The action will be fast and beginner-friendly at the Raleigh Rugby Complex on Saturday as the Raleigh Rugby Football Club hosts its annual Charity Sevens tournament.
"Sevens" competition is a smaller, quicker version of the sport, club spokesman Brent Vaughn said. Instead of the usual 15 players per side, each team sends seven to the field, or pitch, and instead of the usual 40-minute halves, teams play seven-minute halves. The result is a family-friendly format that is ideal for introducing spectators to the game.
"Spectators can expect a very fast-paced, full-contact sport that they will be able to enjoy with people around the facility who are familiar with the sport and will be happy to explain," Vaughn said. 

The Raleigh Venom women's rugby team on Saturday advanced to today's
Women's Division II National Championship semifinals in Houston. (Details are below.)

The fourth overall seed after losing the pool championship 17-15 to the
Pittsburgh Angels, the Venom was scheduled to play Providence in the
semifinals this morning.

A victory would put the Venom in this afternoon's championship match.

The Raleigh Venom women’s rugby team defeated Brandywine (Md.) 22-12
on Saturday and the Maryland Stingers 18-0 on Sunday in Baltimore to
win the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union playoff championship.

Raleigh earned a place in the Nov. 7-8 Division II national tournament in Houston.

On
Saturday, you can see the Venom in action when the team hosts N.C.
State at noon at the Raleigh Rugby Football Club, 7417 Poole Road,
about four miles east of the Beltline. The Raleigh Vipers men’s team
will host the Washington Furies at 2 p.m., and a B-side men’s game will
follow at 3:30.

List five popular sports in the Triangle, and rugby probably won't be
on your list. But don't think the sport isn't played here - and played
very well.

The Raleigh Rugby Football Club
is a long-established organization that has collected several men's and
women's national championships in recent years, and the club's
two-pitch complex on 15 1/2 acres off Poole Road is top-notch, hosting
national and international competitions.

Rugby fans and curious spectators can see the Vipers men and Venom
women in action and perhaps meet current and former players on
Saturday, Oct. 3, when the club conducts a homecoming event and three
of its teams play regular-season matches. Admission for the matches is
free.