In its mission to grow the rugby union code in the city, the NCDRU Community continues to push the boundaries in policy and governance, to make the game more accessible for all the city’s constituents. The NCDRU in a statement said that keeping rugby in the exclusive box has been the status quo for decades now and is unsustainable. As such, NCDRU has been at the forefront of advocating mass participation through its programs. The City 7s (the NCDRU's official sevens season) is one such strategy designed to promote inclusion. NCDRU had initially launched the first City 7s in 2017 which enabled many new clubs, teams and people enter the code through the tournament. This year the NCDRU is trialing new initiatives via the City 7s, which will enable the tournament to grow roots and make deep impact. The City 7s tournament is being trialed as a series comprising of 3 separate tournaments. Caretaker President of NCDRU, Cybele Wari Druma stated that the tournament series is importantly to take the game to the fringes of the city for the first time, to expose new audiences to the game while exposing people to new playing environments. “At present, the game of rugby is only played in two venues in the CBD. NCD has close to half a million people and only a tiny percentage of this are rugby patrons. This is an injustice to the constituents in the capital,” said Druma. She added that rugby administrators and communities have become so complacent in their little bubble of familiarity and comfort, gatekeeping the game and that has caused a huge population of potential talent to be completely overlooked for many years. “It is from this massive pool of untapped talent, that we will find the athletes who will qualify the PNG Pukpuks, Palais and Cassowaries to World Cups and the Olympics.” “As long as they are not playing rugby, the national aspiration to qualify to these pinnacle events - not just once but consistently - will never be realized.” Meanwhile, the City 7s aims to engrain a new mindset and culture in rugby and will cast its nets far and wide over the course of its existence, to ensure that the youths are given every opportunity to access the game, showcase their talents and thrive.