ASportIndependent states

Rugby sevens

The fast seven-a-side form of rugby — an Olympic sport since 2016, in which Kazakhstan's women are among Asia's strongest.

In rugby players try to ground an oval ball behind the opponents' goal line (a "try"), running with it in hand or kicking it; the ball may only be passed backwards. Rugby sevens has seven players a side and two halves of seven minutes, which makes it fast and spectacular.

History

Legend says rugby was born at Rugby School in England in 1823; the Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871. The seven-a-side game was invented in Melrose, Scotland, in 1883. Rugby appeared four times at the Olympics between 1900 and 1924, and rugby sevens made its debut at Rio 2016.

Major competitions

The Olympic Games, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the SVNS world series and the Hong Kong Sevens; in fifteen-a-side rugby, the Rugby World Cup and the Six Nations.

Rugby in the Turkic world

Kazakhstan's women's sevens team is one of Asia's strongest and won the Asia-Pacific Sevens Championship in 2010. Türkiye, Hungary, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan also have rugby federations and national teams.

Sources

Updated: October 11, 2026