How Ultimate Sevens aims to supercharge the profile of rugby stars

When it comes to global sports, few things get bums on seats more than a celebrity star player signing.

While in the past, rugby has been slower to the table compared to the likes of football when it comes to leaning to that star power, the last few years has seen that change, the likes of France’s Antoine Dupont and the USA’s Ilona Maher commanding significant profiles.

Showing athletes not just for their skill on the field, but their personality off it has become a primary goal for the inaugural season of the Ultimate Sevens, the competition sparing no expense in getting some of the biggest names in the short format of the game.

For former Great Britain sevens captain now turned Sport and Innovation Director Tom Mitchell, it’s in stark contrast to when he was playing – and he’s glad to see rugby lean into the stars it has.

“The days of a one-dimensional sportsperson are over,” Mitchell said in an interview with RugbyPass.

“I think that’s a really good thing. I look at my own experiences where we were probably told too often, less is more. If you can just be straight down the line playing, that’s safest for everyone.

“We’re missing out on a huge depth and a wealth of character and intrigue and interest. That’s what people want.

“They don’t just want to see someone. The beauty of sevens, I guess, is that people are captivated by what they do on the field.

“When you can couple that with a story, a genuine persona, an authentic human behind the athlete, then it’s a winning combination. There is an appetite for that. That is what people want.”

The Ultimate Sevens socials have aimed to lean into the personality of their marquee players, from discovering Maddison Levi’s pre-match tunes to Pol Pla talking about the moment he fell in love with the game.

This has also extended to the clubs, with a focus on geographical relevancy where the best sevens regions are based, rather than on national sides, with the squads also reflecting that.

“What we wanted to do was try and harness some of that natural, organic and existing fandom around the world in different pockets and give that geographical, regional relevancy to some of the teams,” Mitchell explained.

“Each of the clubs has its own story and a bit of identity that’s been built out. It’s fascinating already seeing the players buy into that or find elements of that which they think are interesting. Fans will be doing the same.

“[Having] multicultural squads and getting the best out of them in a short space of time is fascinating. I know a lot of them are excited about that.

“In the same way as the World Series is, this is a true celebration of the cultural diversity and the amazing characters you’ve got in the Series as well.

“We’re going to try and pull those out. We’re going to try and highlight those. I know that on Sevens Series, there’s been a push to try and profile players and highlight players, because that’s what fans want.

“We’re going to absolutely double down on that, try and make superstars out of some of these players.

“We’re blessed in Sevens, I think, that we have got a route to being authentic and to displaying their character and all the rest.”

Through both the clubs and marquee players, Mitchell is excited to see what enhancing the traditional rugby formula will do, and believes that is where Ultimate Sevens can carve out a niche for itself in the rugby calendar.

Like fans having an interest in the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi outside of football, Mitchell hopes the natural, organic stories that will come out over the next few weeks will lead to buy-in from fans.

Should it prove successful, such an approach to rugby not only would set the stage for future success for the competition, but potentially, see other sides of the game at large lean into that celebrity approach.

“We want to see people,” Mitchell explained.

“Hutch [Australian captain Henry Hutchison] is probably a good example. He’s an incredible professional as well. It’s not just the silliness and the fun.

“I want to know how Hutch prepares meticulously for his events. I want to know what his recovery protocols are. I’m just using him as an example, there’s loads of them out there.

“I think there’s elements to him which are fascinating. It’s just how you bring out all these different elements, because that’s the celebration of what sport is.

“Sport puts the spotlight on the best bits of us as humans and everything we want to celebrate as humans.

“We’re trying to celebrate that and find the moments that play into it. I love that.”

2026 ULTIMATE SEVENS FIXTURE LIST

Round 1:

• Saturday, 12th September 2026 – Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, Wales

Round 2:

• Friday, 18th September 2026 – Parc des Sports Aguilera, Biarritz, France

Grand Final:

• Thursday, 24th September 2026 – Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford, London