After the birth of seven-a-side rugby by the Melrose RFC, the game remained mainly a Scottish event known as “border sevens.” But in 1926 England’s Middlesex County Rugby Union decided to stage an end of season sevens tournament in May, choosing nearby Twickenham Stadium as the venue with 50 teams invited. This English event would boost sevens to a wider audience of rugby fans and, more importantly, to the influential sports sections of the London newspapers. In the 34 ensuing years up to 1959, the winners of the Middlesex Sevens were dominated by well known premiere English clubs, Harlequins, St. Mary’s Hospital, and Rosslyn Park.

It was Iain Laughland, who would change the stilted style of sevens rugby. Laughland (31 caps for Scotland) conceived of a “keep away possession” style, marked by swinging the ball from sideline to sideline with players backing each other up. The team would fan out and, if necessary, retreat backward to create gaps in defense. In the early 1960s, with Laughland at the helm, London Scottish won five Middlesex events in the 1960s and also two Melrose championships.

Laughland was the originator of the idea of “pace” for seven styled play. Each possession would feature a beginning, middle, and an end. One of the standouts for London Scottish during this period was fleet winger and Scotland International, Charlie Hodgson. In one Middlesex game, Hodgson scored two spectacular tries and was surprised why he was not chosen for the ensuing Melrose Tournament event. He asked why and Captain Laughland replied, “You score tries, but you have no pace.”

The Middlesex Sevens has evolved to become the largest sevens event in the world; at one time inviting upwards of 300 clubs (1992). Two Rugby League clubs have won the tournament, the Wigan Warriors in 1996 and the Bradford Bulls in 2002. Only in sevens could Rugby League and Rugby Union find common ground for mutual play.

For most players, the Middlesex Sevens tournament represented the only time in their rugger careers they would ever play on the hallowed Twickenham pitch.

Seven-a-side rugby began in 1883 to raise money for the Melrose RFC, a well-known Scottish border side. The club had experienced financial problems and raising the annual dues or increasing the price of a pint was not going to solve the chronic problem of shortage of funds.

Enter into rugby history, Ned Haig, local butcher and Melrose club member, who conceived of a tournament that would attract other clubs to play a shortened version with seven players on each team. The monies would come from spectators paying admission, and also increased pub revenues generated by the participation of eight sides, accompanied by their fans.

Melrose RFC kept the rules the same as fifteens, and the size of the pitch also conformed to the standard rugby union size. The two significant changes were the total game time (fifteen minutes) and the reduction to seven players. (Back then, the first seven-a-side teams comprised a full-back, two, quarter-backs, and four forwards.)

The action-packed day was April 28, 1883, when Melrose hosted seven other border sides. To make it more interesting for fans, the event included foot-races, a drop-kick contest, and dribbling races. And there was lots of rugby playing during the day, highlighted as “The Football Competition.” Some 1,600 spectators, many arriving via special event trains, witnessed the historic match. The tournament started at 12:30 and ended seven hours later. The Ladies of Melrose donated a silver cup that continues to be awarded to the winner.

In 2011, the winning side in the Melrose Sevens – now an international event broadcast by the BBC – turned out to be the Melrose RFC.