I said this the minute 7's became an olympic sport. If GB, Australia and New Zealand don't have teams at the Olympics that are crammed with League players I will be suprised.

I don't see that happening purely for political reasons

And to be honest, we don't want it to happen... it would be nice to gloat about League players turning over the Union elite but all it will do will add another reason why a young aspiring rugby player would choose Union over League

Having said that, the only good thing to come out of Union 7's being in the Olympics is a worldwide audience being exposed to running rugby... then thinking 'I'll give this game of rugby a try' only to see Union 15's and the push and kick fest that it is in most games

If League had some marketing sense, it would take advantage of the Olympic 7's and brand itself the running game for people to come and try

...yet I see it happening for purely FINANCIAL reasons

Well, it didn't stop them winning the RWC with a League Player did it?
The RFU know the benefit to their game of winning the RWC.....and they will see a Gold Medal as another opportunity to boost their coffers......as they have no chance of winning the next RUWC.
"The history of our sport" doesn't pay bills and the IRB and the RFU know and understand that better than most. Not saying it's right...just the way it is.

I guess it depends on the selection process.

In many sports you need trials, etc to be selected. I don't see how the RFU could fix it so RL players are banned, and I think it would be a great idea for the RFL to put a dozen of our best 7s potentials forward for selection.

Would love to see Tomkins, Riley, Shenton, Atkins, Burgess or whoever tearing it up against the All Blacks!!

Don't forget Eastmond,he would absolutely destroy ANY yawnion players at their own game(esp sevens).

nah you are right

these kids will want to give up a chance of playing a massive sport, one which will make them a household name in australia, one where they can test their skills against the best for a sport which nobody watches

threads like this are vindication for what many of us already know in the gulf that exists between proper rugby and union

yeah, nrl clubs are going to release their talented under 20s players to union

No ones gives a stuff about 7's, it's not very popular on the box and I don't think the OG are going to change that.

There is stuff all money to be made from 7's and the Olympic 7's will look like a joke.

And as far as I can tell, the OG are falling in popularity every time they are held, I use to watch it all the time, but the last games, I seen 1 Aussie win silver in the 110 hurdles because the TV was on in the kitchen at the same time I was cooking.

Most people i know didn't bother watching it much either.

You can tell the people running the OG are thinking that too with the way they have gone on over the last decade saying they need more up to date sports included like BMX, Skateboarding and other stuff.

As I said, 7's is a waste of time and any country that goes into 7's 100% over the proper forms of Rugby are up for a real surprise.

I always get a massive laugh when the unionites all come out with " Kenya and Fiji blah blah blah always beat the Aussies, Kiwis, Poms, S Africans and all the rest, they are so suited to 7's"

Yeah I guess they are seeing as that's more or less all they play and when they go up against all these other teams, no ones ever heard of the players in the Aussie, Kiwi, English, Welsh, S African sides because they aren't good enough for the XV's, any pub team filled with 7 drunks from any of the established Union nations could beat them.

Last i knew 7s came under the IRB umbrella, fat chance of that happening. Unless they all convert to union in time.