SVNS 2 – Nairobi

Canada in Last Place After Nairobi with 0-5 Record

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.

The World Rugby media release states that Germany have 20 points so they must be awarding tournament points as per SVNS series so Germany 20, USA 18, Kenya 16, Uruguay 14, Belgium 12, Canada 10.

from World Rugby

Argentina and Germany take the lead in HSBC SVNS 2 race with Nairobi wins

Promoted HSBC SVNS 3 women’s champions Argentina and Germany claim HSBC SVNS 2 gold in Kenya and lead the way in the race to the HSBC SVNS World Championship Series.

On a day of surprises in Nairobi, Argentina and Germany bagged HSBC SVNS 2 gold at the Nyayo National Stadium to take an early lead in the three-tournament race to the HSBC SVNS World Championship series.

The two sides head to next month’s back-to-back tournaments in Montevideo and Sao Paulo with 20 league points under their belts courtesy of their victories.

The leading four men’s and women’s sides after the three HSBC SVNS 2 competitions will head into the elite tri-tournament World Championship series in May and June.

Behind Argentina, South Africa, Spain and China make up the top four in the women’s competition after the opening round; while USA, Kenya and Uruguay are chasing Germany hard in the race for the top four in the men’s rankings.

Women’s Tournament

In the women’s competition, promoted HSBC SVNS 3 champions Argentina claimed the inaugural HSBC SVNS 2 tournament title, despite losing their final match in Nairobi to South Africa in dramatic fashion.

Finishing top of the table in Nairobi means Las Yaguaretés — led by player of the tournament Sofia Gonzalez — will take 20 league points into back-to-back second and third legs of the HSBC SVNS 2 tri-tournament series in Montevideo and Sao Paulo in March.

Women’s player of the tournament Sofia Gonzalez said the title was the result of years of work on the Argentina women’s programme: “We’ve had a really long time to get ready for this [tournament].

“We’ve been training for three years with our new staff, and everyone has put in a lot of work, physically and mentally.

We’ve been doing a lot of hard work, so we’re really happy with the outcome. [This is] not a coincidence — it’s because of everything that we’ve been doing.

“So now, we’ll go back home and take some time off to recover, because it’s been a really hard weekend — even though we’ve had a lot of fun and it’s been great rugby, it’s also been really hard on our bodies.

“So taking the time to recover well and then, in terms of Montevideo, we will obviously look back on our games. Even if we placed first, we still have a lot to work on and try to cut out our mistakes. We’ll focus on that and hopefully we will have the same outcome in Montevideo. We will for sure be going for that first place again.”

South Africa, who finished second after winning promotion from the HSBC SVNS 3 tournament in Dubai, and were the only side to get the better of Argentina all weekend at Nyayo National Stadium, head to South America just two points behind the leaders.

Spain claimed third to take 16 league points, followed by China, with Kenya and Brazil close behind.

Las Yaguaretés, got off to a perfect start in the opening match on day two, as Marianela Escalante darted over for an early score against home side Kenya.

It was the only touchdown of the game, which became messy and error-strewn — and all the more enthralling – as both sides scrambled to cancel each other out. It ended 5-0, Kenya picking up another losing bonus.

But they came unstuck in a thrilling match against South Africa that went all the way to golden point, after. South Africa’s Nadine Roos missed a difficult conversion attempt from out wide after Patience Mokone’s try more than a minute after regulation time to claim a win.

More than five minutes later, Roos stripped the ball, and released Maria Tshiremba to race in from halfway to claim the match 17-12. But Argentina’s losing bonus was enough for them to take the inaugural HSBC SVNS 2 tournament.

South Africa had kicked off their day two push to hold on to one of the top two slots in the women’s table with a statement 33-5 win over China. Ayanda Malinga’s 90m solo run was a highlight, while debutant Shannon-Lee Windvogel impressed with a double.

Day one in Nairobi had not gone to plan for Thalia Costa’s pacy and talented Brazil — and Spain made sure day two started just as badly, winning 29-21. Carmen Miranda Miralles scored two of their five tries.

Brazil’s poor form in Kenya continued into a fifth defeat in a row against a new-look China, who leapfrogged them in the tournament table with a 24-5 win. Qian Xin scored a double for China, before Gabriela Lima salvaged a consolation with the final play of the game.

