Dubai Sevens smells like team spirit for the Rio Olympics

The Fiji team celebrate beating England to win the Cup Final during the Dubai Rugby Sevens tournament on December 5, 2015 in Dubai. Warren Little / Getty Images

DUBAI // Was the 2015 Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens the moment the ancient order of rugby was changed for good?

The point when the game was tipped inexorably away from the long-established rugby behemoths towards the Olympic superpowers?

At the very least, this weekend won over some significant observers.

“Great format, perfect for the Olympics,” said Michael Johnson, the sprint king from America, after taking in the Dubai Sevens.

It is difficult to say for sure whether a new world order is in the throes of rising in sevens. The winners were, after all, the big men from a set of tiny islands in the Pacific.

If Ben Ryan has his way, too, Fiji’s pursuit next summer of a first Olympic medal of any colour might have as limited a player pool as possible.

The coach wants players based on the island, who earn a basic wage of around 20,000 Fijian dollars (Dh34,000) for playing sevens for the national team, to have the first shot at the squad for Rio de Janeiro.

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Fijian players on lucrative contracts abroad will find it tough to play their way in.

“It is a big thing we have over the other teams, who can bring in their Test match superstars,” Ryan said.

“They will make a huge difference to their teams, but if we can go to the Olympics with a team from the island, they are going to do absolutely everything for the shirt. There’ll be no rockstars in there on rock star money.”

Fiji aside, though, the most eye-catching performances in each of the men’s and women’s competitions were by nations known for Olympic, rather than rugby, pedigree.

Russia, who still have yet to qualify for the Rio Games, were unexpected runners-up in the women’s event, while the United States followed up their win in the previous tournament in London by finishing third in Dubai.

As a compelling story-pointer, both triumphed over New Zealand, the most successful rugby nation in history.

On the first day of the women’s tournament, Russia looked to be playing virtually unopposed as they thrashed the defending champions 33-7. The US, meanwhile, beat the All Blacks Sevens men twice in two days.

America’s men are on a fine run of form, but their credibility as an actual force in the game needs a larger sample size than two tournaments. “We are setting ourselves the big task of trying to break into the top four, being a Tier 2 nation that is now deemed to be a rugby sevens force,” Mike Friday, the USA coach, said.

“We have a long way to go.”

For a start, it is unclear how deep their pool of talent is. If either of their speedy wings Perry Baker or Carlin Isles, or both, were to be absent, for example, it is fair to assume their potency would be greatly inhibited.

Compare that to New Zealand. They suffered because of injuries this weekend, and still finished fourth.

Who do they have to bring in? The next cab off the rank could be one of the biggest stars of all.

Gordon Tietjens, the New Zealand coach, only joked that he might have to fish Sonny Bill Williams from the sponsors’ chalet to plug a gap in his squad.

Next time round it might be for real.

Williams, Liam Messam, and Ardie Savea will soon be on hand to prove this weekend was an aberration rather than a crisis.

So, although Russia took silver home with them from the UAE, and the USA bronze, there is enough evidence to suggest rugby’s historic powers need not fret too much just yet.

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