Cape Town 7s Women Finish 8th; Men Finish 14th: MATCH VIDEOS
The Cape Town 7s wrapped up with NZ winning the women’s tournament and Samoa winning the men’s tournament. The top four teams in the women’s standings are Australia, NZ, USA and France, for the men it’s Samoa, South Africa, NZ and USA. That’s important as the top four teams in the standings at the end of the season qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. It doesn’t look like Canada will be in the running for one of those four spots but if USA qualify then Canada’s road in the regional tournament will be much easier.
For the men they will be in a battle to stay in the series for the 2023-24 season. As they sit now in 13th place they would be in a repechage tournament at the London tournament with Spain, Kenya and one other team to claim one spot. Japan would be relegated immediately. There are still 7 tournaments to play in order for Canada to avoid that scenario.
STANDINGS
Canada women are in 9th place with 10 points, there are two core teams below them Japan (5 points) and Brazil (5 points).
Canada men are in 13th place with 11 points, there are two core teams below them Kenya (9 points) and Japan (4 points).
MEN – finish 14th
Canada 10 – Kenya 21
Phil Berna
Jake Thiel
Anton Ngongo – 1T
Josiah Morra
Brock Webster – 1T
Thomas Isherwood
Lachlan Kratz
Canada 31 – Japan 14
Phil Berna
Jake Thiel
Alex Russell
Josiah Morra – 2T
Brock Webster – 1T
Thomas Isherwood
Lachlan Kratz – 1T
Matt Oworu – 1T
Canada 7 – Australia 33
Phil Berna
Jake Thiel
Alex Russell
Josiah Morra
Brock Webster – 1T
Thomas Isherwood
Lachlan Kratz
WOMEN – Finish 8th
Canada 12 – Fiji 26
Olivia De Couvreur
Krissy Scurfield
Charity Williams
Nakisa Levale
Fancy Bermudez Chavez
Olivia Apps – 1T
Shalaya Valenzuela – 1T
Canada 14 – France 19
Olivia De Couvreur
Krissy Scurfield
Charity Williams – 2T
Nakisa Levale
Fancy Bermudez Chavez
Olivia Apps
Shalaya Valenzuela
*Canada Women 1-1 on Day 2 and Face France in 5th Place Semi-Final; Men 0-2 and Face Australia in 9th Place Quarter-Final: MATCH VIDEOS*
It wasn’t a successful day for either Canadian team, the women defeated Japan by 9 points then lost to NZ by 45 in the Cup quarter-finals. The men lost to France and Fiji in pool play and finished 4th in their pool. The women enter the 5th place semi-final against France and the men go up against Australia in the 9th place quarter-final.
The women’s game against France is at 22:44 this evening, the men’s game is at 00:18 early Saturday morning.
The match videos, starting rosters and Canadian try scorers are listed below.
Cup Finals
Womens semi-final line-up: New Zealand v Ireland, USA v Australia
Mens semi-finals: New Zealand v USA, Samoa v South Africa
WOMEN
Canada 21 – Japan 12
Olivia De Couvreur
Krissy Scurfield – 1T
Charity Williams – 1T
Florence Symonds
Nakisa Levale
Fancy Bermudez Chavez
Keyara Wardley
Olivia Apps – 1T
Canada 5 – NZ 50
Olivia De Couvreur
Fancy Bermudez Chavez – 1T
Krissy Scurfield
Charity Williams
Nakisa Levale
Olivia Apps
Florence Symonds
MEN
Canada 12 – France 19
Phil Berna
Jake Thiel
Alex Russell
Josiah Morra
Brock Webster – 1T
Thomas Isherwood
Lachlan Kratz – 1T
Canada 17 – Fiji 33
Phil Berna – 1T
Jake Thiel
Alex Russell
Josiah Morra – 2T
Brock Webster
Thomas Isherwood
Lachlan Kratz
*Canada Winless on Day 1 at Cape Town: Women Face Japan and Men Face France on Day 2: Video Replays*
Canada started well in both men’s and women’s play but fell off in defensive play as the game wore on. The women went up 19-0 against France in their first match but watched as France equalized for a 19-19 result. They later fell 24-7 to USA, equalizing the score at 7-7 but watching USA score 3 unanswered tries. The men went ahead of South Africa 7-0 before South Africa replied with 3 tries.
The women face Japan at 1:57am PT on Saturday while the men meet France at 12:57am PT on Saturday.
