Canadian men take opening victory over Germany at HSBC World Rugby. Brennig Prevost scored a try and set up another with a beautiful pass to Phil Berna as Canada defeated Germany 24-5 on Saturday in Vancouver to kick off the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
The Canadian women’s sevens team was defeated by the United States 22-12.
Victoria’s Prevost helped on Berna’s first try of the game in his World Rugby Sevens debut. Prevost kicked the ball into the end zone, where the Canadian captain was able to grab it.
“It was part set, half impromptu,” Vancouver’s Berna explained. “Brenning practically shouted at me. I said I’d be there and arrived precisely in time.”
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“In the first half, we didn’t touch the ball once, and you can’t play without the ball,” McGrath bemoaned. “Canada forced us to chase and sucked the life from us.”
Women’s fast four race
Canada led 12-5 in the first match of the women’s Fast Four tournament before handing up 17 points in the second half to the United States.
“It comes down to fitness and that extra couple of meters,” said Victoria, Canada, captain Oliva Apps.
“The United States screwed us over. They exploited our defensive line flaws and capitalized on them to maintain possession and score.”
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Tournament attendance and structure
The tournament is the first in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series since the COVID-19 outbreak shut down the circuit in March 2020.
The Canadian men finished third in the most recent event held in Vancouver.
Because to COVID, attendance at BC Place Stadium was limited to 13,500 in the lower bowl, but that didn’t stop people from dressing up for the event.
There were wizards in tall hats, a lot of yellow bananas, various hairy creatures, numerous pirates, a group dressed as canned clams, what appeared to be a bottle of ketchup, some Mounties, a blue shark, and several people in loud Hawaiian shirts among the throng.
Instead of the usual 16, the competition involves only a dozen men’s teams. Powerhouse nations like New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, and Samoa opted out of Vancouver.
The Canadian men are competing in a pool with the United States, Chile, and Germany.
In the weeks following Tokyo, several Canadian veterans, including Nate Hirayama, Connor Braid, Justin Douglas, and Conor Trainor, retired.
The women’s “Fast Four” in Vancouver are Canada, the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. They compete against each other, with the top two vying for the championship and the other two vying for third place.
According to World Rugby, there will be no relegation from the 2021 Series, and the results will not be used to seed future events.
