How long is a rugby sevens match?
I · Intermediate · The sevens game · 1 of 5Fourteen minutes: two halves of seven minutes, plus time lost, with a break of at most two minutes. A competition final may be played over two halves of ten minutes. If a match that needs a winner is drawn, extra time is played in periods of up to five minutes, and the first team to score any points wins at once.
How it works
- The match: "A match lasts 14 minutes (split into two halves, each of not more than seven minutes) plus time lost."
- Half-time: "an interval not exceeding two minutes".
- A final: "may last no longer than 20 minutes (split into two halves, each of not more than 10 minutes)".
- Extra time: when a drawn match requires it, "play restarts after a one-minute break with periods of no more than five minutes".
- No interval: after each period of extra time the teams change ends at once.
- First score wins: "the team that scores points first is immediately declared the winner, without any further play".
- A new toss: the referee organises a coin toss before extra time, as before the match.
- Time limits inside the match: 30 seconds for a conversion, a penalty kick at goal and the restart kick. 15 seconds to form a scrum or a lineout.
- Time lost: the referee adds time for stoppages, as in the fifteen-a-side game.
- The end of a half: "A half ends when the ball becomes dead after time has expired", with listed exceptions.
The glossary has the playing time, the half, the extra time entry, sevens, the kick-off and the referee.
Tricky cases
The score is level at full time in a pool match. Is there extra time?
Only when the match requires a winner. The law provides extra time "when a drawn match requires" it, which is for the competition to say.
A team kicks a penalty goal in extra time. Is that enough to win?
Yes. Any points end the match: a try, a penalty goal or a dropped goal.
Is every final 20 minutes long?
No. The law says a competition final "may" last up to 20 minutes. The competition decides.
Time runs out while a team is attacking. Does play stop on the hooter?
No. A half ends when the ball becomes dead after time has expired, with a few listed exceptions such as a penalty still to be taken.
Why the rule exists
Sevens is played in tournaments where a team may have three matches in a day, and seven-minute halves at full pace are about what players can sustain. Sudden death in extra time keeps the schedule moving and suits a game in which one break can score from anywhere.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sevens | Two halves of seven minutes, two-minute break | WR Sevens Law 5.1; 5.2 |
| Sevens final | Up to two halves of ten minutes | WR Sevens Law 5.1 |
| Fifteens | Two halves of 40 minutes, break of up to 15 | WR Law 5.1; 5.2 |
| Sevens extra time | First to score wins | WR Sevens Law 8.30 |
From the rule book
World Rugby, Laws of the Game: Rugby Union 2026, Law variations: Sevens, Laws 5, 6 and 8. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Laws of the Game, Rugby Union 2026 (PDF).