Oliver Phelps has become a part-owner of a rugby sevens franchise, and his team already has silverware. Atlantic Novas’ women’s side won the title at the Ultimate Sevens Championship’s Cardiff round on 12 September, beating Sol Feroz 19-7 in the final at Cardiff Arms Park.
Phelps, 40, played George Weasley across all eight Harry Potter films. He is now one of the backers of one of six clubs in the sevens league that opened its inaugural season this month, and told The Rugby Paper his motivation was straightforward.
“I’m a big rugby fan so I couldn’t wait to get involved in Ultimate Sevens. The game is fast-paced, and I love the innovations that Ultimate Sevens have brought to the sport,” he said.
Six franchises and 10-minute matches
The Ultimate Sevens Championship is built around four one-day events in September 2026, starting in Madrid on 5 September and moving through Cardiff, Biarritz and the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford. Six franchises compete: Albion Athletic, Atlantic Novas, Clan Taran, Foudre Bleue, Pacific Current and Sol Feroz.
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Each club fields a men’s and a women’s team under the same identity. Matches run for 10 minutes without a half-time break, tries scored in a designated area of the pitch are worth 7 points instead of the standard 5, and coaches can call one 90-second timeout per match. Substitutions are unlimited.
In Cardiff, tries from Ellie Boatman, Nia Toliver and Faith Nathan sealed the women’s title for Atlantic Novas, with Sol Feroz’s Megan Burns crossing for the runners-up’s only score.
A daughter at grassroots
For Phelps, the pitch was as much personal as commercial. He told The Rugby Paper he sees “huge potential for growth globally, especially in the run-up to the LA Olympics”, and pointed to the league’s equal treatment of men’s and women’s teams as a decisive factor.
“My daughter has started playing and I’m coaching her at grassroots level,” he said.
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Round three is at Biarritz’s Parc des Sports Aguilera on 18 September, with the Grand Final in Brentford on 24 September.
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