‘This has never been done before’: Inside rugby’s bold new sevens league

In its inaugural season, the Rugby Premier League (RPL) in India invited players from across the globe to compete alongside homegrown Indian talent, forming a new experiment in the world of sevens.

Elias Hancock, an experienced Canadian sevens player, was keen to get involved.

“What made me want to get involved was just the fact that something like this has never been done before. The RPL is bringing people like international players from all over the world together and mixing them up with domestic Indian players,” Hancock said.

“So having not much going on in June, I figured it would be a really cool opportunity to come over and gain some more international experience and to be a part of this inaugural year.”

Hawies Fourie on selection headache

Hawies Fourie on selection headache

Growing rugby culture

One of the RPL’s most ambitious missions has been to fuse elite level rugby knowledge with India’s rapidly growing rugby culture. While there’s an inevitable learning curve, Hancock sees real potential.

“Mixing international rugby stars with local talent is really big for developing the domestic talent in India.

“Just getting to play alongside them, everybody’s experience level is different.

“It does slow down the pace of the game a little, especially in the training camp weeks, because you’re doing more teaching than actually playing at times.

“On field, it’s a bit slower just because everybody’s rugby knowledge and skills are at different levels.

“But, it’s been huge and the country of India’s rugby talent is going to grow significantly. I’m quite excited for that and looking forward to seeing how it continues to grow and evolve in the coming years.

“There’s a really good baseline of talent and some really skilled players that I think has caught a lot of people off guard.”

Playing with and against familiar international names added another dimension to the experience.

“It’s been a lot of fun and It was probably the biggest pull for me at least, was to get to live and play alongside these other international players that I’ve been lucky enough to play against.

“To now get to play with them and for them as players to coaches – it’s been an amazing experience.

“I hope that it can continue to grow and we can carry on growing the player pool. You’re always friendly with these guys you’ve played against over the years. But at the end of the day, they’ve always been my opponents not my teammates. So this has been a really unique experience.”

India’s future in rugby – a new generation

As someone who’s seen packed stadiums and empty ones alike Hancock is keenly aware of the power of fans. In Mumbai, the RPL’s energy was unmistakable.

“I absolutely think the RPL has the potential to hook new fans. Being at the stadium every night you see the crowds continuing to grow and especially the young people.

“There’s been a lot of kids at the games and they’ve all been really into it and that’s how you’re going to inspire the next generation of rugby athletes in the world, especially with India having such a large population.

“Even if you get a quarter of the kids playing, that would be massive for the sport. Mumbai is such a big hub and it’s a big sports city, so the fans are super passionate.

“Playing for Mumbai in particular has been really cool because all the support has been amazing.

“I would definitely encourage other top level sevens players to explore leagues like this outside the usual circuit.

“It’s an exciting idea to continue to try to expand leagues like this, especially if it’s going to bring some life back into sevens.”

It wasn’t just the crowds that were impressive. The organisational side of the RPL left an impression too.

“The organisations have taken great care of the players in terms of whether its compensation, food, hotels, the flights, everything has been very well organised.

“A lot of us had never been to India before, so I think that was also a big pulling factor. The RPL has compensated the players so well.

Final thoughts

The RPL might not be the next HSBC circuit stop yet, but for players like Elias Hancock it represents something the sevens world desperately needs, which is momentum.

“Sevens is such a fun, exciting game. We just need to give it a platform. The RPL is doing that and I’m glad to have been part of the first chapter.”

As rugby eyes new frontiers it’s in places like Mumbai where the game’s future might be forged.