Jason Robinson expects more league stars to switch code to union sevens post Olympics

Jason Robinson expects more number of switch codes from rugby league to rugby union sevens following the Rio Olympics.

Robinson, who himself is a dual-code international player believes the players might be tempted by the increase in popularity of the sevens tournament played around the world.

The 2015/16 season saw as many as 10 tournaments across the Sevens World Series and this will also be the first time a sevens tournament will be a part of the Rio Olympics and is likely to be in contention for the 2020 Olympics as well.

With stars like Jarryd Hayne retiring from NFL to join the Fiji Sevens team in an attempt to be part of the Olympics, Robinson believes there are lots of similarities between the rugby league and sevens tournaments which prompts the players to make the switch.

Robinson himself was a part of the rugby league and made a switch to the union where he had a similar success while the likes of Sam Burgess has struggled to cope up and eventually returned to the league.

"I really see, going forward, those crossovers going straight to sevens, as opposed to 15s, because actually, rugby league and sevens are so similar, and less technical," said the retired Robinson, 41, who was speaking at the launch of HSBC's Future of Rugby report.

"One of the things some of the rugby league players don't like, is the scrums, is the lineouts, is the stop-start.

"They want it fast, they've got the skills, so I honestly believe, that with all the investment coming into sevens - sponsorship's going to grow, coverage is going to grow - there'll be more and more players thinking 'Hang on a minute'. This is another route they didn't even think about before."

The sponsorship for Sevens World Series was recently extended for another four years by the HSBC. Recently elected chairman of World Rugby Bill Beaumont revealed that the board is currently looking at the option of shifting the Six Nations tournament in order to create a global calendar to integrate the Northern and Southern hemisphere.

HSBC head of sponsorship Giles Morgan urged World Rugby to consider and give importance to the sevens tournament as well while keeping in mind the global calendar.

"What I am urging World Rugby to think about in the context of the global calendar which is being discussed around Six Nations rugby championships, Lions tours, all the rest of it, is we want the sevens game to be given that same consideration," said Morgan.

"I would urge them, as an investor in the game, to get that calendar right.

"As a sponsor with an investment, it's in everybody's interests for us to push that onto the agenda, and I think those conversations will happen."