The USA Rugby Sevens tournament in Las Vegas runs from March 1 to March 3, and if you're looking to get in on the rugby betting action we've got you covered.
WHAT IS RUGBY SEVENS?
For those new to the sport, Rugby Sevens is a fast-paced version of rugby played on a full-sized field with two teams of seven players. It's an exhilerating back-and-forth spectacle with two halves of seven minutes apiece. Unlike regular 15-aside rugby the action is more free-flowing with fewer set pieces (lineouts and scrums) and cleaner rucks. Because of the length of games, each team can play multiple matches over a few days. The quick turnaround on games makes it difficult for sportsbooks to set the lines for each individual match, so odds are instead created for the overall winner of each tournament.
WHAT IS THE USA VEGAS SEVENS TOURNAMENT?
The USA Sevens (also known as Vegas Sevens) tournament features four pools of four teams each. After a round-robin opening round, the two top teams in each pool advance to the knockout stage where teams are elimated in quarterfinals and semifinals stages, culminating in a finals matchup.
The USA Sevens Series is one of 10 tournaments on the Sevens World Series circuit. Countries are awarded points based on how high they finish in each tournament, with the World Series champion determined by who has the most points after the final series of the season held in Paris in June.
Last year, the host team surprised many to win the Vegas tournament, with the USA destroying Argentina 28-0 in the finals after upsetting Fiji 19-7 in the semifinals. This season, the Eagles are tied for first place in the world standings with New Zealand but have yet to win a series, finishing in second place in each of the first four tournaments.
WHERE CAN I WATCH?
If you can't make it to Sam Boyd Stadium to watch these games in person, various ESPN networks will be covering the games. ESPNews will air the first round of matches on Friday, March 1 beginning at 6:00 p.m ET.
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WHAT ARE THE VEGAS SEVENS RUGBY ODDS?
These are the current odds for the top-six nations at the 2019 tournament, courtesy of the SuperBook at Westgate:
Fiji 7/4
New Zealand 9/4
USA 5/2
South Africa 6/1
England 16/1
Australia 25/1
HOW DO I BET ON RUGBY SEVENS?
Location matters
Whether it's travel related, weather or surface conditions, every nation seems to have certain tournaments and pitches they perform better on.
Fiji for all its dominance in the sport has never made it to the finals in the modern Sydney Sevens (a total of four tournaments), but has won six of the last seven Hong Kong Sevens tournaments.
Sam Boyd Stadium in Vegas has received plenty of criticism in the past, and is considered drier and more firm then most rugby sevens pitches. This has historically worked against New Zealand. Despite being a rugby powerhouse, the All Blacks Sevens have failed to finish in the Top 3 in any of the last three years in Vegas and have never won the USA Sevens tournament since it moved to Sam Boyd in 2010.
Ride the hot hand
Thanks to the quick turnaround on games, many of the top teams will have played each other multiple times in recent history. For example, the Eagles have played the All-Blacks Sevens team five times in the last 100 days, losing the last match 21-5 in Sydney. Look at the most recent results to see which team will have the edge.
Despite the Eagles sitting just ahead of Fiji in the World Series Standings, Fiji has beaten the United States in each of their last two matchups by a combined score of 67-15.
The Blitzboks have historically played very well in Vegas but are currently out of form (with just one bronze medal through the first four tournaments) which doesn't bode well for their chances this weekend.
Key Injuries
Like any sport, the fewer players on the field the more impact each individual player has. In basketball, for example, with five players on the court a single player can have an immense impact on their team's chances of winning, especially when they play the majority of game minutes (see LeBron James).
While an injury to a rugby player in 15s can hurt a team, that situation is magnified even more in sevens. The U.S. will be missing speed-demon Perry Baker in Vegas so expect their try-scoring ability to be severely hampered.
Look for physical mismatches
Traditionally, rugby was made up of bigger, stronger forwards complimented by the faster more skilled backs. But modern rugby has created more hybrid players that have the power of forwards combined with the pace and stepping ability of backs.
Look for particular position mismatches to see which teams might have an athletic edge, For example, is the Eagles' Carlin Isles matched up against a bigger wing? As the fastest player in the world, that's a matchup that Isles would certainly exploit. Or conversely if a larger - but still quick - player like New Zealand's Tim Mikkelson (6-foot-4, 227 pounds) is matched up with a smaller opponent, his physicality could prove too much to handle.
Which star players will be available for selection?
This is less of a factor in the tournaments this season since 2019 is a Rugby World Cup Year and the top sides are populated by players focused on the sevens format.
But in past years the inclusion of elite athletes who also play 15s has significantly affected a team's chances of winning. In 2016, South Africa and New Zealand had two of the strongest teams in the world but three of the best All Blacks Sevens at the time (Sonny Bill-Williams, Rieko Ioane and Akira Ioane) are now focused on 15s. Likewise, that Blitzboks side were carried by Kwagga Smith and Cheslin Kolbe who are now stars of the 15 aside version as well.
READY TO MAKE SOME BETS ON THIS YEAR'S VEGAS SEVENS? CHECK OUT OUR WHERE TO PLAY SECTION
