5 essentials of rugby sevens - Dan Bibby

Red Bull Uni 7s will see seven of the world’s finest university rugby sevens teams head to Bath to duke it out in front of a 14,000-capacity crowd at the city’s The Rec ground.

Those players will be looking to follow in the footsteps of guys like Dan Bibby, England and Team GB rugby sevens player.

Dan knows what it takes to perform at the top level in rugby sevens, a sport gaining popularity thanks to its frantic pace of play and explosive action.

Ahead of Red Bull Uni 7s, we asked Dan to reveal what he thinks are the five core basics of great sevens rugby.

1) Great fitness levels

Even though rugby sevens games only last 40 minutes compared to the 80 of rugby union, the fact that the game is played on a full-size pitch means that the players need to be super fit if they’re going to do well.

“The fitness aspect is more demanding [than 15-a-side rugby],” says Dan. “Sevens rugby is a lot more intense and a faster-paced game. Some of the plays can go on for three to four minutes, which doesn’t sound that long, but when you’re running up and down the pitch, it’s hard work. And some of the boys now are really big, people like [New Zealand player] Sonny Bill Williams. Not only is he tough to stop, but he’s got to be fit enough to chase around the smaller guys.”