Rugby in Mideast thriving on and off the pitch

DUBAI: The best 16 men’s and 12 women’s teams in the world took to the pitch at this year’s Emirates Dubai 7s as part of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series calendar, and there is compelling evidence that the annual event is helping to grow the game both on and off the pitch in the region.

While the global stars of this format of the game were wowing huge crowds at the Sevens Stadium, a busy schedule of age-group and invitational tournaments alongside the international fixtures painted a healthy picture of participation on the local level.