The pitch at Westhills Stadium in Langford will be the same for the 12 national teams in the HSBC World Series women鈥檚 rugby sa国际传媒 Sevens tournament today and Sunday, but their situations much different.
Ireland, Spain and Russia are preparing for June鈥檚 last-chance Olympic qualifier in Dublin, where the 12th and final berth into the 2016 Rio Summer Games will be decided.
The ambitions for New Zealand, a country synonymous with rugby, are much loftier.
鈥淚t鈥檚 rugby in New Zealand. You are just expected to win,鈥� said Kiwi captain Sarah Goss.
鈥淕old is what we want in Rio. We are not settling our sights on anything else. We are going to do everything we can to reach that goal. But we don鈥檛 put pressure on ourselves. We know we just have to do our best and keep it honest.鈥�
New Zealand is ranked No. 2 in the world behind arch-rival Australia. The host Canadians, also a podium threat for Rio, are ranked No. 3. England and France round out the top-five.
Nine of the 12 teams in the sa国际传媒 Sevens are going to the Rio Olympics, including sa国际传媒, based on qualifying criteria met over the past year.
鈥淣o doubt Rio is on everybody鈥檚 mind. But we have to play in the moment,鈥� said Canadian head coach John Tait.
Tactically, the sevens game is very simple and to the point.
鈥淧ossession in these international games is important,鈥� said Tait.
鈥淓very one of these teams is drilled to score, like we are. And you need the ball to do that.鈥�
sa国际传媒 has been drawn into an opening-day pool with Ireland, England and Japan. It鈥檚 that group which opens the tournament today at 11 a.m. at Westhills with Ireland meeting England followed at 11:22 a.m. by sa国际传媒 versus Japan.
Tait realizes being at home can be as much a diversion as a boon.
鈥淲e need to execute without distractions,鈥� he said.
The 14-minute games flow by like a raging river in the carnival-like atmosphere of rugby sevens. sa国际传媒鈥檚 other games are this afternoon against Ireland at 2:14 p.m. and versus England at 4:44 p.m. There are 18 games today, concluding with Fiji against Spain at 6:34 p.m.
The championship and consolation rounds begin Sunday at 10 a.m., culminating with the final at 6:05 p.m.
鈥淭he players told us after last year鈥檚 sa国际传媒 Sevens that this was the best tournament of the World Series,鈥� said Gareth Rees, head of national team programs for Rugby sa国际传媒.
鈥淲e get so much support from our fans and Island sponsors like Butchart Gardens, who do so much for the players.鈥�
Rees added that being able to watch Olympians-to-be, before they perform in Rio this summer, adds a compelling dimension to this weekend鈥檚 tournament at Westhills.
