Rugby Sevens is the lesser talked about, but equally as entertaining format of the game we all know and love. 

The seven-a-side game is filled with ridiculous quality and entertainment, and it is now centre stage at sports biggest event-the Olympic Games.

With the Olympics being such a special event, a handful of XVs players have given the shorter format a go. Antoine Dupont is the poster-boy for the France 7s teams, and Hugo Keenan and Mark Nawaqanitawase are also representing Ireland and Australia respectively.

But which other XVs players would excel in sevens if they made the leap over? Well, with that thought in mind here are our ideas on the current crop who could dominate the seven man format.

Rugby Sevens: The current XVs players who would excel in the seven-man game

Ben Earl

Saracens and England back-rower Ben Earl thrives in space, and that’s exactly what he would be given in Sevens. He has genuine pace to burn and can make a break from nothing to get his side on the front-foot.

Earl is also extremely good in the breakdown, which is an incredibly valuable skill in Sevens.

Mark Tele’a

The All Black winger would be devastating in Sevens. He has the complete skillset to either run through defences or around them, but more importantly has a very keen eye for a try.

His raw speed, power and overall athleticism would make him such an asset in Sevens.

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Theo McFarlande

A bold choice, but Theo McFarlande is the definition of ‘baller’. His basketball-playing past has given him arguably the best offload in the Premiership, and he is certainly up there in world rugby overall with this. Whilst having the skills to do it are crucial, he is very clever at picking the right time to throw an offload and send his teammates in for a try.

Elsewhere, he is also a complete athlete, with a fantastic skillset both in defence and attack.

Damian Penaud

France ace Damian Penaud is the perfect Sevens-esq player. He has incredible pace, and when afforded space to run he can be absolutely deadly.

He also goes looking for work around the pitch, which would help him get more time on the ball in Sevens.

Dan Sheehan

‘A front-row forward in Sevens, behave!’

That might be your first thought, but Dan Sheehan is anything but your typical hooker. He is almost used as an extra winger for both club and country, with his genuine pace able to compete with the fastest in the game. Sheehan also has great hands and kicking skills.

His sheer size would make him a real handful in the contact as well.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso

In a similar vain to Mark Tele’a, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso could really excel in Sevens.

His genuine speed and power would make him a real handful in this format, as well as his try-scoring ability. An often overlooked part of his game is his desire to get stuck into the breakdown, and with the increased contact in Sevens this could come in handy.

Hamish Watson

This might seem an odd pick, on paper, but Hamish Watson has arguably the best engine in world rugby. He never stops working for his side, and really gets himself involved in most aspects of a game.

Speed could be an issue for him, but his fitness level could allow him to go for the full 14 minutes.

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