Editorial: Sevens a big winner

5000 people attended the Bayley's National Sevens Rugby Tournament held in Rotorua.

I was among the 5000 people who went along to the Bayley's National Sevens Rugby tournament hosted in Rotorua for the first time at the weekend.

If you weren't there (and there were plenty of you who weren't), you missed a great couple of days.

The weather and atmosphere were fabulous and the sevens action was thrilling.

But there have been some critics (mainly South Island journalists on social media) saying it was a wrong move to take the event out of Queenstown and bring it to Rotorua because the crowd numbers were better down south.

Let's not be too harsh. This was Rotorua's first time hosting it and I'm sure the first Queenstown event didn't attract the thousands it did towards the end either.

All those who went at the weekend can vouch for the great time that was had. Those people will no doubt tell more locals and out-of-towners that it's the place to be next year.

Rotorua has won the right to host the event for the next three years mainly because of its central location, ability to accommodate large groups and the stadium's facilities, which allow for two playing fields (as opposed to Queenstown's one field). The stadium also probably felt empty for some because the crowd was split between two fields.

Personally I found the cheap ticket price, children's play area for my daughter and ability to bring your own food and refreshments into the grounds major bonuses for offering a family-friendly environment.

As a first-time sevens watcher, I was quickly addicted to the fast-paced and skilful action.

I'll definitely be back.