One notable spectator at the Gold Coast Sevens - Fever Pitch was former Wallaby captain George Gregan.
Gregan was among the spectators as an ambassador for Series sponsor HSBC and backed the move of the Australian round to more familiar rugby surroundings in Queensland.
"There's always a good festival atmosphere at Sevens events and taking it to Adelaide shows you a little bit about rugby and the spectacle of rugby, particularly Sevens, but you come to the Gold Coast and it's renowned as a place where there's surf and sun and where people like to enjoy themselves - it's a great fit for rugby and Sevens and a great way for the HSBC Sevens World Series to kick off," he said.
Gregan is most famous for captaining the Wallabies and winning a World Cup in 1999 but paid tribute to Sevens for kick-starting his early international rugby career. He played the shortened form of the game throughout 1993 when he was involved with the Australian Institute of Sport and from there he got his break.
"In 1994 I first got the chance to represent the Australian Sevens team in Hong Kong. That first year for me I played against Jonah Lomu and it's fair to say that everyone knew about Jonah after that tournament!
"I also played against the likes of Eric Rush, but with players like Tim Horan, Jason Little, David Wilson, David Campese. I was just pinching myself, it was a great experience but what I liked about it was that is was tough and mentally challenging playing Sevens, but also a lot of fun.
Gregan was also quick to pay tribute to the current crop of Sevens players who, almost two decades on, are playing a very different game.
"We used to train to have no contact but now it's so physical out there, there's counter-rucking, you need to be in good positions and the body shapes have changed. There have always been very good athletes playing Sevens but a lot of these guys now train for Sevens full time, which has an impact on the pace of the game and the skills."
Gregan: Japan will be fantastic
This year the HSBC Sevens World Series has expanded to nine rounds with the addition of Japan, a country and a culture that Gregan has experienced first hand during his time playing and coaching for the Suntory club.
"The Japanese round will be fantastic, a new experience for many people who won't have been to Japan and something culturally very different," he said.
"It will be extremely well organised and there will be great support. There is lots of support out there within their university rugby and also their top J-League, and for this international event I'm sure they'll be there in numbers."
Gregan will also be in Dubai for the second round of the World Series next week, where he will also be putting on grass roots coaching clinics with fellow World Cup-winner, Englishman Jason Robinson.
