There were a dozen national team captains gathered at Royal Roads University on Thursday, and just as many storylines and outlooks, ahead of the sa国际传媒 Sevens women鈥檚 rugby tournament running Saturday and Sunday at Westhills Stadium.
鈥渟a国际传媒 is like New Zealand, only a little busier,鈥� observed Black Ferns captain Sarah Goss, during the captain鈥檚 photo shoot, a tradition before every World Series sevens tournament.
Her nation needs no introduction when it comes to rugby.
鈥淓very time you put on the black jersey, you feel like you have super powers,鈥� said Goss.
鈥淵ou represent everyone who has worn it before you, and you want to leave it in a better place for those who will wear it after you.鈥�
The Kiwis defeated host Australia in the gold-medal final last month in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 just about beating the Aussies in their home Games, but about how we played well in doing it,鈥� said Goss.
It was a reversal of the gold-medal final from the 2016 Rio Olympics.
鈥淲e are arch rivals and it was a huge disappointment not to win gold at home in the Commonwealth Games, but New Zealand was the better side on the day,鈥� said Australian captain Shannon Parry.
Speaking of Games hosts, it will be Japan鈥檚 turn in two years at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, and already the pressure is building.
鈥淲e are preparing mentally and physically for 2020,鈥� said Japan captain Chiharu Nakamura.
Canadian captain Ghislaine Landry, meanwhile, is hoping to right a Canadian ship that seemed to have lost its way on the other side of the Pacific. sa国际传媒 finished fourth and out of the medals last month at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games before failing to make the medal round of a World Series tournament for the first time in program history the following week in the Japan Sevens.
鈥淚t was disappointing but that鈥檚 sports for you,鈥� said Landry, who missed the Japan Sevens due to injury, but returns for the sa国际传媒 Sevens.
The Canadians, the Rio Olympic bronze medallists, don鈥檛 want last month鈥檚 results to weigh them down this weekend at Westhills, despite slipping to No. 5 in the world after the recent bad patch.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not carrying any more weight this weekend than going into any other tournament,鈥� said Landry.
Quite the opposite: 鈥淲e love playing at home and cherish it.鈥�
sa国际传媒 has been drawn in the tough Pool C, opening Saturday at 11:36 a.m. against Australia, with its other Pool C games against Spain at 2:08 p.m. and Ireland at 5 p.m.
Australia is the current No. 1 with 56 World Series points on the season and New Zealand No. 2 with 50. Russia is third with 42, France fourth with 40 and sa国际传媒 and Spain tied for fifth with 32.
Russia and Spain can be counted as surprises in the top five. Yet, it was probably only a matter of time, after it became an Olympic sport in 2016, that non-traditional rugby nations would begin putting more resources into sevens.
鈥淭he Series is so much more competitive now,鈥� said Landry.
Aussie-captain Parry concurred: 鈥淭he gap between the top six and bottom six used to be bigger. Now it has closed considerably.鈥�
In other words, expect anything this weekend at Westhills.
Russia and the U.S. get things started Saturday at 10:30 a.m. through to the pool-play finale between New Zealand and Fiji at 6 p.m.
Action resumes at 9:20 a.m. Sunday through to the championship final at 4:20 p.m.
New Zealand defeated host sa国际传媒 in last year鈥檚 final at Westhills.
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