Canada Finish 4th in Krakow, 3rd in Challenger Series, Advance to LA
Canada finished 4th in Krakow with Day 2 losses to Samoa and Germany. That result gives them a 3rd place finish in the Challenger Series and qualification for the promotion tournament in LA in May. Canada earned a 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finish over the series, Portugal won two tournaments and Chile, which didn’t advance, won one tournament. The four teams advancing are Portugal, Germany, Canada, Samoa.
Germany 21 – Canada 19
Scorers: Jamie Armstrong (1T), Kainoa Lloyd (1T), Morgan Di Nardo (1T), Thomas Isherwood (2C)
Samoa 28 – Canada 5
Scorers: Jamie Armstrong (1T)
The four teams that are dropping down from the main SVNS Series to compete in the 8 team promotion tournament are Kenya, Uruguay, Ireland, USA. The top four teams in that tournament are promised promotion to the main SVNS Series.
Canada 3-0 on Day 1: Confirm Top Four Series Finish and Trip to LA for Promotion Tournament
Canada went 3-0 on Day 1 of the Krakow tournament which guarantees them a top four finish at the tournament and in the Challenger Series. They’ll join Germany and Portugal in advancing to the LA tournament, Chile and Samoa are battling for the one spot remaining.
Canada 17 – Portugal 10
Scorers: Elias Hancock (1T), Jamie Armstrong (1T), Kyle Tremblay (1T), Brenden Black (1C)
Canada 40 – Japan 10
Scorers: Jamie Armstrong (1T), Morgan Di Nardo (1T), Rhys James (2T), Alex Russell (1T), Kainoa Lloyd (1T), Brenden Black (1C), Thomas Isherwood (3C), Ethan Turner (1C)
Canada 29 – Madagascar 24
Scorers: Thomas Isherwood (2T, 1C), Morgan Di Nardo (1T), Elias Hancock (2T), Ethan Turner (1C)
from World Rugby
The opening day of the concluding round of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 got underway in Krakow with the first six teams securing their place in the HSBC SVNS Play-Off which is set to take place in Los Angeles on 3-4 May.
- Canada lead the men’s competition after winning all three of their games with Germany’s bonus point and two victories seeing them in close second.
- South Africa sit top of the women’s competition following three impressive wins with Argentina and Kenya tied in second place with a pair of victories each on day one.
- Argentina, Kenya and South Africa Women and Canada, Germany and Portugal men are the first teams to qualify for the SVNS Play-Off competition in Los Angeles.
- The knockout rounds begin from 11:00 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday 12 April with the men’s and women’s finals at 17:47 and 18:15 respectively.
Following the opening pool games of the tournament, Argentina, Kenya and South Africa Women and Canada, Germany and Portugal men’s teams progressed to the Play-Off after finishing with the most cumulative points from across the three rounds of the Challenger, ensuring they could not be caught.
In the women’s Pools, Kenya got off to a flying start in their opening game securing a win against Belgium and their ticket to Los Angeles. It took until the second round for Argentina and South Africa to claim their place.
A passionate display from hosts Poland saw them close to denying The Las Yaguaretes qualification with two tries straight out of the gate but Argentina were able to shift the momentum with four tries in quick concession, sealing the win and seeing them through to the Play-Offs.
They will be joined by Springbok Women who ended the second round in style with seven tries against Czechia.
Argentina’s Grace Okulu commented after securing qualification: “It has been really amazing. The girls have worked really hard. We fell short last year and it was very painful but now that we have secured our way to LA, it really means a lot to us.”
Three play-off places were also secured in the men’s Pools for Canada, Germany and Portugal. Canada were able to take the edge in a closely contested match against Madagascar in their opener and continued their winning streak with two comfortable wins against Japan and Portugal.
Although Portugal were pipped by Canada in their final showdown of the day, they had already sealed their fate for the Play-Offs with two encouraging wins against Japan and Madagascar in the opening two rounds.
Portugal’s Captain Fabio Conceicao reflected following the win against Madagascar saying: “The feeling is amazing. We won this game and we are going to LA and fighting for the series next season. The next goal is to finish in the top four and go on to win the tournament here in Krakow.”
Germany’s final game of the day saw them scoop their place with a valiant win over Chile. The two final spots will be up for grabs in the final day of the tournament in Krakow which takes place on Saturday 12 April.
VIEW POOLS, SCORES AND FIXTURES >>
Heading into day two, Germany sit top of men’s Pool A after securing an all-important bonus point taking them to seven points with Canada leading Pool B with nine points after winning all three of their games.
Three electrifying wins for South Africa see them lead the pack in Pool B with nine points with Thailand’s heroic efforts against Colombia and Belgium rewarding them with a total of seven points ensuring they sit top of Pool A.
