The '18 Rugby World Cup Sevens yesterday "was awarded to the Bay Area," marking the first time the U.S. "will play host to a major event in a game popular around the world," according to Elliott Almond of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. The three-day tournament "will consist of more than 100 games for 24 men's teams and 16 women's squads held at Avaya Stadium and AT&T Park." The Bay Area "won the bid over Wales." Rugby officials "want to build their sport the way soccer has done" by awarding the '94 FIFA World Cup to the U.S. and '10 tournament to South Africa. Rugby will "make its debut in Avaya Stadium on July 18 for the Pacific Nations Cup." Cal has a "storied" rugby program, making the area "one of the country's hotbeds" for the sport (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 5/14). In Vancouver, Patrick Johnston wrote rugby in America “has momentum,” and holding the tournament in the Bay Area “looks to already be a home run.” Both the MLB Giants and Earthquakes are “partners on the event, the latest sign how mainstream American sports is slowly but surely moving towards taking rugby seriously.” Rugby “only stands to benefit: this will expose a whole new flock of fans to a very easy-to-get-into version of the oval game” (THEPROVINCE.com, 5/13).
