Sporting Digest: Rugby Union

The Scottish Rugby Union last night rejected a proposal for a 12-team Scottish League format from next season at a special general meeting in Edinburgh. George Clarke, the Boroughmuir secretary, had pleaded for an increased league size, saying: "Scottish club rugby cannot survive on a diet of only nine home games." But the move was thrown out by 88 votes to 57.

The new World Sevens series, featuring 10 tournaments in as many countries, will kick off in Dubai on 2 December, the International Rugby Board announced yesterday. "This is a very exciting venture," said Bernard Lapasset, chairman of the IRB's international committee. "The series mix is a perfect one." Lapasset sees the Sevens game as an ideal vehicle to promote and develop the game worldwide.