David Leggat: Can Hamilton give sevens the boost it sorely needs?

Hamilton has a big challenge getting the excitement back into New Zealand's leg of the world sevens circuit. Photo / Getty

New Zealand's home for sevens rugby had to shift from Wellington but it's become a tired old dame.

It may have traction for its debut next year. Call it a degree of novelty factor, but you have to wonder whether it will spin as many wheels as organisers hope.

Put it this way: when sevens is on, do you make a beeline for the TV?

Puff releases today talk about Hamilton offering a world-class stadium, a central location for travelling fans and a host community that loves rugby.

Wellington could claim all three - albeit with a qualification on the stadium, as the Cake Tin isn't a purpose-built rugby ground. Wellington fell out of love with the sevens after 18 years. It was the one-stop shop for sevens.

Remember the early years when the crowds flocked. It was a rollicking weekend. Then the fun went out of it as the serious squad stepped in.

Personally I've never been a big fan of sevens.

It was good when it didn't take itself too seriously. Then it became a big deal and the sense of unbridled enjoyment went out of it. Halftime huddles turned po-faced.

Hamilton mayor Andrew King today claimed "this is what the (Waikato) stadium was built for". That's tosh of course, but forgive a bit of chest beating today.

New Zealand Rugby chief strategy and operations officer Nigel Cass said it was time to start a new chapter for the sevens circuit and its part in the world series.

Fair enough, but how they work this will be intriguing.

There are plans to segment the ground to suit fans, families and what are euphemistically called "party goers".

Wellington got into difficulty when the booze and party atmosphere removed the enjoyment for the family sector. Like it or not, booze brings money.

Here's another thing: ever tried to keep kids amused and actively engaged with an event for seven hours? That's a tough sell.

New Zealand are no longer the force they once were in sevens. They won the first six editions of the world series.

At the weekend they gave up a 21-0 halftime lead to Scotland (!) in their cup quarter-final in London, then got a 41-7 shellacking from Australia.

Teams like Kenya and Canada are becoming more prominent. This is good. A changing of the old guard hurts no one - except that old guard.

But there's no question having the home country performing strongly is a big plus for an international event.

Hamilton will be hoping Aucklanders trek 90 minutes south to join the party. Let's see. They find it hard enough to get to Eden Park, although there are rugby quality issues in play there.

The men's sevens programme receives $900,000 in each of this and next year from the Government funding arm High Performance Sport NZ; the women, who won silver at its Olympic debut in Rio last year, pocket $1.1 million in the same period.

That's a huge pile of money going to the country's biggest, wealthiest sports body. That's another story.

So let's see if Hamilton can provide a revitalising effect to a beast sorely in need of a substantial boost. It feels as if it's become a bit of a bore.