Abril Camacho Ruiz and Denisse Gortazar were the stars for Spain, as they beat host nation Kenya 14-5 in the final match of the women’s tournament to claim a last-gasp third in Nairobi. The home side dropped to fifth, above Brazil.

Men’s Tournament

Surprise Nairobi champions Germany took an early lead in the HSBC SVNS 2 league, claiming the title in Nairobi with a perfect day two run, while day one leaders Kenya and USA both slipped up at Nyayo National Stadium.

Germany kicked off their day with a shock win over USA and doubled down with a hard-fought victory over Belgium, to take the dressing room lead with just Kenya capable of overtaking them in the final match of the day.

But the host nation found themselves up against a tactically perfect USA, who froze them out for most of the two sides’ meeting, which had been eagerly awaited after the two sides had gone unbeaten on day one.

Germany had roared out of the blocks in their opening match on day two to shock USA, who had gone unbeaten on day one, scoring four unanswered tries — two of them for Felix Hufnagel — to claim an astounding 28-7 win.

More impressive than the tries, however, was their defensive determination, as they kept USA in their own half for almost the entire game before Jack Wendling got a consolation score with the clock in the red.

Tim Lichtenburg’s try-saving tackle then saved Germany at the end of an epic match against Belgium shortly after Jakob Dipper had scored to send them into a 12-7 lead, to take them into a surprise lead. Later results meant that it was one they would not lose..

Kenya had made the most of USA’s shock defeat against Germany to remain the only unbeaten side in the men’s competition with one match to go, beating Uruguay 17-5, courtesy of tries from Chrisant Ojwang, George Ooro Angeyo, and Samuel Mosiori Asati.

But after their surprise defeat to Germany, USA spoiled Kenya’s party with a tactical masterclass in the final match of the day. Lucas Lacamp, the leading points scorer in Nairobi got the scoreboard moving for the Eagles Sevens, with Aaron Cummings and Adam Channel following up before Ooro Angeyo — the men’s player of the tournament — got the crowd on their feet with an 85m consolation.

Uruguay finished their Nairobi weekend on a high, with a comprehensive 41-12 win over promoted HSBC 3 winners Canada to wrap up fourth place and take a big confidence boost to their home tournament in Montevideo next month.

Nico Bulte scored in the last minute as Belgium won a tight and hard-fought battle of Saturday’s winless sides, avenging their defeat in the HSBC SVNS 3 final with a 10-7 victory over Canada.

from Rugby Canada

CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM FINISH SIXTH AT HSBC SVNS 2 NAIROBI

February 15, 2026 (Nairobi, Kenya) – Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team finished sixth at the 2026 HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi, losing to Belgium and Uruguay on Sunday.

Canada will be back in action on home soil at HSBC Vancouver SVNS (Teck Tri-Nations Challenge) on March 7-8 at BC Place where Canadian rugby fans will be able to catch both of Canada’s Women’s and Men’s Sevens Teams in action. Buy tickets now at vansevens.com.

Canada 7 Belgium 10

Elias Hancock delivered a strong two-way performance, sparking early momentum for Canada. After a prolonged defensive stand from the Canadians, Martin Marenne powered through a tackle to open the scoring for Belgium.

A Belgian yellow card for an intentional knock-on shifted momentum, and with the man advantage, Canada capitalized. Crisp offloads from Hancock and Franklin created space out wide for Adam Doane to finish, with captain Lockie Kratz adding the conversion to give Canada a 7–5 halftime lead.

The tide turned early in the second half when Hancock was shown a yellow card off the kickoff, forcing Canada to defend a player down. The match remained tightly contested, with both sides battling for territory, but in the final 30 seconds Belgium found space and broke clear. Nico Bulte raced the length of the field to seal the victory. Canada earned a losing bonus point in a fiercely competitive contest.

Scoring Summary: Adam Doane (1T), Lockie Kratz (1C)

Canada 12 Uruguay 43

Uruguay opened with intent, as Ignacio Rodriguez and Dante Soto sliced through Canada’s defence to take early control. Captain Lockie Kratz responded with a strong carry off the restart to spark momentum, and Canada eventually broke through when Demetri Patterson finished on the edge off an Adam Doane offload, with Kratz converting.

Uruguay answered quickly, highlighted by a 75-metre score from Tafernaberry and another finish from Rodriguez to take a 24–7 lead into halftime.

Canada struck first in the second half, with Reece Thompson’s break setting up Doane to race down the touchline for his try. However, a late yellow card to Thompson left Canada short-handed, and Uruguay capitalized on the overlap through Vidal, Mali and Cat to seal the result, as Canada were unable to generate another attacking response.

