View source for Conferences, Tournaments and Cups



There are a number of in-season competitions in Olmec Sevens: a Conference League, four Tournaments (in which there is a Cup for the Tournament Winners, plus a Shield, Bowl and Plate), a Tournament League (Greenyards Trophy), the Haig Cup and the Sanderson Shield.

In addition, every four seasons Coaches may choose to compete in the Olympics and the World Cup.

=== Conference League ===
Initially, there are 16 teams in Olmec Sevens.  There are four countries (USA, England, Celtic, South Africa) each of which hosts a Conference consisting of four teams.  These four teams play each other home and away for the Conference League title.

=== Tournaments and Tournament League (Greenyards Trophy) ===
Each country also hosts a two day Tournament each season, in which all 16 teams participate.  Teams from the host country benefit from home advantage throughout a Tournament, even when they play each other. 

Tournaments take place across two days (equating to two game sessions).  

On the first day, four groups of four teams randomly selected from different Conferences play against each other.  

On the second day, the four group winners play each other for the Cup and the honour of winning the Tournament.  The four runners up play for the Shield, third placed teams contest the Bowl and fourth placed teams the Plate.


Points are awarded for performance at a Tournament (see table below) and, at the end of the season, the team who accumulates the most points across the four Tournaments wins the Tournament League and the prestigious Greenyards Trophy.
{| class="wikitable"
|
|'''Cup'''
|'''Shield'''
|'''Bowl'''
|'''Plate'''
|-
|'''Winners'''
|25
|15
|10
|5
|-
|'''Runners Up'''
|20
|13
|8
|3
|-
|'''3rd place'''
|17
|12
|7
|2
|-
|'''4th place'''
|16
|11
|6
|1
|}

=== Haig Cup and Sanderson Shield ===
The Haig Cup is a knock out competition in which all teams take part.  Teams knocked out of the Haig Cup in the first round are entered into the Sanderson Shield.  The draw for both competitions is random, and all games are played on neutral ground.

=== Session Structure ===
There will be 12 sessions per season plus a final session for XP.
{| class="wikitable"
|
|'''Game 1'''
|'''Game 2'''
|'''Game 3'''
|-
|'''Session 1'''
|Tournament Group
|Tournament Group
|Tournament Group
|-
|'''Session 2'''
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|-
|'''Session 3'''
|Conference League
|Conference League
|Haig Cup R1
|-
|'''Session 4'''
|Tournament Group
|Tournament Group
|Tournament Group
|-
|'''Session 5'''
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|-
|'''Session 6'''
|Conference League
|Conference League
|Haig Cup/Sanderson Shield QFs
|-
|'''Session 7'''
|Tournament Group
|Tournament Group
|Tournament Group
|-
|'''Session 8'''
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|-
|'''Session 9'''
|Conference League
|Conference League
|Haig Cup/Sanderson Shield SFs
|-
|'''Session 10'''
|Tournament Group
|Tournament Group
|Tournament Group
|-
|'''Session 11'''
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|Tournament Cup/Shield/Bowl/Plate Group
|-
|'''Session 12'''
|Conference League
|Conference League
|Haig Cup/Sanderson Shield Finals
|}

=== Olympics and World Cup [note - I've suggested something different for the World Cup so it's not just the same as the Olympics] ===
Starting after Season 2 and every four seasons after that, there is a rugby sevens event for national teams at the Olympics.  Players for the Olympics are drawn from the player pool active in the previous season - augmented by amateur players where required. Coaches are assigned to national teams - augmented by amateur coaches where required.

The Olympic tournament consists of four groups of four teams, where the top two teams progress to the knockout stages (Quarter Final, Semi Final, and Final) and the chance to become Olympic Champions.


Starting after Season 4 and every four seasons after that, the Rugby World Cup takes place.  Players for the World Cup are drawn from the player pool active in the previous season - augmented by amateur players where required. Coaches are assigned to national teams - augmented by amateur coaches where required.

The World Cup tournament is a Swiss style competition where sixteen national teams compete for the chance to win the World Cup, the Shield, the Bowl and the Plate..

Round 1: 8 randomly drawn matches.

Round 2: 8 winners go into Pool 1 and play each other. 8 losers go into Pool 2 and play each other.

Round 3: 4 winners from Pool 1 enter the World Cup Semi Finals, losers from Pool 1 enter the Shield Semi Finals, winners from Pool 2 enter the Bowl Semi Finals, losers from Pool 2 enter the Plate Semi Finals.

Semi-Finals: Winners advance to their respective Finals, losers are eliminated.

Finals: Winners for each trophy determined. Cup winners become World Champions.