Canada’s men’s 7s team have ended their season with a 5th place finish in São Paulo. They finished 6th overall in the six team SVNS 2 series, the top four teams advance to the SVNS Championship series. The teams advancing are USA, Germany, Kenya, Uruguay. Canada only won two matches over 15 games in the three tournament series.
Canada finished 5th in Montevideo, defeating Belgium, their first win in the SVNS 2 series in ten attempts. That places them in a 5th/6th place tie with Belgium in the SVNS 2 series with one tournament left next weekend. That result effectively eliminates them from contention of promotion to the SVNS Championship series beginning in April in Hong Kong. Canada have 22 series points, tied with Belgium, Uruguay in 4th place have 28 points, that means Canada would have to win the São Paulo tournament and hope Uruguay finishes no higher than 4th. In that scenario Canada and Uruguay would be tied at 42 points and go to tie breaking formulas. USA and Germany are tied at 38 points, Kenya in 3rd have 34 points, all three teams look certain to advance.
After winning both matches on Day 1 against Chile and Japan, Canada went 1-1 on Day 2, losing to Chile and defeating Japan. That gives them an overall 3-1 record and the Challenge tournament title. It’s scant consolation if they can’t convert that momentum to a better performance in the two remaining SVNS 2 tournaments in Montevideo (March 21-22) and Sao Paulo (March 28-29) to claim a top 4 position. It will be interesting to see who head coach Christiaan Esterhuizen chooses for the tour. Lockie Kratz, the team leader, looks a lock and Morgan di Nardo is starting to reclaim his form. Jack Shaw showed well in the last match, Ian Jones showed some pace and tracked back well on defence. Young players like Adam Doane and Andrew Cooper would be an asset. Veterans Elias Hancock and Johnny Franklin might be on the list. Will Thomas Isherwood and Josiah Morra be healthy for the trip? That announcement might show up next week from Rugby Canada.
Germany claimed the first tournament title with an upset win over the previously undefeated USA on Day 2. Based on the scoring system from the SVNS 1 tournaments, there’s 3 points for win and a bonus point for a loss by 7 or less. Germany, Kenya and USA all had 4-1 records, Germany picked up a bonus point in their loss to Kenya (-5). The standings in the first tournament would be Germany 13, USA and Kenya 12, Uruguay 8, Belgium 4, Canada 1. With two tournaments left, it’s not looking good for Canada, they’ll have to finish top four in the remaining tournaments and hope a couple of other teams falter. The next tournament is in Uruguay.
As the announcer mentioned Canada came a shoe lace away from not making the final two but a heroic game saving tackle by Thomas Isherwood was the difference between going home disappointed and going home as champions. It was the final play of the semi-final, Hong Kong looked as if they had crossed the line to win the match but the replay showed Isherwood’s tackle had forced the Hong Kong player’s foot into touch a fraction of a second before he touched the ball down. It was a game of milliseconds that made the difference. Isherwood then went on to score the winning try in extra time. The final against Belgium was anti-climatic but a win to claim the title was icing on the cake. Canada now enter the SVNS 2 series with tournaments in Nairobi (Feb 14-15), Montevideo (March 21-22), Sao Paulo (March 28-29). Canada and Belgium will be in the SVNS 2 along with Kenya, USA, Germany, Uruguay. The top four advance to the SVNS World Championship tournaments.
The USA men are preparing for the upcoming 7s season which for them means starting in the SVNS 2 Series in February and hoping they make the top 4 in that series to make it to the SVNS World Championship series of tournaments starting in April. They have a centralized residency program operating out of the High Performance Center based in Chula Vista, California. The Canadian men are starting at the SVNS 3 level and hoping to finish top two in the one off tournament in Dubai in January. A top two finish will mean they’ll be joining USA in the SVNS 2 series and competing for the four open spots in the SVNS World Championship.
World Rugby has released the tournament schedules for the Div 2 and Div 3 tournaments which is of interest to the Canada men’s 7s who are entered in the Div 3, SVNS 3, tournament after winning the RAN 7s tournament last weekend. They now know they will play in the 17–18 January 2026 tournament being held in Dubai. They know they have to finish top 2 against these other teams: Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong China, Italy, Madagascar, Samoa, Tonga. It’s an achievable goal. If they can finish top 2 in that tournament then they move on to the Div 2 tournaments being held in Nairobi, Montevideo and Sao Paulo in Feb/March.
Canada won the Rugby Americas North 7s tournament scoring 225 points in total and conceding 14. They finished Day 3 with a semi-final win over T&T 40-0 and a final over Barbados 31-0. They’ll now await details on the next tournament which will see regional tournament winners vie for two spots to go to the next level. The SVNS 3 tournament is supposed to be in January and includes 8 teams, the top 2 will advance to SVNS 2 tournaments in February and March.
There’s a good mix of talent in the training squads announced for both the men and women. The camp started November 6th and the men’s squad will be preparing for the RAN 7s tournament in Trinidad starting November 21st, the women’s squad will be preparing for the SVNS series in Dubai starting November 29th.
The Rugby Americas North (RAN) 7s tournament returns to Trinidad for 2025. The tournament is part of the pathway the Canadian men must follow to get back on the World Rugby 7s Series. The tournament takes place November 21-23 in Arima, Trinidad. Canada is one of 8 countries vying to progress from the tournament to the next stage, Division 3. The winner of RAN 7s will progress to the 8 team Division 3 competition, and two teams from that tournament will progress to Division 2. The details of the Division 3 tournament haven’t been released yet.