A bold new format awaits the 12 teams entered for the Gala Sevens tournament at Netherdale on Saturday, the opening round of the Borders Spring circuit.
New for the Gala tournament is a pool structure followed by semi-finals at Cup, Plate and Bowl tiers that should answer the shortcomings of the straight knock-out system.
Teams have been drawn into four pools of three, with the top sides from the four sections going into the Cup semis, the runners-up in each pool progress to the Plate semi-finals and the third from each will make up the Bowl semi-finalists.
The finals of each competition will be played under lights, while the semi-finals of the Plate and Bowl will take place on the back pitches.
“The beauty of this format is that every team taking part will be guaranteed at least three games and 50 per cent will have at least four games. I hope this will help to attract supporters of the teams taking part to come to Netherdale,” said Gala president George Marshall, who believes that Border sevens need a makeover.
“I feel that the sevens scene has been flagging a bit in recent years. There’s not so many players and there’s not so much cash around. The bottom line is that we have too many sevens tournaments.
“It’s understandable because this has been a traditional way of raising money for the clubs. But it’s the same customers they’re chasing.
“I hope that our new-look sevens will be more attractive to players and spectators. The format works for the IRB World Series and it should for a mini version like Gala. Crucially, any team competing at Gala will get a chance to show what they can do. It won’t be the brutal straight knock-out. And teams generally improve once they get past the first round,” suggested Marshall.
The 2013 Gala Sevens, sponsored by Five Star Taxis, will be enhanced by Edinburgh Rugby. The presence of the Murrayfield pros, who will be competing alongside top club sides, including the holders Jed-Forest, will add spice to the tournament and ensure a quality competition.
The event, including a veterans’ competition and one for primary school players, kicks-off at 3.30pm.