Regulation 9 is the rule within World Rugby that forces clubs to release players for international action during specific times of the year, and for specific special events.

Normally, the Regulation 9 windows are March (Six Nations), June (pretty much everybody), and November (everybody). In addition, 15s and 7s world cups, and world cup qualifiers fall under the regulation, too.

And so does Olympic qualification. This is important because the entire 2014-2015 IRB Sevens World Series is an Olympic qualification tool. The top four from the series standings go straight into the Olympics.

So, according to reports, Regulation 9 is going to be in effect for the entire 2014-2015 World Series season. For the USA, this could mean that players such as Chris Wyles, Brett Thompson, Blaine Scully, Todd Clever, and, if he is interested, Taku Ngwenya, could play.

These players have not specifically expressed an interest in this 7s season (Thompson has), but almost all have stated that playing in the Olympics is something they'd love to do. It is therefore distinctly possible that the USA men's program might try to get some of these players released through the season.