When Sean Duke of Vancouver transferred to the University of Victoria from Queen鈥檚, he couldn鈥檛 have imagined to where it would lead in the classroom and on the rugby pitch.
鈥淯Vic played a big role for me,鈥� said Duke, who earned his Masters of Science in Kinesiology inside Ring Road while also playing for the Vikes, and who will enter UBC medical school in the fall.
Duke is among several home-province players who will take to the sa国际传媒 Place field today and Sunday with the Langford-based national team for the first sa国际传媒 Sevens before a combined attendance of more than 60,000 fans over the two days.
Ten of the 12 players named for the sa国际传媒 Sevens are natives of sa国际传媒: Duke and fellow UVic Vikes graduate Nathan Hirayama; Phil Mack, Sean White and Mike Fuailefau of Victoria; Pat Kay from Duncan; Admir Cejvanovic from Burnaby; Conor Trainor and Adam Zaruba of Vancouver; and Harry Jones of West Vancouver. Even the two Ontario players have strong Island ties. Lucas Hammond played for the UVic Vikes and captain John Moonlight鈥檚 club is James Bay Athletic Association.
鈥淭his is huge for us. I have played sevens years for sa国际传媒 and all the World Series tournaments have been overseas. This is in our own backyard where sa国际传媒 has a big rugby community,鈥� said the 27-year-old Duke.
鈥淭he Pan Am Games last year were at BMO Field in Toronto, but this is the first full Series stop held in sa国际传媒. I have friends who have never seen me play sevens live, and now they can see first-hand what it is I do.鈥�
Duke, when healthy, has been an outstanding player for sa国际传媒. He is six-foot-two but moves like a gazelle.
鈥淢y health is good. The body is holding up,鈥� he said.
While Duke and his Canadian mates won Pan Am Games gold in Toronto last year, they lost to the emerging U.S. in the separate North America and Caribbean qualifying tournament for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. So everything this year for sa国际传媒 is geared to the last-chance Olympic qualifier for Rio from June 18-19 in Monaco, where the 12th and final berth into the 2016 Olympic Games will be decided.
鈥淓verything builds to the Olympic qualifier,鈥� noted Duke.
鈥淏ut we have to focus on the process and be deliberate about it and [not look too far ahead].鈥�
The remaining World Series events are April 8-10 in Hong Kong, April 16-17 in Singapore, May 14-15 in Paris and May 20-22 in London.
鈥淓verything leads to Monaco. But we just have to treat Monaco like a another tournament and not put it on a pedestal, although obviously, it is,鈥� said Victoria鈥檚 Fuailefau.
But the focus this weekend is home field and the big home crowd in the sa国际传媒 Sevens.
鈥淔or me, it was the coaching I received at St. Michaels University School,鈥� said Fuailefau, about the road that got him to sa国际传媒 Place.
The sa国际传媒 Sevens opens this morning with South Africa playing Scotland at 9:30 a.m. Rugby sevens is a Gatling-gun like sporting event with the 14-minute games following one another in rapid-fire succession.
sa国际传媒 is in Group B and opens this afternoon at 12:04 p.m. against Wales. sa国际传媒鈥檚 other games are against world power Australia at 3:40 p.m. followed by the closing group match against Russia at 7:28 p.m.
The medal and consolation rounds begin Sunday at 9:40 a.m. through to the championship game at 6 p.m.
The sa国际传媒 Sevens will be broadcast today from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. PT on TSN1 and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT on TSN2.
The Langford-based Canadian women鈥檚 team, meanwhile, is No. 2 in the world and has qualified for Rio with the Olympic podium a distinct possibility. The national side will host the women鈥檚 sa国际传媒 Sevens at Westhills Stadium from April 16-17.
