# Golf and Rugby in the Olympic Games **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 14, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425 "2009-08-14T17:09:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FrWindyShephardHenderson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@FrWindyShephardHenderson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrWindyShephardHenderson)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/21 "2009-08-17T10:06:10Z")
> [@Flymaster](#): > > Well, don’t WATCH much. We play the hell out of it. Every college has a club. Actually its funny that. The US is the current Olympic champion in Rugby. Course it was last played back in the 20s I think and was the 15 a side game. Being a fan of the 15 man code I find 7s to be a little too open. Give me a few more rolling mauls. But one of the great things about this is that it gives the likes of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa a great chance to win medals. And hopefully, being Irish, it will increase the exposure of the 7 a side game here as we could do with training up a few more backs who can actually run fast. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/22 "2009-08-17T15:37:48Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > The story last year about softball was that they were dropping it because the US women were too dominant and then the US women . . . didn’t win. A bit off topic, but what’s with that? They play some ridiculous playoff system in Which Japan and the US both beat each other, but Japan wins the gold. Double elimination makes way more sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/23 "2009-08-17T15:39:30Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > There are 15 on a full rugby union team. And 13 on rugby league, although I cannot see the latter form ever getting into the Olympics. There are 22 players on a full _team_. There are 15 from each team on the field any one time - plus 7 substitutes. > [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I disagee, at least about squash. Squash is played in former British colonies and almost nowhere else. Half the world is made up of former British colonies. South Asia, China, the Antipodes, half of Africa, most of North America… > [@notfrommensa](#): > > As a red-blooded born and bred American, I have never heard of “Rugby-7.” Will there be a womens competition in Rugby 7? It’s “rugby sevens” not “rugby-7”. 7-a-side rugby; it’s the rugby equivalent of Arena Football. ---
**Author:** ![Flyhalf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea5d25/32.png) [@Flyhalf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyhalf)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/24 "2009-08-17T16:09:21Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It’s “rugby sevens” not “rugby-7”. 7-a-side rugby; it’s the rugby equivalent of Arena Football. That’s roughly true but the big difference is that Arena Football was played on a smaller field whereas sevens is played on the same pitch as fifteens. No size difference. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/25 "2009-08-17T16:33:57Z")
> [@Flyhalf](#): > > That’s roughly true but the big difference is that Arena Football was played on a smaller field whereas sevens is played on the same pitch as fifteens. No size difference. Yeah, but there’s no form of rugby I’m aware of which uses a smaller pitch, so it seemed like the best comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/26 "2009-08-17T16:47:07Z")
I’m interested in seeing how the inclusion of Rugby plays out. America tends not to care about it too much, but could easily become a strong if not dominant team given the glut of juiced up college football players that have no chance of going pro. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/27 "2009-08-17T17:14:19Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > I’m interested in seeing how the inclusion of Rugby plays out. America tends not to care about it too much, but could easily become a strong if not dominant team given the glut of juiced up college football players that have no chance of going pro. I think Olympic rugby will probably work the same way as Olympic football (soccer)- professionals are allowed to compete, but there will be a restriction on how many top-flight professionals are allowed to play, to maintain separation between the Olympic tournament and the World Cup. In soccer the rule is that all players must be 23 or under, except for three exceptions per squad. There’s zero chance of the US fielding a competitive team under normal rugby rules, and using the full-squad format; the US has won only two matches in the four Rugby World Cups it has competed in. The US sevens team is really quite good and would certainly be in medal contention, except that the age limit would more or less restrict the team to selecting players with four years’ experience at most, since there are no scholastic rugby programs to speak of here. That would be a huge disadvantage. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/28 "2009-08-17T18:31:28Z")
Ok “Rugby Sevens”, Is it a Men’s sport only? Or are there womens teams as well? I cannot seeing it get the nod over golf if it is a men-only sport. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/29 "2009-08-17T18:44:49Z")
