For Canadian rugby players, especially those from sa国际传媒, it doesn鈥檛 get any better than this.
Island players Connor Braid Mike Fuailefau and Luke McCloskey, all of Victoria, Pat Kay of Duncan and Isaac Kaay of the University of Victoria Vikes will be running out onto the sa国际传媒 Place pitch today and Sunday as part of the host team before an expected 80,000-plus fans over two days for the sa国际传媒 Sevens. How do you not get goosebumps from experiencing something like that?
鈥淵ou get chills,鈥� said Kay, a graduate of Cowichan High School.
鈥淓specially with family and friends over from the Island to watch. Other than the [North American and Caribbean] Olympic qualifier this summer for Tokyo 2020, this is the biggest tournament of the year for us.鈥�
Langford-based sa国际传媒 has been drawn into a pool with Samoa, Kenya and 2016 Rio Olympics gold-medallist Fiji this weekend.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a difficult pool. They are all difficult, but this one is especially tough, and we are not looking past any game,鈥� said Canadian captain and former UVic Vikes great Nathan Hirayama, who is fourth in World Series scoring this season and also fourth all-time in career World Series points.
鈥淓ach game is going to take our best efforts to get a good result,鈥� added Hirayama, during the captain鈥檚 summit, which precedes every World Series event.
鈥淲e are really looking forward to this weekend and playing in front of a home crowd. We are all really excited to get out there. This is always a really, really special one for us and we can鈥檛 wait for the weekend.鈥�
The top four teams in the 10-event 2018-19 World Series will advance directly to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The top four heading into sa国际传媒 Place are the U.S., New Zealand, Fiji and England. The Canadians are currently 11th in the season standings and will likely bank their hopes on Tokyo 2020 qualification through the North American and Caribbean Olympic qualifier in July 鈥� a path that will get easier if the U.S. nabs one of the four automatic Olympic qualifying berths out of the World Series this year. There is also the last-chance, all-world repechage next year.
The Canadian side lost crucial training camp time this season in Langford due to a two-month, pre-season labour dispute last fall, which has been followed by the late-winter snow in Greater Victoria that has hampered recent training.
鈥淵ou can blame that, but it鈥檚 still a long year, and we are looking to peak this summer,鈥� said Kay.
鈥淲e got off to a slow start but are getting better and better and the results will come.鈥�
Individually, Oak Bay High grad Braid has been having an outstanding season and is second in the World Series DHL impact player of the year season standings behind Langi Joseph Molia of New Zealand.
Meanwhile, World Rugby has extended the sa国际传媒 Sevens for another four years at sa国际传媒 Place through 2023. It is one of 10 tournaments that comprises the men鈥檚 World Series season. A major success, the tournament has attracted 70,000-plus spectators in each of its previous three editions for nearly 220,000 in total. This weekend鈥檚 action is expected to draw about 40,000 fans on each of today and Sunday, forcing the opening of a portion of the top bowl of sa国际传媒 Place.
The top four women鈥檚 teams in their 2019 World Series season will also advance directly to Tokyo 2020. The 2016 Rio Olympics bronze-medallist Canadians are third in the standings after the first three of six World Series events. The fifth women鈥檚 World Series tournament will be the sa国际传媒 Sevens from May 11-12 at a revamped 6,000-seat Westhills Stadium in Langford.
SCRUM NOTES: The U.S. (3-2) defeated sa国际传媒 (1-4) by a 30-25 count in men鈥檚 XVs on Friday night in Seattle to conclude play in the Americas Rugby Championship.
