Premier Rugby Sevens is the first professional standalone rugby sevens league in the world. PR7s is designed to supercharge the growth of rugby in North America by creating a professional-caliber competition and festival experience to excite long-time rugby fans and newcomers to the sport.
PR7s is a league founded on equity, paying both men and women equally. The League follows a tour based model, traveling across the United States, involving 8 franchises. Each franchise has a men’s and women’s team, totaling 16 teams in the League.
Founded in 2021, Premier Rugby Sevens is the first professional women’s rugby league in the United States and the first in North America to offer contracts to women.
What is Rugby Sevens?
Rugby Sevens is the electric, fast format version of rugby union. The game features seven players per side instead of the traditional fifteen players but played on the same size field. As a result, plenty of space is created for players, amplifying the speed, scoring, and excitement of the game. Given the intense, physical demands of players, the games only last fourteen minutes with seven-minute halves. Games are played in a tournament-style format, with multiple matches taking place throughout the day.
Teams can score points by placing the ball on the ground in the opposing team’s try zone. A try is worth five points. After the try, the team can attempt to kick a drop goal through the uprights for an additional two points.
For American football fans, simply put, it’s like football except for no forward passes, no pads, no blocking, and the ball remains in play continuously after a player is tackled.
What is Premier Rugby Sevens?
PR7s, as it’s known for short, is rugby for an American audience, featuring a predominantly North American player pool and competing in some of the best entertainment facilities across the country.
PR7s has been founded on the premise of equity from inception, with male and female athletes receiving equal treatment across the board, including compensation, access to facilities, high-performance coaching, and featuring in public media.
Timeline
2020
Premier Rugby Sevens was founded in the summer of 2020
2021
The league kicked off in the fall of 2021 with the Inaugural Championship in Memphis, Tennessee, in front of several thousand fans at AutoZone Park. Those in attendance witnessed the women’s Loonies cruise to their first championship, led by USA Sevens star Alev Kelter and tournament MVP Delaney Aikens. This tournament was particularly notable for being the first professional women’s rugby in North America.
On the men’s side, a thrilling final between the Experts and Rhinos x Loggerheads could not produce a winner in regular time and was decided in favor of the Experts after a best-of-three drop-goal contest. The Experts were galvanized by the performance of Logan Tago, whose scintillating run at the end of regulation tied up the contest and earned him tournament MVP honors and a subsequent national team call-up.
2022
In 2022, the league expanded into a three-stop circuit with four franchises, each represented by a men’s and women’s team.
This year, teams would compete for individual men’s and women’s team prizes while also competing for a historic first-ever United Championship. In the men’s tournament, the Experts returned to their winning ways, taking top prize in San Jose and Washington DC, led by returning captain Logan Tago and featuring standout performances from San Jose MVP Aaron Cummings and Washington DC MVP Madison Hughes, who’s last-minute conversion saw the Experts narrowly defeat the Headliners.
However, a remarkable turnaround from the fourth-seeded Loggerheads at the Series Championship in Austin saw them take home the series win. In the 2022 women’s championship, the Loggerheads women dominated the opening tournament in San Jose. Stellar play from captain Pleuni Kievit and MVP Angie Olukumni brought home the franchise’s first silverware in history.
However, the Headliners proved staunch opposition, winning their first franchise title under heavy rain in DC. Former Black Fern star Grace Kukutai and USA stars Alena Olsen and Abby Gustaitis continued the momentum as the Headliners repeated their triumph at the Series Championship in Austin, taking 2 of 3.
The excellent Headliners performance, combined with the consistency of the men’s side, resulted in the Headliners becoming the first-ever United Champion in PR7s history.
2023
The league expanded to eight franchises each with a men’s and a women’s team for sixteen total teams. Teams will be divided into conference play, with the top two of four in each conference advancing to the 2023 Series Championship.
Talent ID Trials
In 2023, Premier Rugby Sevens went out on the largest talent scouting tour to date, giving more premier athletes a chance to compete. Now it is time to find America’s next great rugby star. Do you want to be on the path to PR7s? Then register for the Talent ID Trials today:
2024 Completed Trials :
March 1, 2024 – Los Angeles, Ca.
February 25, 2024 – San Jose, Ca.
January 28, 2024 – Kansas City
December 9, 2023 – Pittsburgh, Pa.
Next Steps:
All athletes who competed in the Talent ID Trials will enter the player pool where coaches review your game film. From there you will be entered into the PR7s draft which will happen in the following months. Stay tuned for dates and information.
Youth Rugby Clinics
Community Youth Clinics are an interactive rugby experience for players grades 1st – 8th with all ability levels. During our free youth clinics, participants will work with professional rugby coaches and players from the Premier Rugby Sevens League to learn basic skills, drills, and games associated with rugby. Each clinic is limited to 100 participants, register below to save your spot.