Canada 19 – France 19
Fancy Bermudez Chavez
Florence Symonds
Krissy Scurfield – 1T
Bianca Farella – 1T
Nakisa Levale
Olivia Apps
Keyara Wardley – 1T
Canada 7 – USA 24
Fancy Bermudez Chavez
Florence Symonds
Krissy Scurfield
Bianca Farella – 1T
Nakisa Levale
Olivia Apps
Keyara Wardley
Canada 7 – South Africa 17
Phil Berna
Jake Thiel
Alex Russell – 1T
Josiah Morra
Brock Webster
Thomas Isherwood
Lachlan Kratz
*Cape Town 7s Kicks Off on Friday at 2:00am PT: Women vs France, Men vs South Africa*
The Canadian men will kick off against the home team, South Africa, at 10:03am PT on Friday. The Canadian women kick off at 2:00am PT on Friday against France. The women continue at 7:08am PT vs USA and will finish the pool round against Japan at 1:57am PT on Saturday morning. The men will have their second match at 00:57am Saturday morning against France and finish the pool round at 6:38am PT against Fiji.
One of the down sides to Dubai is they scheduled games on different fields at the same time so CBC Sports only streamed and archived a few of Canada’s matches. It looks like Cape Town have alternated the kick off times so hopefully CBC will archive all the Canada matches this tournament.
There’s just one change on the men’s side, Cooper Coats is injured and Elias Ergas comes into the roster.
from Rugby Canada
Canadas Womens Sevens Team and Mens Sevens Team rosters have been confirmed for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 stop in Cape Town, South Africa.
Played at the iconic DHL Stadium, the tournament will take place December 9-11, and is the second Sevens Series stop for the womens team and the third for the mens team. Canadas womens team will face the USA, France and Japan in Pool C, with the mens team playing South Africa, France and Fiji in Pool A.
Canadas Womens Sevens Team roster that finished ninth in Dubai with a win over Japan in the ninth place play-off will remain the same for Cape Town. Charity Williams, who made her return to international play in Dubai following a long leave due to injury, led Canada offensively in their first stop of the 2023 series along with Keyara Wardley, each contributing 22 points.
We bounced back well on Day 2 in Dubai, but it comes down to pool play, said Womens Sevens Team Head Coach Jack Hanratty. Our target is to be in the top half of the draw, and we didnt reach that target. The group has worked very hard over the preseason, and we look forward to Cape Town and getting another chance to compete.
Elias Ergas will join Canadas Mens Sevens Team in Cape Town following an injury to Cooper Coats. The team finished fourteenth in Dubai following tough losses to Kenya in the ninth place quarter final and to Spain in the thirteenth place play-off. After registering no points in Hong Kong, Josiah Morra led the team in Dubai with 25. Kal Sager scored his first ever international try in Canadas strong win over Uganda in the thirteenth place semi-final.
We certainly had our ups and downs in Dubai. This week our focus remains on consistency, said Mens Sevens Team Assistant Coach Sean White. This group has accepted every challenge head on over the past three weeks. They take the utmost pride in representing Canada and are pushing each other each day to be better than they were the day before. Theres a belief thats growing each time we come together.
Canadas Womens Sevens Team will open the tournament against France on Friday December 9 at 2:00 a.m. PT / 5:00 a.m. ET, with Canadas Mens Sevens Team opening versus South Africa at 10:03 a.m. PT / 1:03 p.m. ET.
SCHEDULE / COVERAGE
For the most up to date information on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and live coverage, visit the official website world.rugby/sevens-series. There you will find details regarding the event format, schedule, and the latest news.
WHERE TO WATCH
Broadcast coverage of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will be available in Canada via CBC. All events are available to live stream via cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app, and the free CBC Gem streaming service.
CANADAS WOMENS SEVENS ROSTER
1. Olivia De Couvreur (Ottawa, ON) Ottawa Irish
2. Krissy Scurfield (Canmore, AB) University of Victoria
3. Renee Gonzalez (Toronto, ON) University of Victoria
4. Breanne Nicholas (Blenheim, ON) Kent Havoc RFC
5. Julia Greenshields (Sarnia, ON) Sarnia Saints
6. Charity Williams (Toronto, ON) Markham Irish
7. Florence Symonds (Hong Kong) University of British Columbia
8. Bianca Farella (Montreal, QC) Town of Mont Royal RFC
10. Fancy Bermudez (Edmonton, AB) Norwester Athletic Association / Westshore RFC
12. Keyara Wardley (Vulcan, AB) Not Affiliated
19. Nakisa Levale (Abbotsford, BC) Abbotsford RFC
21. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) Lindsay RFC
23. Shalaya Valenzuela (Abbotsford, BC) Abbotsford RFC
CANADAS MENS SEVENS ROSTER
1. Anton Ngongo (Victoria, BC) Castaway Wanderers
2. Jake Thiel (Victoria, BC) James Bay AA
3. DShawn Bowen (Toronto, ON) Pacific Pride
4. Phil Berna (Vancouver, BC) Vancouver Rowing Club
5. Alex Russell (Chichester, ENG) McGill University
6. Josiah Morra (Toronto, ON) Castaway Wanderers / Toronto Saracens
7. Brock Webster (Uxbridge, ON) Oshawa Vikings RFC
11. Elias Ergas (Vancouver, BC) University of British Columbia
12. David Richard (Milton, ON) Mississauga Blues RFC
19. Matthew Oworu (Calgary, AB) Pacific Pride
23. Thomas Isherwood (Okotoks, AB) Foothills Lions RFC
33. Kal Sager (Peterborough, ON) Peterborough Pagans / Trent University
44. Lockie Kratz (Victoria, BC) Castaways Wanderers / NOLA Gold
from World Rugby
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series continues in Cape Town this weekend with a three-day event from 9-11 December as the race for Series glory and the all-important Olympic qualification spots hots up
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series continues in Cape Town this weekend with a three-day event from 9-11 December as the race for Series glory and the all-important Olympic qualification spots hots up.
