Miller: "Sky is the limit for Sevens"

The world of Rugby has received a massive boost with the IRB's announcement that the HSBC Sevens World Series will comprise not eight, but nine rounds in the 2011/12 season.Japan's capital Tokyo has joined rugby's only global grand prix-style event and the IRB's Chief Executive Mike Miller has been among the first to celebrate the expansion.
 
"I think Japan coming on board is great news for all of Rugby. Asia is very important, not just for the IRB and Rugby but for all sports. It has a huge population centre, a lot of the young people in the world are in Asia and there is a growing population and growing economy," Miller told Total Rugby.
 
"Japan is a big rugby country, we have Rugby World Cup 2019 there as well and they have wanted to have a Sevens tournament for some time. We are sure they will do a really good job and I think having an HSBC Sevens World Series event in Tokyo will be a really good addition to the Series.
 
"The world in terms of sport is shifting to Asia, so it is important that Rugby has a share of people who are playing and watching the sport. To have another event in Asia is very important for the growth, not just of Sevens, but also for 15s rugby.
 
"Japan will bring a never-say-die attitude and they are very good at organising. People will have a great time in Tokyo, it is another interesting venue for those who travel around and follow the Series and the teams will have a good time as well.
"The Japanese are determined to raise their level in the international Game. They have a thriving domestic league and have a very good game at University and College level but they have known for the last couple of years they need to raise their game at the international level and I think this will help them do that."
In 2019 Japan will become the first Asian nation to host rugby's biggest event, the Rugby World Cup. According to Miller, hosting a round of the world-renowned Sevens Series is another solid step en route to that giant undertaking.
 
"It is helpful for the Japan RFU and the people who will be involved in planning for Rugby World Cup 2019. It gives them the chance to test out procedures, to build up professionalism in lots of different areas and to train up a bigger group of people, because running a World Cup takes a lot of people and a lot of experience," he added.
 
"Yes they can get experience from around the world but what you want is to set up a legacy so that once Rugby World Cup is finished you have that extra knowledge back home. Sevens is not the same as running 48 matches over 44 days, but having an HSBC Sevens World Series event will help in building up that knowledge base."
 
Miller is also bullish about the continued expansion of the HSBC Sevens World Series over the coming years.
 
"There are a lot of cities and countries that have been in touch with us who want to host events and so I think that the sky is the limit. The Series is very popular and we have seen record broadcast figures. It will continue to grow and once we are in the Olympics it will just take off. We will see how things go."