The Van Franken Cup is a major, annual Lovian tournament for state Rugby Sevens where all Lovian states compete for being the best Sevens team in Lovia.
How it began?[]
Lovian Rugby began in 2010 when Marcus Villanova started the Lovian National Sevens Team to advance the playing of rugby all over the country. But for years also Brian van Franken a famous sevens player tied to advance rugby but to no avail. But with players like Gerard Casem and Thomas Jank, Rugby is now one of the most played sports in Lovia.
The Tournament itself[]
The tournament was first created as the State Lovian Sevens Cup but was changed to the Van Franken Cup in memory of Brian van Franken's advancement of Rugby in Lovia. The tournament is usually played in the later part of the year.
Trophies[]
The Trophies are given out to first, second, and third place teams. The golden trophy is call the "Van Franken Cup" the silver and second place trophy is called the "Lovian Web Ellis Cup", Web Ellis being the creator of Rugby and the bronze and thrid place trophy is called the "Lovian Rugby Cup"
Rules and differences from regular Rugby[]
Playing area[]
Sevens is played on a standard rugby union playing field as defined in the International Rugby Board's handbook. The field measures up to 100 metres (330 ft) long and 70 metres (230 ft) wide. On each goal line are H-shaped goal posts.
Teams and positions[]
Teams are composed of three forwards, one scrum half and three backs.
Scrums are composed of just three players from each team. Because of the speedy nature of the game, good sevens players are often backs or loose forwards in fifteens rugby.
Variations to the Laws of the Game[]
A scrum during a Oceana-Sylvania match
There are several variations in laws which apply to Rugby Sevens, primarily to speed up the game and to account for the reduced number of players. The main changes can be summarised as follows:
- Seven players per team on field (instead of 15).
- Three substitutes, with only three interchanges (instead of 7 and 7).
- Seven minute halves, though ten minute halves are allowed in the final of a competition (instead of forty minute halves).
- One minute half-time, two minutes in finals (instead of ten minutes).
- Matches drawn after regulation are continued into Extra Time, in 5-minute periods.
- All conversion attempts must be drop-kicked (instead of having the option to place-kick).
- Conversions must be taken within 40 seconds of scoring a try (instead of 60 seconds).
- Three player scrums (instead of eight players).
- Kick-offs: in sevens, the team which has just scored kicks off, rather than the conceding team, as in fifteen-a-side.
- Yellow cards net a 2-minute suspension (instead of 10 minutes).
- Suspensions are more severe in Sevens than in Fifteens. The team plays a man down for 1/7th of the match instead of 1/8th, and losing 1 man out of 7 opens up more space than 1 man out of 15.
- Referees decide on advantage quickly (where one play usually ends advantage, not true in fifteens).
- In major competitions, there are additional officials present (in-goal touch judges) to judge success of kicks at goals and hence the game is not delayed waiting for touch judges to move into position to judge conversion attempts.
Van Franken Cup 2010[]
In 2010 the event first took place in June where all five states competed for the Van Franken Cup. Sylvania won every game in the cup and finished 1st with Oceana 2nd.
Sylvania State Sevens Rugby Team - 1st Place
- Oceana State Sevens Rugby Team - 2nd Place
- Clymene State Sevens Rugby Team - 3rd Place
- Kings State Sevens Rugby Team - 4th Place
- Seven State Sevens Rugby Team - 5th Place
Van Franken Cup 2011[]
In 2011 the second edition of the Van Franken Cup took place with a shortened three day tournament. The tournament still grossed more money and had better attendance. Sylvania still remained undefeated with five wins and winning the overall tournament against Oceana.
- Sylvania State Sevens Rugby Team - 1st Place
- Oceana State Sevens Rugby Team - 2nd Place
- Seven State Sevens Rugby Team - 3rd Place
- Clymene State Sevens Rugby Team - 4th Place
- Kings State Sevens Rugby Team - 5th Place
Van Franken Cup 2012[]
In the third edition, the state level based Lovian rugby cup played from August 17th - August 19th. This year the cup took place in the Luca and Villanova Stadium, Beaverwick instead in Newhaven, but still in Kings. The format stayed the same as the previous two years. For the first time a team, other than Sylvania won, Oceana, in a 28-19 win in the first place game. The games grossed the same ammount from the year prior.
- Oceana State Sevens Rugby Team - 1st Place
- Sylvania State Sevens Rugby Team - 2nd Place
- Kings State Sevens Rugby Team - 3rd Place
- Clymene State Sevens Rugby Team - 4th Place
- Seven State Sevens Rugby Team - 5th Place