There’s safety in numbers in the attritional game of 15-a-side rugby, and if anyone makes a mistake, someone is often there to help clean up.
Rugby sevens, on the other hand, isolates each skill under a microscope. Not only are players having to match skills and wits with their opponents at high-speed and under immense fatigue, but the consequences of a mistake are also normally reflected on the scoreboard.
This is no more evident than at the breakdown, which — alongside kick-offs — are fast becoming one of the most important aspects of a game of sevens.
Players need a combination of speed, strength and mobility to withstand the demands of modern-day breakdowns. In 15-a-side rugby, a classic breakdown involves a pile of bodies, a slow recycle speed and a physical grind.
In sevens, it is a lightning-quick, one-on-one competition to win the race to the breakdown as well as the height battle. Players — and referees — need to make crucial decisions in the blink of an eye.
Scanning and movement before the ball carrier hits the floor can determine who wins. And the player who works hard to put themselves into a good position will have a huge advantage. Attacking teams only want to commit one player to the ruck before another player moves the ball away.
Confusion in this area opens a window either for a jackaler to get over the ball or for two players to be burnt in the ruck. When there are only seven of you on the field, this sucks the momentum out of any attack.
On the defensive side, jackalers need to operate more like snipers than scavengers. In 15-a-side rugby, you can afford to burn a player at each breakdown who can concentrate on slowing the ball down and being a nuisance, allowing time for the defensive line to set.
In sevens, defenders already have to cover large distances individually, so burning an extra player without getting the ball back makes the job more difficult.
Defending teams will look for positive tackles or isolated players before they consider dipping their heads in for a jackal. Often, coaches look for a second effort from the tackler to pop back to their feet and either win space through the ruck or try to steal the ball.
Another difference you’ll see in sevens is that the player who arrives to secure the ruck will normally look to ‘hit and stick’ at the breakdown. That means they won’t look to drive past the ruck as they risk allowing the referee to call the ball ‘out’, which means defenders can steal it.
Conversely, in 15-a-side, players are encouraged to hit and drive through the contact to make it harder for any additional defenders to join because they have to clear out multiple threats at the breakdown.
In the women’s game, I see the breakdown as the key difference between top and aspiring teams. Whenever the Black Ferns and Australia Sevens clash in a semi or final, I look to the breakdown for indicators of who’s going to win.
Both teams have world-class kick-offs, attacking plays and defensive structure, and they rarely make mistakes. So the team that dominates the breakdown and gains the most possession of the ball is more likely to win.
At the HSBC SVNS in Vancouver this weekend, watch out for players like Kelsey Teneti and Isabella Nasser dictating the contact area in both attack and defence.
Looking at the men’s game, you have the likes of Fiji, who seem to prefer to avoid contact and breakdowns with their elaborate offloading.
I’ve been lucky enough to play with some of the top Fijian players over the last 10 years, and they all have the same ethos drummed into them. They only ever want to go into contact when it’s on their terms.
They’re looking for a seam in the defensive line that could attract two players, a weak shoulder tackle that would allow a quick ruck, or if they feel like they’ve lost momentum, they can set a ruck to put the defensive line back onside.
The Fijian men are currently ranked as the number one team in the world going into this weekend. So look out for when they choose to accept contact and the knock on effect that has on their play.