Everything points towards rugby sevens taking the world by storm this August, when it makes its Olympic bow in Rio de Janeiro. And with billions of viewers tuning in to the action, potentially, then it will “explode”, so says Waisele Serevi, the so-called king of the sport. He is far from alone in voicing that prediction, as enthusiasm for sevens continues to crank up, and more people are turned on to its potential.

Ever since the International Olympic Committee agreed to include the discipline – which, importantly, will be the first team sport to finish in Brazil, ensuring a captive audience – in the Games back in 2009, it has been building, slowly and surely, to this point. The foundations are strong, but how tall in stature can sevens reach, post Rio?

Throughout the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2015-16 – which concluded in London on May 22 for the men, and the women’s season ended last weekend in Clermont – excitement levels have been rising, on and off the pitch. So has the quality of play, with the metallic carrot of an Olympic medal proving to be a powerful incentive.

The standard has never been so high and as a consequence the competition, for both sexes, is tougher, and tighter than ever – as displayed by Scotland’s last-gasp 27-26 victory over South Africa at Twickenham earlier this month to earn them a maiden Sevens Series crown, in their first final.