With the Fab Five gone, the Langford-based Canadian men鈥檚 team embarks on its new era today and Sunday in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series tournament taking place at sa国际传媒 Place.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the circle of life in sports,鈥� said Connor Braid of Victoria.
The cornerstones of the team the past decade 鈥� Braid, UVic Vikes great Nathan 颅Hirayama, Harry Jones of North 颅Vancouver, Justin Douglas of Abbotsford and Conor Trainor 鈥� have retired following the 颅Olympics in Tokyo.
鈥淭he Olympics are the 颅pinnacle of sport, the pinnacle of a career, and we put everything into being there,鈥� said the 31-year-old Braid.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to play a little bit after that and then retire. And I didn鈥檛 want to be one of those athletes who is past it but still wants to do it. I am very content with the decision. I made it in Tokyo, and I think all the emotions came out at that time. This is definitely the time for the passing of the torch because we have a lot of talented young players coming up in Canadian rugby.鈥�
The youth brigade 鈥� including Island players Jack Carson, Ciaran Breen, Brennig Prevost, Anton Ngongo and Matt Percillier 鈥� are getting their chance this weekend on home turf.
Canadian Olympic team 颅players Mike Fuailefau of 颅Victoria, Pat Kay of Duncan, UVic Vikes alumnus Lucas Hammond, Matt Mullins and Theo Sauder have not retired but are sitting out the sa国际传媒 Place tournament because the Tokyo experience, an 颅Olympics amid a 颅pandemic, proved so draining.
鈥淚 just needed a break after the Olympics, more mental than physical,鈥� said Kay.
鈥淭his Canadian team [in Vancouver] will look unfamiliar but this new up-and-coming group will show what it鈥檚 got. I鈥檝e been definitely impressed with this young talent.鈥�
Only three of the 颅players from the Canadian 颅quarter-finalist team in the Tokyo Olympics 鈥� Andrew Coe, Phil Berna, Jake Thiel 鈥� will be in the lineup in Vancouver and next weekend for the World Series Edmonton Sevens at 颅Commonwealth Stadium.
It鈥檚 no different with the Canadian women鈥檚 team. Familiar names sitting out the Vancouver and Edmonton tournaments include two-time Olympians Ghislaine Landry, Charity 颅Williams and Bianca Farella. It鈥檚 been a turbulent period for the women鈥檚 team in Langford with a player revolt that led to head coach John Tait of Mill Bay stepping down before the Tokyo Olympics. The 2016 Rio Olympic bronze-medallist team then called a controversial non-rugby news conference in Tokyo to address social issues before crashing out of the Games in the group stage.
Reserve players such as Olivia Apps, Breanne Nicholas and Emma Chown, vying with the established names for playing time the past few years, will get their opportunity this weekend along with UVic Vikes players Renee Gonzalez and Ella O鈥橰egan.
There鈥檚 full-circle feel to this weekend since the 2020 sa国际传媒 Sevens in March of that year was the last live sporting event held in sa国际传媒 before things shut down through that spring and summer due to the pandemic.
Because sa国际传媒 Place is considered an indoor venue, despite its stadium size, attendance will be capped at half the lower bowl to a capacity of 13,500. That鈥檚 compared to the nearly 40,000 fans that attended the Saturday of the 2020 sa国际传媒 Sevens.
Both men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 tournaments are truncated this weekend with several of the powerhouse countries missing due to COVID travel 颅restrictions. sa国际传媒 will meet, in order, the U.S., Great Britain and Mexico, today in the four-team women鈥檚 event. The men鈥檚 tournament features 12 teams with sa国际传媒 opening in Pool C today against Germany, Chile and the U.S. The medal rounds and 颅consolations are Sunday.
