Rotorua loses National Sevens tournament to Tauranga

Bay of Plenty player Marnus Hanley in action at the Bayleys National Sevens at the Rotorua International Stadium in January this year. Photo / File

The Bayleys National Sevens will be held in Rotorua for the last time next month as New Zealand Rugby has announced the tournament will move to the Tauranga Domain and be held in December for the next three years.

Bay of Plenty Rugby chief executive Mike Rogers said the tournament had enjoyed "five really good years" in Rotorua, but it was time to "freshen up".

"I'm of the opinion that there's always a lifetime for every event. There's nothing negative in terms of the delivery of the event in Rotorua, it's just an opportunity to do something a bit different.

"I think Rotorua [International Stadium] is a great venue - if you talk to the teams, New Zealand Rugby, everyone involved for the last five years, it's a fantastic venue. It wouldn't host events like the British and Irish Lions this year and the Chiefs next year if it wasn't.

"Definitely that January window, from an event point of view, is difficult because everyone is quite rightly having a break at the beach or the lake and enjoying the weather. People talk about having too much rugby, so from my opinion having no rugby in January is a good thing and gives everyone a break.

"With the event moving to December, we're hopeful that will be a positive in terms of attracting a good crowd. We hope that we get strong crowds. Like in Rotorua, rugby and sevens are really important to the Tauranga community," Rogers said.

Next month will be the last chance for rugby fans to watch the Bayleys National Sevens tournament at the Rotorua International Stadium as the event is moving to the Tauranga Domain. Photo / File

He was "delighted" the tournament would remain in the Bay for the next three years and did not rule out a return to Rotorua in the future.

"I don't think one venue is better than the other. There's absolutely no reason that we don't get the opportunity to bring it back to Rotorua in the future. We always wanted to have the event for 10 years - we've had five so far and this contract extends it to eight years. So, who knows, hopefully an opportunity presents itself to grow it again back in Rotorua," he said.

It was hoped bringing the tournament forward a month would allow the best provincial talent available to compete and would align the tournament with the high performance programmes of both the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens, New Zealand Rugby said in a press release.

New Zealand Rugby High Performance Sevens manager Tony Philp said the move was a great opportunity to get the nation's top sevens players together at one event.

"Bringing the National Sevens forward to December means that unions will be able to call on players from their Mitre 10 Cup, Mitre 10 Heartland Championship and Farah Palmer Cup campaigns to be involved which will improve the standard of competition.

"It also provides a platform for selection to the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens for the following World Series," Philp said.

New Zealand Rugby acknowledged the efforts of Bay of Plenty and the Rotorua Lakes Council in hosting the National Sevens at Rotorua International Stadium for the past five years.

"We have enjoyed bringing the event to Rotorua and appreciate the efforts of all involved to make this tournament a success. It is exciting that the tournament will remain in the province and we look forward to our continued work with Bay of Plenty Rugby in delivering a fantastic event," Philp said.