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World Rugby chief Brett Gosper would be open to the idea of Great Britain teams playing in the world sevens series
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Gosper suggested that if they were taking the Olympics ‘seriously’ they should entertain the idea
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England, Wales and Scotland are world series rivals on the men’s circuit but combined for the Rio
World Rugby chief Brett Gosper would be open to the idea of Great Britain teams playing in the world sevens series following their success at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“If they really are taking the Olympics seriously, it would be normal that they look at it,” revealed Gosper.
“And we would welcome either alternative [playing as separate nations or combining as GB] in terms of it fitting into the [world series] programme.
“It’s up to the host nations of those countries to work out if it’s much better for them to combine their resources and present a GB side.”
The chief also discussed plans to grow the women’s game. There are currently five host venues and 11 core teams on the women’s world circuit and Gosper says the growth of the game is a focal point ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“We want more destinations; a sixth destination will be introduced soon,” the Australian said.
“We’d like some of those competitions to be happening when the men’s competitions are on which gives us higher visibility. We’re looking at all these things to ensure we can create that competition.
“Perhaps one or two of the women’s teams could have been stronger [during the Olympics].
“We’re also looking at the possibility of a second-tier competition on the men’s World Series so there’ll definitely be higher competition as we head towards Tokyo.”
