Rio Olympics: Become an instant expert at rugby 7s

By Benjamin Blum, CBC Sports

Rugby sevens is making its debut at the Olympics this summer. While the full, 15-a-side version of the sport was contested up until the 1924 Games, the condensed format looks to introduce the sport to a whole new Olympic audience.

• Olympic-bound rugby 7s team named without Magali Harvey

Here's everything you need to know to instantly become a rugby sevens expert:

History and format

• 15-a-side rugby union played at 1900,1908, 1920 and 1924 Games.
• IOC voted to reintroduce rugby into Olympics in 2009, but sevens will be played instead of 15s.
• Seven players on the field per team, seven-minute halves.
• Men's and women's events, 12 teams in each tournament, three pools of four, round robin with top-eight teams advancing to knockout round.

Perfect for binge-watching

The appeal of sevens is the quick pace of play and high-scoring matches. With fewer players, there's lots of space on the pitch, meaning full-field dashes and highlight-reel plays are possible at any moment.

It's also ideal for casual fans looking to learn about rugby. You'll see a tournament's-worth of teams in a single day due to the densely-packed schedule and enjoy thrilling action at every turn.

As well, the camaraderie on a rugby team is something unique to the sport. Member's of the Canadian women's sevens team talk about the "sisterhood" on the national squad.

Laws of the game

We aren't being pretentious with our subhead title. "Laws" is the actual term used for the rules of rugby.

Semantics aside, rugby sevens has the same basic rules as the full 15-a-side version:

• The ball can be kicked forward or passed backwards or laterally.
• Scoring consists of tries (touching the ball down in the opponent's end zone for five points), conversion kicks after tries worth two and penalty goals worth three.
• After a penalty, play restarts with either a scrum or free kick, which can be taken long for distance or quickly on a "tap and go."

If anyone asks you to summarize this version of rugby, use the following mnemonic device:

Seven on seven playing seven-minute halves

(Say that seven times fast!)

No pads? No helmets? No problem

Equipment is minimal in rugby. Just an ovular ball, two goalposts at either end, and enough medical tape to mummify Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue.

Mouthguards are also worn, and cleats range from subtle to flashy.

Unlike football, no pads are worn. So you can imagine how much Nate Ebner, a New England Patriots safety and member of the U.S. sevens squad, felt this hit.

Major players

If you're on either side of the Tasman Sea, you'll likely be on the podium for men's and women's rugby.

New Zealand and Australia are two countries synonymous with rugby, and sevens is no exception. If you want to sound cool, refer to them as the All Blacks and Wallabies respectively. Instant rugby credibility.

Canada is a strong contender in the women's tournament, provided they can find a way to solve frequent foe England, who will compete under the banner of Great Britain. Captain Jen Kish and 500-point-scorer Ghislaine Landry lead a confident side into the Games.

As well, Markham, Ont.'s Rose Labrèche will represent Canada at the games as a referee in the women's event.

Rounding out the men's competition, world No.1 Fiji and South Africa's Blitzbokke (a portmanteau fusing national rugby nickname 'springboks' with their ferocious attacking style) are potential medal threats, with Argentina and the United States enter as darkhorses. Despite winning back to back Pam Am gold medals, Canada's men's team failed to qualify for the Olympics.

Outflank your friends

Still craving more rugby knowledge? Learn these facts and you'll be ready to shoot the boot in no time:

• If the ball is passed or fumbled forward, a knock-on penalty is called. In this situation, a scrum is used to restart play. Three players bind together (the equivalent of a front row in a 15s scrum) and engage with the opposing forwards as the middle players vie for the ball with their feet.
• Penalties in rugby aren't whistled dead immediately. To keep the game flowing, referees will play advantage​, similar to a delayed penalty in hockey. If the offended team gains enough field position, the penalty is forgotten and play continues. However, if no advantage is gained, the play will be blown dead and a restart will be taken from the spot of the penalty.
• There are an infinite number of kicking techniques, but the most unique is rugby's answer to the basketball bounce pass. Kicking the ball on the ground and having it bounce up chest-high on the third bounce is known as a grubber. It looks great when it works, just don't practice inside your house.
• There has been some deck-stacking leading up to the inaugural Olympic sevens tournament among some of the stronger rugby nations. Rugby union stalwarts like Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand) and Juan Imhoff (Argentina) have made the transition to sevens for a shot at a medal.

Now go enjoy some rugby like a proper sevens fan!