MANY people believe in the saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
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Well the annual Kiama Rugby Sevens wasn't broken, but to the credit of a few people seeking to grow the tournament, Kiama Rugby Sevens is now the largest one-day senior rugby sevens tournament in Australia.
In 1973, Ray Cleary and his committee put together the original Kiama Sevens with eight teams, and this grew to 54 sides in the 2014 tournament competing on the traditional last Saturday in February.
"Over the past few years invitational sides were winning the prize money and many clubs they were seeing red so to speak, or more likely the rear of a Fijian flyer," event organiser Mark Bryant said.
"A meeting with ARU CEO Bill Pulver, ARU chairman and ex-Wallaby Michael Hawker and I in Hong Kong preceding the Hong Kong Sevens in 2014, laid a foundation for a remodelling of the Kiama Rugby Sevens.
"A following-up meeting with ARU competitions manager Andrew Fagan and ARU Sevens co-ordinator Dale Robson in June discussed the remodelling not only of the Kiama Rugby Sevens, but the preceding sevens tournament, leading to Kiama Rugby Sevens and the national sevens championships.
"The results are that the Kiama Rugby Sevens would align closer to IRB laws, ARU would appoint referees to increase the standard and the sanctioning of the Kiama Rugby Sevens would allow the planning for years ahead.
"The remodelling has meant that spectators will continue to see the high quality of rugby sevens and the Olympic dream a possibility from grassroots rugby," Bryant said.
The remodelling has meant an increase in playing time and games which gives greater exposure to Australian sevens selectors, with the Rio Olympics in 2016 a goal for aspiring players.
The annual Kiama Rugby Sevens will take place on Saturday, February 28, at Kiama Showground and Chittick Oval.