Rugby is distinguished from North American football in that the ball can only be passed backwards, not forward. The aim of the game is to obtain as many points as possible by carrying, passing, kicking and grounding the ball.

Players can only pass the ball backward, gaining ground by either running with the ball or by kicking it. Points are scored by carrying the ball across the opponents' goal line and touching the ground (a "try"), or by kicking the ball through goal posts (a "conversion") at the opponent's end of the field.

The wide variation of skills and physical requirements needed for the game mean that there is an opportunity for individuals of every shape, size and ability to participate at all levels.

History

The Sevens game originated in the Scottish Borders in 1883 and the first Melrose Sevens was held at the famous Greenyards ground, after which the game quickly spread throughout the Borders and far beyond.

The establishment of the Rugby World Cup Sevens (1993) was the inevitable consequence of the game's global expansion, and the IRB World Sevens Series, launched in 1999, has introduced the game into many new territories.

Since its inception the IRB Sevens has been played in 16 countries worldwide, and more than 50 countries have participated. In fact, for the RWC Sevens 2005, qualification tournaments involved 86 countries.

At both the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the Rugby Sevens attracted more than 100,000 spectators, second only to the numbers watching athletics.

Rugby Sevens was on the short list to become part of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, but narrowly missed selection.

Rugby became an official Asian Games sport in the 13th Asian Games in 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Rules

In Rugby matches will be consisted of two halves of seven minutes with a break of one minute between each half.

Teams earn 5 points for a try, 2 for a conversion and 3 for a penalty kick.

Teams will be allowed to field seven players, with three substitutes allowed during each match. Eight teams will be divided into two groups in accordance with the International Rugby Board (IRB) and the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU).

Teams will play each other once, with the top two teams from each group making the semi-finals. Teams receive 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and zero points for a loss.

In the medals matches, if a draw occurs extra time will be played until a winner is determined. The first team to score points in the two 5-minute extra time periods will be declared the winner.