Probyn: IRB should be ashamed of Olympic rugby sevens campaign

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Posted: Wednesday 21st October 2009 | 13:48

RUGBY sevens ran a textbook lobbying campaign to earn Olympic recognition.

BACK IN TIME: Jeff Probyn, pictured playing for England in 1991, is not a fan of the inclusion of rugby sevens at the 2016 Olympics in Rio (Getty Images)

It was hard to find a dissenting voice, which is perhaps why the sport received such emphatic backing when IOC members voted in Copenhagen earlier this month.

But this week Jeff Probyn, once named the world's best prop, has broken ranks in typically emphatic style.

Probyn, capped 37 times by England, has accused the International Rugby Board of being short-sighted in their pursuit of Olympic status.

He fears the 15-man code will lose out as money floods into the ‘small game' - his words, not mine.

Writing in the Rugby Paper, Probyn claimed he was equally concerned schools will switch to sevens - as new government funding will be focussed on that form of the game.

"The decision has been made, the 2016 Olympic will have sevens, and the IRB are proud of themselves when really they should be ashamed," he said.

"I have already stated my fears of the damage that sevens could do if promoted as the primary form of rugby played in schools.

"A change from a sport for all shapes and sizes to a sport just for those players that suit the sevens mould would mean no traditional props or second rows, no small or tall players just a homogeneous group of interchangeable composite players."

He also wondered why was no consideration given to the other shortened version of the game - tens?

"A game that can be played either in the fast and loose style of sevens or slowed and steadied style of XV's with proper forwards.

"This is a game that is infinitely more capable of developing all the types of players needed for the bigger game."

Tens was invented in Malaysia and is popular throughout south-east Asia, with the Hong Kong Tens, contested by club and scratch teams, the premier tournament.

However, it is not played internationally and the chances of the IOC taking it seriously as an alternative to sevens - which has an established audience and fan-base - were zero.

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Comments

To be fair to Jeff, he

Submitted by Tim Lacey (not verified) on Fri, 10/23/2009 - 08:23.

To be fair to Jeff, he raises some valid concerns about schools adopting 7s to a greater extent. This will certainly be the case in non-traditional rugby playing countries. It may be the case, to a lesser extent, even in the UK - particularly given the appeal of a 'less risky' sport to schools these days. XVs in schools will need to be protected. However, what we will also see is schools that don't currently play rugby start to play Sevens. This in itself can only be a good thing for rugby as a whole.

I see why Jeff highlights 10s, which is a more inclusive sport. But any argument about why that should be in the Olympics instead of 7s is going nowhere...