Ultimate Sevens to launch in September as rugby union’s £2m answer to the Hundred

Ultimate Sevens Championship, a new rugby union tournament modelled on cricket's The Hundred, will launch in September featuring six men's and women's teams across events in Spain, Wales, and France, with a grand final at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium on 24 September. The tournament has an initial player salary budget of £2 million and has already contracted the top 75 players on the world sevens circuit. Backed by World Rugby, the format features 10-minute sudden-death games with each team allowed one timeout per match instead of a traditional half-time break.