in February 2004. This competition marked the first time the United States ever hosted an official IRB event of international importance. The USA Sevens is also one of the largest rugby competitions in the United States, with sixteen countries participating in 44 matches over two days.