Sevens Going for Gold

The 2008-2009 IRB Sevens World Series is off to a flying start, with South Africa threatening to break New Zealand's perennial dominance after winning the season's first two tournaments in Dubai and George.

Although the international sevens season has just begun and the next tournament in the series is not until February, the seven-a-side variant has been a hot topic all year because of high-profile attempts to get sevens into the Olympic Games. The effort has failed before, but some say the sport is a perfect fit. Earlier in the year, the International Rugby Board even went so far as to release a video lobbying for sevens' inclusion. Have a look at the video, which primarily features spokespeople and clips from the more traditional version of rugby union, and see if you're moved (or just to see the somewhat bizarre scene in the first twenty seconds wherein a woman briefly appears to be pregnant ... with a rugby football?):