The 16 mens and 12 womens team captains who will do battle for the highly coveted HSBC Cape Town Sevens crowns gathered in the sunshine at Maidens Cove in front of the spectacular backdrop of the Twelve Apostles Mountain Range on Wednesday as they fine tune their preparations ahead of kick off at Cape Town Stadium on Friday 9 December.
Hosts South Africa will enter the mens competition in confident mood following their outstanding comeback performance to claim the title in Dubai last weekend and are top of the Series standings after two of the eleven rounds. Backed by a famously noisy and supportive home crowd the Blitzboks will be sure to put on a show in Cape Town.
All conquering Australia continued their recent dominance of the womens Series with victory in the opening round in Dubai and will be the team to beat in Cape Town.
New Zealand are defending both the mens and womens HSBC Cape Town Sevens titles, having beaten South Africa and Australia respectively in the finals the last time the tournament was hosted in the Mother City in December 2019, prior to the onset of the global pandemic.
The womens Series reaches a major milestone with its 50th tournament in Cape Town and a handful of players who appeared at the inaugural event in Dubai a decade ago are still playing, including Sharni Williams (Australia), Luiza Campos (Brazil), Bianca Farella (Canada) and Tyla Nathan-Wong (New Zealand).
The mens pool draw for Cape Town sees South Africa in Pool A together with France, double Olympic champions Fiji and Canada. Pool B includes Ireland, who were beaten finallists in Dubai, alongside Samoa, Uruguay and Japan. New Zealand are in Pool C alongside Argentina, Kenya and Spain while the USA, reigning Series champions Australia, Great Britain and Uganda are in Pool D.
In the womens pools Series title holders Australia are drawn with Ireland, Spain and hosts South Africa in Pool A. Reigning Olympic champions New Zealand are in Pool B together with Fiji, Great Britain and Brazil. Pool C sees the USA, France, Canada and Japan in action.
VIEW WOMENS MATCH SCHEDULE >>
The action begins at 12:00 local time (GMT+2) on Friday. Saturday kicks off at 08:45 with the quarter-finals taking place from 17:44. Play starts on Sunday at 08:00 with the semi-finals from 11:24 and culminating in the womens and mens finals at 19:26 and 19:56 respectively.
The 2023 Series is shaping up to be the biggest, most competitive and compelling to date with more at stake than ever before as the top four ranked mens and womens teams will earn qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
At the other end of the table in the mens competition the number of teams for the 2024 Series will reduce from 16 to 12 to equal the number of womens teams and align with the Olympic competition structure, meaning fans can expect an intense battle to avoid relegation throughout the 2023 Series with every match and every point counting towards the final Series rankings.
South Africa mens captain Siviwe Soyizwapi said: It is wonderful to have the HSBC Cape Town Sevens back in town. We were very lucky to host the Rugby World Cup Sevens only a couple of months ago and were really grateful for that experience, but somehow this feels different. The vibe around the city is different and I think, having done well in Dubai last weekend, the mood in our team as well.
We did not do well at the World Cup Sevens, so have this opportunity to fix that so soon after. We owe our supporters a good showing and will have to be at our very best if we want to do that. The standard of the World Series is so high at the moment and every game against any team can go either way. I think it is great for the spectators and the thousands of people expected this weekend will have some very exciting matches to watch.
South Africa womens captain Nadine Roos said: We are so happy to be back, playing in front of our home supporters again. Women’s rugby has had a packed year and for us as Springbok Women’s Sevens players, it provided a wonderful opportunity to grow the game and expose our talents to more and more spectators.
We are hoping to do so again this weekend, despite being an invitational team playing against the core teams on the circuit. We want to be where they are now and to get there, these are the challenges we need to conquer. This weekend will give us a sober look at where we are in that regard, but knowing we will have the support of thousands in the stands, will no doubt be a huge boost to our effort.
Fans in Cape Town can look forward to an exciting weekend of entertainment both on the pitch and around the stadium and remaining tickets for this highly popular event are available from https://capetown7s.com/tickets/.
Rugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on World Rugby digital platforms including www.world.rugby, You Tube and Facebook in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.