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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Robert Kitson

Ultimate Sevens to launch in September as rugby union’s £2m answer to the Hundred

Abbie Brown scores a try for Great Britain in a quarter-final against Fiji at the 2016 Olympics
Abbie Brown, pictured scoring a try for Great Britain in a quarter-final against Fiji at the 2016 Olympics, has already committed to the Ultimate Sevens. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

A rugby union version of the Hundred aimed at attracting younger fans to the sport will be launched in September. The world’s leading sevens players, possibly bolstered by some exciting up-and-coming 15s talent, have been contracted to play in the Ultimate Sevens Championship that will involve events in Spain, Wales and France followed by a grand final at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium in west London on 24 September.

The new tournament will feature six men’s and women’s teams with an initial player salary budget of £2m. The top 75 players on the world sevens circuit have already been recruited to represent one of six squads representing six different global regions with the aim of attracting future individual franchise investment.

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