The Rugby Americas North Women's Sevens, or RAN Women's Sevens, is the regional championship for women's international rugby sevens in North America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held over two days, typically on a weekend in November. It is sanctioned and sponsored by Rugby Americas North, which is the rugby union governing body for the region. Prior to 2016, it was referred to as the North America and Caribbean Women's Sevens.
Rugby sevens — also known as 7-a-side, or 7s — is a short form of the sport of rugby union that was first played in 1883. The first (men's) internationals took place in 1973. As women's rugby union developed in the 1960s and 1970s the format became very popular as it allowed games, and entire leagues, to be developed in countries even when player numbers were small, and it remains the main form the women's game is played in most parts of the world.
However, although the first women's international rugby union 15-a-side test match took place in 1982, it was not until 1997 before the first women's international 7s tournaments were played, when the 1997 Hong Kong Sevens included a women's tournament for the first time. Over the next decade the number of tournaments grew, with almost every region developing regular championship competitions. This reached its zenith with 2009's inaugural women's tournament for the Rugby World Cup Sevens, shortly followed by the announcement that women's rugby sevens will be included in the Olympics from 2016.
The first official regional 7s championship for international women's teams from North America and the Caribbean was held in Barbados in 2005. The tournament was run by the North America and West Indies Rugby Association (NAWIRA), which later became the North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) before adopting its current name of Rugby Americas North in 2016. The regional 7s championships have periodically served as pre-qualifying competitions for the Rugby 7s World Cup, or other sevens tournaments.
The following are details of all regional women's international championships played in North America and the Caribbean, listed chronologically with the earliest first, with all result details, where known (included are the NACRA Women's Sevens and other official regional championships, e.g. NAWIRA Women's Sevens tournaments).
Honours
Tournaments
NAWIRA Tournament 2005
Venue/Date: 19–20 November 2005, Barbados Summarised
POOL A
Guyana 12-10 St Vincent
St Lucia 15-5 Barbados
Jamaica 17-0 St Vincent
USA 36-0 Trinidad and Tobago
Guyana 29-0 Barbados
St Vincent 10-7 St Lucia
Jamaica 10-0 Guyana
Trinidad and Tobago 46-0 Barbados
USA 46-0 St Lucia
Trinidad and Tobago 19-10 Jamaica
USA 38-0 Guyana
Jamaica 29-0 St Lucia
St Vincent 37-5 Barbados
Trinidad and Tobago 12-5 Guyana
USA 38-0 St Vincent
Jamaica 48-0 Barbados
Trinidad and Tobago 24-0 St Lucia
USA 52-0 Barbados
Guyana 15-0 St Lucia
Trinidad and Tobago 26-5 St Vincent
USA 40-5 Jamaica
Special Exhibition Match
NAWIRA Tournament 2006
Date/Venue: 11–12 November 2006, Garrison Savannah, Barbados. (Source NAWIRA) Participants: Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, St. Lucia, St. Vincent
Day 1 Match Schedule
USA Development Eagles 22-0 Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago 14-5 Guyana
Barbados 0-41 USA Development Eagles
Barbados 0-34 Jamaica
USA Development 19-0 Guyana
Trinidad & Tobago 25-0 Saint Lucia
Barbados 0-34 Guyana
USA Development Eagles 41-0 Saint Lucia
Day 2 Match Schedule
Guyana 0-0 Jamaica
Barbados 0-42 Trinidad & Tobago
Jamaica 34-0 Saint Lucia
USA Development Eagles 24-0 Trinidad & Tobago
Barbados 5-25 Saint Lucia
Guyana 36-0 Saint Lucia
Jamaica 26-5 Trinidad & Tobago
There were no extra classification games
NAWIRA Tournament 2007
Date/Venue: 17–18 November 2007, at Winton Rugby Centre, Nassau, Bahamas.
Participants: USA Developing Eagles, Canada Development, Guyana, and Jamaica. Trinidad & Tobago were a late withdrawal. (Source NAWIRA) Summarised