Olympic turning point for Sevens

 

While Sevens has a dedicated following, its Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 will introduce it to a whole new audience, with some of the sport's all-time greats wishing they had been given such a chance.

 

"The game is growing and it's growing fast," said All Blacks icon Jonah Lomu, who is an ambassador for Sevens ahead of 2016. 

 

"(The Olympics) is just taking it to the next level. 

 

"It gives teams from the lesser nations that can't play 15s an equal opportunity to play the best teams in the world."

 

Lomu is one of the Magnificent Seven rugby stars named to celebrate 40 years of the Hong Kong Sevens.

 

Australian David Campese, Fiji's Waisale Serevi, New Zealanders Eric Rush and Chris Cullen, China's Johnny Zhang and England's Ben Gollings form the rest of the line-up who are in Hong Kong for the three-day Sevens World Series tournament, which ends on Sunday. 

 

Rush said the greats were "jealous" of the younger generation's chance to compete on a world stage.

 

"There's a chance to get in the Olympics and that's a dream come true. I would have loved that opportunity," he said.

 

Rush added that Sevens was becoming a stand-alone sport in New Zealand.

 

"It's certainly heading that way," with players no longer able to cast themselves simply as 15s specialists, he said. 

 

But Wallaby star Campese said the sport still had a way to go before it gained full recognition on his home turf.

 

"In Australia, I think a lot of people don't know who the (Sevens) players are," he said.

 

While the legends looked ahead to Rio, Fijian Serevi – widely thought of as the best ever sevens player – also reminisced about his time at the top, attributing his success to the tough opposition he faced.

 

"These guys all made me a better player," he said.