Glasgow the new home of Scotland 7s
Instead of Edinburgh Glasgow will host the second-last round of the IRB’s Sevens Series on 5-6 May 2012.
The move was a joint decision made with the Scottish Parliament, Glasgow City Council and Sport Scotland as the Scottish Rugby Union strives to grow rugby around the country and with the 2014 Commonwealth Games in mind. They take place in Glasgow in 2014 with Sevens one of the participatory sports.
The Glasgow venue for the Sevens will be Scotstoun Stadium, a 1915 stadium that was hugely renovated in 2008.
IRB vice-chairman Bill Beaumont, who was in Glasgow for the announcement, said that Glasgow was perfectly positioned to grow the appeal and popularity of Sevens in the country that invented the sport.
Beaumont said: “We are confident that the Scottish Rugby Union’s vision and dedication to deliver an outstanding HSBC Sevens World Series event in Glasgow will be rewarded with a tournament that the city, the Union and the global Rugby family will be proud of.”
President of Scottish Rugby, Ian McLauchlan, said: “When the HSBC Sevens World Series Sevens comes to Glasgow it will be an incredible atmosphere, a festival atmosphere and we plan on putting on a party for this city in conjunction with our partners in Glasgow.”