Scoring Summary: Demetri Patterson (1T), Adam Doane (1T), Lockie Kratz (1C)

ON DEBUT

Playing in their first tournament, Reece Thompson and Demetri Patterson made their international debuts for Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team.

HSBC SVNS Series

HSBC SVNS 2 is played in a five-game round robin format; total points will be tallied at the end of the three-stop series taking place in Nairobi (Feb. 14-15), Montevideo (Mar. 21-22), and São Paulo (Mar. 28-29) with the top 4 teams advancing to the HSBC SVNS World Championship, as part of the newly formatted HSBC SVNS Series announced in 2025.

For the most up to date information on the HSBC SVNS Series, visit the official website: https://www.svns.com/en.

NEXT UP FOR CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM

The 2026 HSBC SVNS Series returns to BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on March 7–8. Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team will compete in the Teck Tri-Nations Challenge against Japan and Chile, presented by Teck Resources Limited (Teck). Tickets are available now at vansevens.com

CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM NAIROBI SQUAD

3. Ethan Turner (Maple Ridge, BC) – Burnaby Lake Rugby Club
7. Johnny Franklin (Bowen Island, BC) – Capilano RFC
9. Harry Corkum (Halifax, NS) – Halifax Tars
10. Adam Doane (Sutton, ON) – Aurora Barbarians
11. Demetri Patterson (West Vancouver, BC) – University of British Columbia
14. D’Shawn Bowen (Toronto, ON) – James Bay AA / Agronomia Rugby
18. Morgan Di Nardo (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Scottish / University of Victoria
33. Kal Sager (Peterborough, ON) – Peterborough Pagans
44. Lockie Kratz (Victoria, BC) – Castaway Wanderers / UBCOB Ravens
55. Jack Shaw (Oakville, ON) – Castaway Wanderers / Oakville Crusaders
64. Elias Hancock (Ottawa, ON) – University of Ottawa / Bytown Blues
97. Reece Thompson (Minesing, ON) – University of Victoria / Barrie Rugby Club

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Canada 0-3 on Day 1 in Nairobi: Face Belgium and Uruguay on Day 2

It didn’t go well for Canada as they lost all 3 matches on Day 1. In the Germany match Canada had a 17-5 lead at the half and shut down in the second half as Germany ran in 21 consecutive points. They certainly miss Isherwood as there’s no one stepping up to provide the spark when the team get into a rut. The USA and Kenya are top of the table at 3-0, Germany are 2-1, Uruguay 1-2, Canada and Belgium 0-3.

from Rugby Canada

February 14, 2026 (Nairobi, Kenya) – Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team conclude day one of competition at HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi with losses to Kenya, Germany and the USA. Thompson and Patterson make international sevens debuts.

Up next Canada will face Belgium at 1:06am PT / 4:06am ET and Uruguay at 5:40am PT / 8:40am ET on Sunday, February 15.

HSBC SVNS 2 is played in a five-game round robin format; total points will be tallied at the end of the three-stop series taking place in Nairobi (Feb. 14-15), Montevideo (Mar. 21-22), and São Paulo (Mar. 28-29) with the top 4 teams advancing to the HSBC SVNS World Championship. The Championship journey will kick off in Hong Kong (Apr. 17-19), before heading to Valladolid (May 29-31) and Bordeaux (Jun. 5-7). Finally, a Men’s and Women’s World Champion will be crowned to mark the dramatic finale of the newly formatted HSBC SVNS Series announced in 2025.

Canada 12 Kenya 29

Kenya struck first and continued to capitalize off Canadian errors, with Patrick Odongo Okong’o scoring twice and Chrisant Ojwang adding another to build a commanding lead. Canada answered before halftime through Morgan Di Nardo, converted by Kratz, and closed the gap in the second half when Kal Sager powered over to bring them within a score at 17-12.

Despite late pressure and a push for momentum, Canada couldn’t complete the comeback as Kenya held firm with the roar of their hometown crowd behind them. The Canadians were sharp and dynamic in attack and resolute in defence, but costly turnovers at key moments ultimately proved decisive. The match however, marked a significant milestone for Canada, with Reece Thompson earning his international debut.

