TSN to Cover Premier Rugby Sevens on October 9th in Memphis
You may not be able to watch the Canadian national team’s World Cup qualifying match this weekend against Chile on TSN, but you can watch a new rugby 7s league launch in Memphis on October 9th. Such is the convoluted nature of sports broadcasting in Canada. A shout out to CBC Sports for covering the Vancouver and Edmonton 7s the last two weekends.
This new league has some Canadian content but like most high profile rugby ventures in North America, it’s USA based and focused. There are 7 men’s teams in the inaugural tournament, each one captained by a USA Eagle. There are 5 women’s team also captained by a USA Eagle.
Teams
Experts – men’s captain Perry Baker, women’s captain Kristi Kirshe
Notes: UVic’s Noah Bain is on the squad
Headliners – men’s captain Folau Niua, women’s captain Naya Tapper
Notes: BC Premier player from Seattle, Tim Stanfill, is player/coach
Loggerheads- men’s captain Kevon Williams, women’s captain Abby Gustaitis
Locals – men’s captain Carlin Isles
Loonies – men’s captain Stephen Tomasin, women’s captain Alev Kelter
Notes: Jared Douglas on men’s team, Sean White is men’s coach. Julia Folk and Delaney Aikens are on women’s team, Robin MacDowell is assistant women’s coach.
The Team – men’s captain Danny Barrett
Notes: Thomas Isherwood on men’s team
from prsevens.com
TSN PARTNERS WITH PREMIER RUGBY SEVENS TO DELIVER INAUGURAL GAMES FOR CANADIAN VIEWERS, OCTOBER 9
New league to launch in Memphis with nine Canadian players and two Canadian coaches
(TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2021) Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s), the all-new professional rugby league making its debut with top North American mens and womens players on Saturday, Oct. 9, announced today that TSN is the leagues official Canadian television broadcast partner. The leagues launch event, dubbed The PR7s Inaugural Championship, includes nine Canadian players and two Canadian coaches. The inaugural mens and womens tournaments are available to TSN and TSN Direct subscribers in Canada on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on TSN.ca and the TSN app, and from 4 6 p.m. ET on TSN4.
Bringing our inaugural championship to a Canadian audience through TSN is huge for our league and rugby fans throughout Canada, said Owen Scannell, CEO of Premier Rugby Sevens. As a North American-based league, our intent is to bring PR7s events to Canada and attract more high-level Canadian athletes to our league as pandemic-related restrictions are lifted and we grow PR7s into the future.
Five of the Canadian players in PR7s are men, including former HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series player Jared Douglas. Canadian women to sign with PR7s include Delaney Aikens of the Canadian womens sevens senior national team, University of Victoria Standout Emerald Maze, and Canadian International Womens Players Julia Folk and Emily Samek. Additional men slated to suit up are Team Canada USport players Noah Bain and Jonas Robinson and rising Canadian 7s star Lucas Scheck. Robin MacDowell and Sean White are two PR7s coaches that have represented Rugby Canada internationally. A total of 120 North American players will be part of the inaugural event.
The PR7s Inaugural Championship will take place in Memphis, Tenn., at AutoZone Park on Saturday, Oct. 9. It will be available in the United States via FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT and live on FS2 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT.
The leagues first player signings featured several stars from both the Mens and Womens U.S. Olympic Rugby Sevens Teams, including Perry Baker, Danny Barrett, Abby Gustaitis, Carlin Isles, Alev Kelter, Kristi Kirshe, Folau Niua, Naya Tapper, Stephen Tomasin, and Kevon Williams.
PR7s promises to provide equal pay under one league umbrella and will adopt a touring format in cities across the U.S. and Canada. The league will feature six mens teams and four womens teams that will play multiple games in one location on a single day. Team brands include the Loonies, who will hail from the North, including Canada. The Team will represent Texas and the plains. The Loggerheads will associate with Cascadia. The Locals will ride with the New Yorkers. The Experts will emerge from the Mountain West. And the Headliners will identify with the Midsouth.
About Premier Rugby Sevens
Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s) is a groundbreaking professional sports league in North America. Scheduled to debut in the Fall of 2021, PR7s is the first league of its kind with both womens teams and mens teams under one umbrella with equal pay. With a focus on accessibility and entertaining content for fans, the league will showcase the electrifying sport of rugby sevens through a single-day touring format in cities across the United States and Canada. The PR7s Inaugural Championship will take place in Memphis on Oct. 9 and will be available via FOX Sports. To learn more about Premier Rugby Sevens, go to PRSevens.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.