The J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s kicks off on Friday 13th July at Twickenham. 7s rugby has all of the thrills you'd expect of a normal game with shorter matches and fewer players for a higher energy experience. The 7s game is popular across the globe at all skill levels with club and amateur tournaments usually played in the summer months. 7s rugby is one of the most widespread forms of rugby, represented in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and most heavily in the South Pacific. It's even been accepted as an Olympic sport but we won't see it at London 2012 - it's set to make its debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Enjoy some serious rugby at the 7s this summer
The J.P. Morgan Rugby Premiership Rugby 7s is composed of three regional heats taking place in different parts of the UK - Friday 13th at Twickenham, Friday 20th at Edgeley Park, Stockport and Thursday 26th July at Kingsholm, Gloucester. Each heat features four fantastic teams and the top two teams from each heat will go on to compete at the finals in Bath on the 13th August.
England 7s coach Ben Ryan thinks this tournament could be a great way for young players to start cutting their teeth for Rio 2016, where rugby will make its Olympics debut.
"The J.P. Morgan Premiership 7s Series allows the cream of English talent to get their first taste of playing for their club on a big stage, in front of a crowd and on live TV. Not only that, it also offers them the opportunity to showcase their ability in front of national selectors and you can see from the likes of Owen Farrell, who starred for Saracens in the tournament two years ago, it is a great starting platform for international development".
Even though the matches are shorter, 7s is actually far more intensive than a 15s game and players are certainly in for the rough and tumble - battle scars and grass stains a plenty can be expected! Whoever takes the kit bag for laundry is certainly not enviable but they can deal with those mud & soil stains in the same way you do at home - a little Vanish Oxi Action in the wash and the kit will come out as good as new.