Even as he waited for his luggage at Victoria International Airport on Monday night, Nathan Hirayama was only just grasping the enormity of the turnabout.
鈥淲e faced a lot of adversity and we鈥檝e come back a long way in 12 months,鈥� said the former University of Victoria Vikes rugby star.
One year ago, the Langford-based Canadian men鈥檚 sevens team was lamenting a lost opportunity when it failed to be among the 12 national teams to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Canadian squad finished the ensuing 2016-17 HSBC World Series eighth overall, capping it off Sunday with a bronze-medal performance on the hallowed grounds of Twickenham in the London Sevens. It was the sixth time sa国际传媒 reached at least the championship quarter-finals in the 10-event 2016-17 World Series.
鈥淚f you had asked me last year if I would take this [world top-10], I would have said yes,鈥� said Hirayama.
鈥淚t shows the hard work we have put in at Langford. There is a positive atmosphere right now. It鈥檚 been a comeback year for us.鈥�
It was orchestrated by new head coach Damian McGrath, who took over the Canadian side after the Rio qualifying debacle.
鈥淗e believes in his players,鈥� said the 29-year-old veteran Hirayama.
Hirayama and Mike Fuailefau of Victoria were key Sunday in London as sa国际传媒 defeated the U.S. 22-19 in the all-North American bronze-medal game after beating Argentina 28-7 in the quarter-finals and losing 24-5 to host England in the semifinals.
Scotland stunned England 12-5 in the all-British final.
St. Michaels University School Blue Jags graduate Fuailefau opened the scoring and Hirayama scored two tries for sa国际传媒 against Argentina in the quarter-finals. Adam Zaruba of Vancouver scored sa国际传媒鈥檚 lone try in the semifinal loss to England after Fuailefau recorded one of the outstanding assists of the tournament by breaking several tackles before passing to Zaruba.
The six-foot-one, 222-pound Fuailefau again showed power and pace in scoring the first try in the bronze-medal game against the Americans, and also assisting on a try by Matt Mullins, while Hirayama blocked a U.S. kick and then chased and recovered the ball for the winning try.
The 25-year-old Victoria-native Fuailefau, who is of Samoan ancestry on his father鈥檚 side, was named to the London Sevens all-star team.
鈥淸Fuailefau] is getting the recognition he deserves. He was a stud for us over the weekend and has been all season,鈥� said Hirayama.
鈥淚 am looking forward to watching all these young Canadian players in the years ahead.鈥�
The quick-strike Rio Olympic bronze-medallist South Africans, appropriately nicknamed the Blitzboks, topped the tables to win the overall World Series season championship.
sa国际传媒鈥檚 roster in London consisted of SMUS-grads Fuailefau and Luke McCloskey, Hirayama, Zaruba, John Moonlight of James Bay, UVic Vikes players Isaac Kaay, Lucas Hammond and Port Alberni鈥檚 Luke Bradley, Pat Kay of Duncan, Justin and Jared Douglas of Abbotsford, Harry Jones of Vancouver and Mullins of Belleville, Ont.