Scoring Summary: Morgan Di Nardo (1T), Kal Sager (1T), Lockie Kratz (1C)

Canada 17 Germany 26

Captain Lockie Kratz led from the front, crashing through defenders before producing a crucial intercept that eventually saw him diving over the whitewash to open the scoring, adding the conversion to give Canada the early advantage.

Canada’s defensive pressure continued to pay dividends, forcing a turnover that allowed Kal Sager to sprint 78 metres down the touchline for a second try. Germany responded with a long-range break of their own—Di Nardo tracked back to make an initial stop, but the supporting runner Niklas Koch was on hand to finish and get Germany on the board.

Just before halftime, Jack Shaw sparked another attacking opportunity, with Kratz releasing Ethan Turner to cross the line. Kratz slotted a difficult conversion from wide, sending Canada into the break with a 17–5 lead.

Germany opened the second half with intent, as Koch sliced through a gap in Canada’s defensive line to close the deficit. Momentum continued to shift, and after sustained pressure, Germany’s Tim Lichtenberg crossed in the far corner to level the score before Hufnagel added the conversion to edge ahead by two.

Canada pressed late, holding possession in the dying moments in search of a decisive score. However, a knock-on halted the attack, and Germany capitalized immediately through Jakob Dipper, breaking away to score on the edge and seal the result—denying Canada a losing bonus point.

Scoring Summary: Lockie Kratz (1T, 1C), Kal Sager (1T), Ethan Turner (1T)

Canada 7 USA 41

The USA opened the scoring through Lucas Lacamp early in the first half. Canada looked to respond but struggled for continuity, with breakdown turnovers stalling their momentum despite strong carries from Kal Sager to generate go-forward.

The Americans struck again as David Still found space out wide, and continued pressure saw Lacamp add another in the corner after further Canadian errors.

Canada found a spark before halftime through debutant Demetri Patterson, who raced down the touchline to score and cut the deficit to 17–7 at the break.

Lacamp struck early once more in the second half, and with several experienced veterans back in their lineup, the USA’s composure and clinical finishing proved decisive. The Americans continued to build their lead while Canada was held scoreless after the interval.

Scoring Summary: Demetri Patterson (1T), Lockie Kratz (1C)

NEXT UP FOR CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM

Sunday, February 15

Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Belgium
1:06am PT / 4:06am ET

Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Uruguay
5:40am PT / 8:40am ET

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Canada Name Men’s Team for SVNS 2 Tournament in Nairobi This Weekend – D’Shawn  Bowen Returns

The Canada men’s 7s team starts its journey to get back to the top tier of 7s this weekend in Nairobi. There are 3 tournaments featuring 6 teams, the top 4 in the standings at the end of 3 tournaments go on to the championship series of tournaments. Canada will play Kenya, Germany, USA, Belgium, Uruguay in that order over 2 days. There is no playoff round, points are accumulated for wins and draws over the 3 tournaments.

The big news is that Canada are missing Thomas Isherwood, reportedly to injury, although there are no more details at the present time. Isherwood has been one of the top players for Canada in the SVNS 3 tournaments. Canada have brought back D’Shawn Bowen who has been playing XVs in Portugal. They have also brought in 2 university players Demetri Patterson from UBC and Reece Thompson from UVic.

Kickoff is on Friday evening on the west coast, the first match against Kenya at 11:50pm PT. Rugby Canada states it’s available on TSN+ for paid subscribers. Rugbypass.tv will stream it for free in other countries. The World Rugby website with tournament results is here.

CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM NAIROBI SQUAD

3. Ethan Turner (Maple Ridge, BC) – Burnaby Lake Rugby Club
7. Johnny Franklin (Bowen Island, BC) – Capilano RFC
9. Harry Corkum (Halifax, NS) – Halifax Tars
10. Adam Doane (Sutton, ON) – Aurora Barbarians
11. Demetri Patterson (West Vancouver, BC) – University of British Columbia
14. D’Shawn Bowen (Toronto, ON) – James Bay AA / Agronomia Rugby
18. Morgan Di Nardo (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Scottish / University of Victoria
33. Kal Sager (Peterborough, ON) – Peterborough Pagans
44. Lockie Kratz (Victoria, BC) – Castaway Wanderers / UBCOB Ravens
55. Jack Shaw (Oakville, ON) – Castaway Wanderers / Oakville Crusaders
64. Elias Hancock (Ottawa, ON) – University of Ottawa / Bytown Blues
97. Reece Thompson (Minesing, ON) – University of Victoria / Barrie Rugby Club

from Rugby Canada

Head Coach of Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team, Christiaan Esterhuizen has selected Canada’s 12-player squad for the first stop of HSBC SVNS Division 2 in Nairobi, Kenya beginning February 14.

