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Rugby wars were waged this weekend on fields home and away.
The Langford-based Canadian men鈥檚 sevens team went 1-2 in the round-robin of the Wellington Sevens at Westpac Stadium in New Zealand before defeating Russia 35-12 and falling 26-7 to Samoa in the Bowl quarter-finals and semifinals, respectively.
With the last-chance Olympic Games qualifier for Rio 2016 looming on June 18-19 in Monaco, sa国际传媒鈥檚 games against last-chance qualifier rivals such as Russia and Samoa are being closely scrutinized.
That is especially so for the games against the latter since the qualifier, for the 12th and last berth into the Rio Olympics, is expected to come down to a Samoa-sa国际传媒 final 鈥� making Saturday鈥檚 scoreline against the Pacific islanders all the more troubling.
sa国际传媒 lost 31-7 earlier to African-champion Kenya and 26-22 to Oceania-champion Australia in pool games against two Rio-bound sides. Against Portugal, which has been eliminated from Olympic qualifying, sa国际传媒 won 42-7.
鈥淲e are not looking ahead to Monaco, although we realize everything leads up to that,鈥� said Canadian star Sean Duke, a product of the University of Victoria Vikes program.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one step, one tournament at a time.鈥�
Fellow UVic Vikes grad and Canadian player Nate Hirayama concurred. 鈥淭he year 2016 is huge for us,鈥� said Hirayama, who scored his 50th career World Sevens Series try in Wellington.
鈥淲e have to do everything well. Every year changes in sevens, and you have to be adaptive and innovative, or you will be left in the dust. This is not a game that is played in a set way. Because of it now being in the Olympics, it is attracting new athletes across the world, who are changing the game. There are no easy games anymore.鈥�
On the home front in XVs, it was the first full Saturday of play in the sa国际传媒 Premiership. The UVic Vikes defeated the Seattle Saracens 57-34 at Wallace Field, but James Bay was edged 21-20 by the host Rowers at Brockton Oval. The UBC Thunderbirds defeated Capilano 21-5 and Burnaby Lake beat the UBCOB Ravens 20-8.
The 2016 sa国际传媒 Premier season began two weeks ago with defending-champion UBC outrunning UVic 37-30 in a rematch of the 2015 Rounsefell Cup provincial championship game.
The 2016 sa国际传媒 Premier Rounsefell Cup championship game is scheduled for April 30. If an Island team qualifies, this year鈥檚 championship game will be hosted on the Island.
The Castaway Wanderers have drawn the bye week, which they filled with an exhibition game Friday at Westhills Stadium against sa国际传媒 U-20.
The kids are all right, with sa国际传媒 U-20 defeating CW 44-7.
