With the cornerstone players from the past decade retiring post-Tokyo Olympics, the leadership mantle of the Langford-based Canadian men鈥檚 rugby sevens team has passed to players such as new assistant captain Jake Thiel of Victoria.
鈥淭hat great group of guys was together a long time and I got to play with them for a few years,鈥� said 24-year-old Thiel, who made his sa国际传媒 debut in 2018.
It was strange not to see Connor Braid of Victoria, University of Victoria Vikes great Nathan Hirayama, Harry Jones of North Vancouver, Justin Douglas of Abbotsford and Conor Trainor run on to the sa国际传媒 Place pitch Saturday for the HSBC World Series sa国际传媒 Sevens. The national team mainstays retired following the Olympics in Tokyo over the summer.
鈥淚 came up under such great leaders like Hirayama, Braid, Jones and John Moonlight,鈥� said Thiel.
鈥淭he biggest thing I learned from them was how such incredible leaders they were off the pitch, as well.鈥�
Thiel took note of it all.
鈥淚 look forward now to being a team leader. It鈥檚 a role I鈥檝e not had since U-20. It鈥檚 an exciting new challenge.鈥�
In group play on Saturday, sa国际传媒 beat Germany 24-5 and Chile 19-14, and lost 29-19 to the U.S, to advance to today鈥檚 quarter-finals.
Canadian Olympic team players Mike Fuailefau of 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 Sevens at sa国际传媒 Place because the Tokyo experience, an Olympics amid a pandemic, proved so draining.
That leaves only three of the players from the Canadian team that made the Tokyo quarter-finals 鈥� Thiel, Andrew Coe and Phil Berna 鈥� in the lineup at sa国际传媒 Place and for next weekend for the World Series Edmonton Sevens at Commonwealth Stadium. Berna is captain and Thiel assistant captain.
鈥淲e played the young players in Olympic warm-ups at Langford and that鈥檚 been a huge advantage for these upcoming players in their step up to the national team because they saw the speed and stamina it takes at the world level,鈥� said Thiel.
鈥淭hey are more prepared than I was when I stepped up.鈥�
The Canadian youth movement playing at sa国际传媒 Place includes Island players Jack Carson, Ciaran Breen, Brennig Prevost, Anton Ngongo and Matt Percillier.
鈥淭he new guys are so hungry and their talent level is so high,鈥� said Thiel.
鈥淭he Pacific Pride [Langford-based national Under-23 development team] has done a great job of feeding these guys into the senior program. We are going to have the kind of depth we鈥檝e never had before.鈥�
But there is still a learning curve.
鈥淭he look on their faces when they walked onto the sa国际传媒 Place pitch for the first time was like: 鈥極h, my God,鈥� 鈥� said Thiel, who grew up in a rugby family, with dad Jon Thiel a veteran of three World Cups in XVs, brother Josh having played for sa国际传媒 in XVs and sevens, and mom Jen (nee Ross) on the Canadian women鈥檚 team.
Familiar veteran Canadian names are also sitting out the sa国际传媒 Place and Edmonton women鈥檚 World Series Sevens tournaments, including two-time Olympians Ghislaine Landry, Charity Williams and Bianca Farella. It has been a jolting 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 medallists then called a controversial non-rugby press conference in Tokyo to address social issues before shockingly crashing out of the Games in the group stage.
Depth players such as Olivia Apps, Emma Chown and Breanne Nicholas, vying with the established starters for playing time the past few years, are getting their opportunity this weekend along with UVic Vikes players Ella O鈥橰egan and Renee Gonzalez.
In the women鈥檚 tournament Saturday, sa国际传媒 beat Mexico 39-0, and lost 22-12 to the U.S. and 19-5 to Great Britain. sa国际传媒 plays the U.S. today in the semifinals.
There鈥檚 a 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 is being capped at half the lower bowl to a capacity of 13,500. That鈥檚 compared with the nearly 40,000 fans that attended the Saturday of the 2020 sa国际传媒 Sevens.
Both the 12-team men鈥檚 and four-team women鈥檚 tournaments are truncated this weekend with several of the marquee nations missing due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. The medal and consolation rounds will be played today at sa国际传媒 Place.