Canada will open the tournament on Saturday, February 14 at 11:50pm PT (Feb.13) / 2:50am ET when they face Kenya at Nyayo National Stadium.

Nairobi is the final stop before the 2026 HSBC SVNS Series returns to BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on March 7–8. Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team will compete in the Teck Tri-Nations Challenge against Japan and Chile, presented by Teck Resources Limited (Teck).

Canadian rugby fans will have the opportunity to watch both Canada’s Men’s and Women’s Sevens Teams compete on home soil. Tickets are available now at vansevens.com.

THE ROAD TO THE HSBC SVNS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

In November, Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team won gold at the Rugby Americas North Sevens Tournament. With the win, Canada qualified for the HSBC SVNS Division 3 challenger.

In January, Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team won gold at the HSBC SVNS 3 challenger – qualifying then for HSBC SVNS Division 2. HSBC SVNS 2 is a three-stop series featuring Canada, Kenya, USA, Germany, Uruguay, and Belgium. Following the Nairobi leg, teams will compete in Montevideo (Mar. 21-22), and São Paulo (Mar. 28-29).

The top 4 teams at the end of the HSBC SVNS 2 series will join the 8 core teams on the HSBC SVNS Series for the three-destination SVNS World Championship. The Championship journey will kick off in Hong Kong (Apr. 17-19), before heading to Valladolid (May 29-31) and Bordeaux (Jun. 5-7). Finally, a Men’s and Women’s World Champion will be crowned to mark the dramatic finale of the newly formatted HSBC SVNS Series announced in 2025.

Rugby Canada confirms that Christiaan Esterhuizen will continue in his role as Head Coach of Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.

FROM THE COACH

“I was really happy with our consistency throughout the [HSBC SVNS 3] tournament [in Dubai], and particularly the character the group showed in key moments. Said Head Coach Christiaan Esterhuizen, the defensive stand against Hong Kong China in the semifinal was special and a real reflection of the belief and work ethic within the squad. At the same time, we know there are some technical work-ons — adding a few more dimensions to our attack and improving our accuracy in defence will be important as we move forward.

Heading into Nairobi, we have some new faces coming in. Reece Thompson and Demetri Patterson are in line to make their debuts, and Harry Corkum joins the squad after missing Dubai. We’re also excited to have D’Shawn Bowen back in the mix. On the downside, it’s a big loss for us with Dubai tournament MVP Thomas Isherwood sidelined through injury.

The recent camp has been good. The squad feels more settled, and there’s greater clarity among the players around roles and expectations, which always helps lift standards. Nairobi will be very competitive — Kenya are probably the top side on current form, and teams like Uruguay, USA, and Germany are all looking strong, so we know we’ll need to be at our best.

Looking ahead to Vancouver, the players are always incredibly excited to play in front of a home crowd. It’s a world-class event, and there’s no doubt the excitement is already building within the group.”

NEW & RETURNING FACES

Two players are in line to make their International sevens debuts, Reece Thompson and Demetri Patterson. Thompson represented Canada’s U20 Men’s Rugby Team last June at the Oceania Rugby U20s Challenge. Patterson recently won bronze with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at the 2025 Canadian University Rugby Championships in November.

Harry Corkum who made his international sevens debut in November at the Rugby Americas North Sevens has returned to the 12-man squad for Nairobi. The McGill University Rugby athlete earned CUMRC First Team All-Canadian honours last season and was named Trademark Player of the year.

D’Shawn Bowen returns to Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team, he last appeared for Canada at the 2024 Rugby Americas North Sevens before signing with Portuguese club Agronomia Rugby who compete in the Campeonato Nacional de Honra / Super Bock premier division.

NAIROBI MATCH SCHEDULE

Saturday, February 14

Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Kenya
11:50pm PT (Feb.13) / 2:50am ET

Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Germany
2:30am PT / 5:30am ET

Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs USA
5:10am PT / 8:10am ET

Sunday, February 15

Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Belgium
1:06am PT / 4:06am ET

Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Uruguay
5:40am PT / 8:40am ET

Follow the up-to-date match schedule here.

WHERE TO WATCH

All of Canada’s HSBC SVNS 2 matches in Nairobi will be available live on TSN+.