The action continues at Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium with knockout rounds from 11:00 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday 12 April with the men’s and women’s finals at 17:47 and 18:15 respectively.
The Challenger was introduced in February 2020 to boost the development of rugby sevens across the globe. The short format of the game has experienced huge growth over the past two decades since the introduction of the global sevens series and becoming an Olympic sport at the Rio 2016 Games.
The 2025 edition of the Challenger competition kicked off with combined events over two weekends in Cape Town on 1-2 and 7-8 March, followed by Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow on 11-12 April before the HSBC SVNS Play-off in Los Angeles on 3-4 May.
Canada Men’s 7s Team Travels to Krakow, Poland for Final Tournament of Challenger Series: Three New Players Added
Canada have named 12 players to travel to Krakow, Poland for the final tournament of the Challenger Series, the top 4 teams advance to the promotion tournament in LA in May. Canada are currently tied at the top of the standings with Germany at 34 points. Behind the top 2 are Portugal at 32 points and Chile at 28 points.
Canada haven’t won a tournament yet but came 2nd and 3rd accumulating a consistent result. Portugal won the last tournament and Chile won the first tournament in South Africa. Chasing the top 4 are Samoa at 26 points and Japan at 20 points. Canada are in a pool with Japan, Portugal and Madagascar.
Canada have shaken things up a bit bringing in three new players, all who play in the BC Premier, Kainoa Lloyd from James Bay and James Thiel and Rhys James from the Pacific Pride. Missing from the South Africa tournaments are Noah Bain, Johnny Franklin, Kal Sager and Michael Laplaine-Pereira.
CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM
1. Rhys James (Kelowna, BC) – UBC Okanagan / Pacific Pride
2. James Thiel (Abbotsford, BC) – Abbotsford RFC / Pacific Pride
3. Ethan Turner (Maple Ridge, BC) – Burnaby Lake Rugby Club
5. Alex Russell (Bracebridge, ON) – McGill University
13. Brenden Black (Oakville, ON) – Oakville Crusaders / Guelph University
15. Ethan Hager (Brantford, ON) – Brantford Harlequins / Castaway Wanderers
18. Morgan Di Nardo (Toronto, ON) – Toronto City Rugby / University of Victoria
20. Jamie Armstrong (Ottawa, ON) – Ottawa Irish / University of Ottawa
22. Kyle Tremblay (White Rock, BC) – Pacific Pride / Bayside RFC
23. Thomas Isherwood (Okotoks, AB) – Foothills Lions RFC / Westshore RFC
30. Kainoa Lloyd (Mississauga, ON) – Mississauga Blues / James Bay AA
64. Elias Hancock (Ottawa, ON) – Bytown Blues / University of Ottawa
from Rugby Canada
The 12 players that will represent Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team in the final round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger have been announced by Head Coach Sean White.
Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow, Poland, will host the third and final stop of the Sevens Challenger over April 11 to 12. Following this tournament, the four teams with the most cumulative points gained across the three rounds will qualify for the HSBC SVNS Play Off in Los Angeles over May 3 to 4. Canada is at the top of the men’s standings going into Krakow with 34 points.
This tournament will see Alex Russell captain the team, with the roster including nine players who competed in the first two rounds in Cape Town, where Canada finished second and third. This includes the team’s leading try scorers, Kyle Tremblay (5 tries), Jamie Armstrong (4 tries), and Morgan Di Nardo (4 tries).
Three players are set to make their international sevens debut. The Pacific Pride’s Rhys James and James Thiel competed in the men’s invitational tournament held alongside HSBC SVNS Vancouver in February, while Kainoa Lloyd brings his experience from 24 caps with Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team.
“We certainly are not resting on where we stand in the table and came away from Cape Town with some key areas where we wanted to make significant improvements,” said Sean White. “All that being said, our results over the previous tournaments have put us in a great position where we control our destiny for LA. Debuting three new players shows the level of competition within our wider training group. Players all over the country, from club to university, have been working hard to make the most of their opportunities at camp. In our decentralized One Squad training model, we rely on relationships with coaches, schools and professors. It has been massive for us to have the support of players’ educational institutions, and we thank each of them for their support of our national team members.”
More information on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger, including full schedules and updated scores, can be found here.
SCHEDULE
Friday April 11
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Madagascar
1:06am PT / 4:06am ET
Watch live on TSN+
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Japan
4:36am PT / 7:36am ET
Watch live on TSN+
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Portugal
7:44am PT / 10:44am ET
Watch live on TSN+
Saturday April 12
Semi-finals and finals
Times and opponents TBD
Watch live on TSN+