Jack Carson remembers as a kid playing as part of the half-time show during club and sa国际传媒 rugby games at Starlight Stadium.
“Now we are the show,” he said.
“It’s come full circle.”
The home-turf advantage in this week’s North American and Caribbean rugby sevens qualifier at Starlight Stadium for the 2024 Paris Olympics is double-layered for Victoria players Carson and Lachlan Kratz.
“Both of us come up through Monterey Elementary to playing at Oak Bay High, so this is a pretty special moment for both of us,” said Carson.
He is part of a sprawling Victoria rugby family, with his two brothers and a cousin having, like him, played for the UBC Thunderbirds while two other Carson cousins played for the University of Victoria Vikes.
“It’s in our blood,” said Carson, of this family’s myriad rugby connections. “My family and friends will all be here cheering us on this weekend.”
The same for Kratz, who has previous multi-sport Games experience for sa国际传媒 by being named to the team for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
“This is the biggest tournament, with the Olympics on the line, that I have been a part of and home-field advantage is massive for us,” said Kratz.
sa国际传媒 is going to need any edge it can get. Captain Phil Berna, Cooper Coats and Josiah Morra are the only three Canadian players who were in the previous Olympic qualifier on the Cayman Islands in 2019, out of which sa国际传媒 qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by beating Jamaica in the final.
The U.S., which qualified automatically for Tokyo 2020 as a top-four World Series nation and so was not at the last qualifier in the Cayman Islands, is in this one at Starlight Stadium as the Americans and Canadians appear headed for a finals showdown Sunday.
“We know our fans will be fired up to help us get over the hurdle and to Paris,” said Kratz.
The Canadian men open Saturday against St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 10:52 a.m. and play Barbados at 1:58 p.m. and Jamaica at 4:42 p.m. The top-two teams from the two men’s groups will play in the semifinals Sunday. The semifinal survivors go to the final with the winner earning a berth into the Paris Olympics.
Other players with Island connections named to the Canadian team rosters are Matthew Oworu of Pacific Pride on the men’s team and World Rugby player of the year finalist Sophie De Goede of Victoria, University of Victoria Vikes player Krissy Scurfield and Fancy Bermudez of Westshore RFC on the women’s national squad.
This is the first time the Canadian women have had to play in the regional Olympic qualifier after having advanced directly to the 2016 Rio Olympics, where the team won the bronze medal, and 2020 Tokyo Olympics by placing in the top-four of the previous year’s World Series standings.
“We have been building as a group and are anxious to show our home supporters what we’ve got,” said UVic star Scurfield.
The U.S. has already qualified for the Paris Olympics by placing in the top four of the World Series and so will not be competing at Starlight Stadium, which is a huge break for sa国际传媒, and leaves the hosts as the clear favourites.
The Canadian women open the qualifier against Mexico on Saturday at 11:36 a.m., followed by games against St. Lucia at 2:20 p.m. and Jamaica at 5:26 p.m. Pool play for sa国际传媒 concludes on Sunday against St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 2:14 p.m. The top two teams following group play will advance to the gold-medal final Sunday with the winner securing a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
sa国际传媒 prepared for the Olympic qualifier by playing eight unannounced games behind closed doors against Paris-qualified and world No. 1 Australia at UVic and Shawnigan Lake School, going 1-7 against the powerhouse Aussies.
“Playing the world champions, and winning the final game against them, gives us momentum heading into the Olympic qualifier,” said Canadian captain Olivia Apps.
“It was a really beneficial experience for us that built confidence.”
Tickets: rugby.ca/en/tickets.
