Merging UK sides in world series

[Which Tyler]

We have 11 a side format football at the Olympics. So why not rugby XVs (which may hypothetically lead to a European wide qualification tournament where the 6N window is)? If posters who are comfortable with end of English, Welsh and Scottish 7s teams are equally comfortable with the prospect of the end of English, Wales and Scottish XVs, (and football) with all games played under the GB banner at Murrayfield (and Hampden), then I absolutely respect your position.

Olympics lasts 17 days.
You simply cannot fit a XVs tournament into 7 days. It's a complete non-starter.

There's a reason XVs hasn't appeared in the olympics since 1924 (USA, reigning champions btw)

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

It's a side issue to my point, but the football starts a couple of days before the Olympics opening ceremony. 16 teams in a 5 round knockout within 23 days is just about doable as a format for XVs at the Olympics. Checking I see Fiji did 4 games in 19 days at RWC2019. Wales did 5 rounds in 28 days, which is obviously longer, but unless there are specific rules I don't think my hypothetical suggestion is a 'non-starter'.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Yeah you could do 5 games in 20-25 days or 4 games in 16-20 days.

The main issue was the IOC only wanting to include x amount of new athletes. 7s is obviously better for that than 15s is. I also think at the time it was possible for WR to say that there were more competitive 7s nations than 15s nations. I don't think that's the case anymore.

As to alpha's question, you think they thought that far?

 

[Moseleyexile]

It's not just about the main Olympic Games though-all the continental Games run by the Olympic committees now (or in Europe and Africas case will from 2023) feature 7s. The Pacific Games and Asian Games both had 15s but this was abandoned in favour of 7s in the late 90s/early 00s.