Canada’s men and women’s rugby sevens teams are set to take the stage together on May 3-4 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, the same venue that will host rugby sevens during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. However, both teams face distinct challenges in the competition.
The Canadian women’s team is focused on ending their season on a high note at the HSBC SVNS World Championship, a winner-takes-all event featuring the top eight men’s and women’s teams from the elite rugby sevens circuit. After securing back-to-back third-place finishes in Hong Kong and Singapore, Canada finished fourth in the standings, and now they aim to solidify their place among the best in Los Angeles.
“We’ve solidified our foundations and are very proud of our performances in Hong Kong and Singapore,” said Canada women’s sevens coach Jocelyn Barrieau. “We have identified areas we want to improve on and the gaps we want to close going into Los Angeles. We have a talented, passionate, resilient group of players, and we are all excited to get back on the pitch together in L.A.”
The squad for the event includes eight players from the Hong Kong and Singapore tournaments. Charity Williams, Asia Hogan-Rochester, and Alysha Corrigan return to the squad after their last appearance in Vancouver in February. Savannah Bauder also returns from injury, while Larah Wright, who debuted in Perth, gets another call-up.
After the California event, several players from the women’s team, including Corrigan, Hogan-Rochester, Florence Symonds, Mahalia Robinson, and Olivia Apps, will join the 15s side for upcoming matches in the Pacific Four Series in New Zealand and Australia.
On the men’s side, the Canadian team is fighting to win back their place in the top tier of rugby sevens after being relegated last June. They earned their spot in a promotion/relegation playoff by finishing third in the second-tier Challenger Series, and now they will face off against the bottom four teams from the HSBC SVNS for a chance to secure one of four spots in the top tier next season.
Canada’s men are coming off a third-place finish in the final Challenger Series event in Krakow, Poland. “We’ve had this tournament circled on our calendar all season,” said Canada coach Sean White. “We’ve identified key areas of improvement coming out of Krakow and have made that our focus over the last couple of weeks of camp in Langford (B.C.).”
White continued, “I believe our continuity in selection from Krakow to L.A. will be a benefit to our on-field performance and cohesion. Our aim is to finish the season as one of the top 12 teams, and we look forward to earning the opportunity to do so.”
The Canadian men’s team is joined by Kal Sager, who returns from injury, alongside the 12 players who represented Canada in Krakow.
The Canadian women’s team will compete in a pool with Japan, Britain, and New Zealand, while the men’s team is drawn in a pool with Uruguay, Ireland, and Germany.
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