(KENNESAW, GA) 15-16 February 2014 – International Rugby returned to the Atlanta area during the USA leg of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series. While the region was still thawing from a rare ice storm, first class rugby was on full display with New Zealand pulling away as the champion over Canada. As one of several proud sponsors of the event, Atlanta Old White members past and present were out in force volunteering and serving as ambassadors for the club, city, and the sport of rugby.
Atlanta Old White RFC chairman Ryan Brenny and board member emeritus Tyler Dixon Sr. with members of the Dutch Sevens Ladies, Bowl Winners of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series in Atlanta (Dutch 7s Ladies Facebook)
ABOUT:
The IRB Women’s Sevens World Series gives leading female rugby players across six continents the chance to experience elite level, high performance Sevens competition around the world.
The Series takes place in global destinations, UAE (Dubai), USA (Atlanta), Brazil, (Sao Paulo), China (Guangzhou) and Netherlands (Amsterdam), underlining the IRB’s commitment to the ongoing growth and development of women’s Rugby around the world and is another significant step in the journey to Rio 2016.
It follows on from a hugely successful first Series which saw staggering growth in the depth of the Women’s Sevens Game and provided a significant platform for growth in the areas of broadcast, live streaming and social media.
The system mirrors the men’s series, with each 12-team event featuring eight core teams who secured their places by reaching the Cup quarter-finals at Women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013. They are Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, Spain and USA. Brazil have been invited to attend all of the 2013/14 events with the remaining three teams who have been invited based on regional tournament rankings.
Women’s Rugby is one of the fastest-growing team sports in the world and, in 2016, the finest female players in the world will take their place alongside their male counterparts in Rio de Janeiro when Rugby returns to the Olympic Games summer programme. The international series is a key milestone in the ongoing development of both the competitive standards and the professionalism of the Women’s Game.
The IRB Women’s Sevens World Series concept is in line with key strategic objectives set out in the IRB Women’s Rugby Plan, expanding the women’s Sevens international competition model, particularly at the elite level of the Game.