Womens’ too. There’s a [Womens’ Rugby Sevens World Cup](http://www.rwcsevens.com/women/index.html). ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/30 "2009-08-17T18:49:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Half the world is made up of former British colonies. South Asia, China, the Antipodes, half of Africa, most of North America… China? ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/31 "2009-08-17T19:27:10Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think Olympic rugby will probably work the same way as Olympic football (soccer)- professionals are allowed to compete, but there will be a restriction on how many top-flight professionals are allowed to play, to maintain separation between the Olympic tournament and the World Cup. The reason for the age restriction in soccer is that it’s exactly the same sport as played in the World Cup and FIFA don’t want that overshadowed. Sevens is not the same sport (there are slightly different rules as well as having 8 players less per side), so no need for any restriction. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/32 "2009-08-17T20:31:49Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > China? Well, not all of it, but lots of it. The European powers basically divvied China up into “spheres of influence” during the 1800s. > [@](#): > > Sevens is not the same sport (there are slightly different rules as well as having 8 players less per side), so no need for any restriction. Yeah, but sevens has its own World Cup too. ---
**Author:** ![Flyhalf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea5d25/32.png) [@Flyhalf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyhalf)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/33 "2009-08-17T21:13:10Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think Olympic rugby will probably work the same way as Olympic football (soccer)- professionals are allowed to compete, but there will be a restriction on how many top-flight professionals are allowed to play, to maintain separation between the Olympic tournament and the World Cup. > > In soccer the rule is that all players must be 23 or under, except for three exceptions per squad. > > There’s zero chance of the US fielding a competitive team under normal rugby rules, and using the full-squad format; the US has won only two matches in the four Rugby World Cups it has competed in. > > The US sevens team is really quite good and would certainly be in medal contention, except that the age limit would more or less restrict the team to selecting players with four years’ experience at most, since there are no scholastic rugby programs to speak of here. That would be a huge disadvantage. Maybe, except that there are no professional sevens players. There may be a pro or two who comes over from fifteens, but it’s not likely. Most players move from sevens to fifteen-a-side rugby (if they move at all). And I would submit that just by getting into the RWC indicates that the US squad is SOMEWHAT competitive. Of course they’re not going to defeat the likes of the All Blacks, Springboks, etc., but none of the other second and third tier teams do either. And I would also say that the US sevens side is not that good. I believe they finished out of the top ten in the IRB sevens rankings for last year. They’re about the same level as the fifteens side. I believe finished last year ranked about 15 or 16. Also, there are quite a few scholastic programs to speak of around the country (US). More and more high school teams are popping up all over the place and the sport is growing in the US. If USA Rugby would get their collective heads out of their asses and raise some decent money, the USA just might be a powerhouse one day. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/34 "2009-08-17T22:22:52Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > China? Don’t forget Hong Kong which, coincidentally, hosts the premier rugby sevens tournament. ---
**Author:** ![FrWindyShephardHenderson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@FrWindyShephardHenderson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrWindyShephardHenderson)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425/35 "2009-08-18T08:29:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Yeah, but sevens has its own World Cup too. Actually the IRB are gonna scrap the sevens world cup as part of this deal. The thing is guys who sepecialise in sevens in most countries are not the top class 15 a side players at all. I mean I couldnt even tell ya what province half the Irish sevens players play for. So really the olympics should have no trouble attracting the best sevens talent. One thing about all this though is the issue of the Great Britain and the Irish reprentations. The Irish Rugby Football union covers the whole of Ireland, while the Irish olympic team only covers the Republic of Ireland. Considering we’re still sorting out what flag and anthem to use sorting out an Olympic team is going to be a pain. So what the hell do players from Northern Ireland do? Also there is no United Kingdom Rugby Union Team\*, there are seperate Welsh, Scottish and English Unions and northern Irish players represent Ireland as mentioned above. - The British and Irish Lions reperesent Britain and ALL of Ireland. But they are a 15 a side touring team that only assembles once every four years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-and-rugby-in-the-olympic-games/506425.md?page=1)