Pools and match schedule confirmed for HSBC Canada Sevens in Vancouver
- Twelve-team HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series men’s event will take place alongside a women’s Fast Four tournament at BC Place in Vancouver on 18-19 September
- Men’s Pool A sees 2020 Series runners-up South Africa drawn with Series core teams Kenya and Spain and invitational team Mexico
- In Pool B, Great Britain will face Ireland and invitational teams Hong Kong and Jamaica.
- Pool C features the USA, Series runners-up in 2019, hosts Canada and invitational teams Germany and Chile
- Strong line-up for the women’s Fast Four tournament with Canada, Great Britain, the USA and Mexico participating
- Action begins with Canada v USA women at 09:00 on Saturday with the women’s final on Sunday at 16:56, followed by the men’s final at 17:28 (all times local, GMT-7)
The pools and match schedule have been confirmed for the HSBC Canada Sevens on 18-19 September, where a 12-team HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series men’s event will take place alongside a women’s Fast Four tournament at BC Place in Vancouver.
VIEW HSBC CANADA SEVENS MEN'S POOLS AND MATCH SCHEDULE >>
VIEW WOMEN'S FAST FOUR FIXTURES >>
Many of the Series core teams who competed at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in July will return to action in Canada, alongside a number of invitational teams who will be looking to gain experience and make their mark on the Series.
The men’s Series competition sees the 12 teams divided into three pools of four teams, following the format used at the Olympic Games.
Pool A sees South Africa, who finished as 2020 Series runners-up after reaching the podium in four of the six events, drawn with Series core teams Kenya and Spain and invitational team Mexico.
In Pool B, Great Britain, who narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal after finishing fourth in Tokyo, will face Ireland and invitational teams Hong Kong and Jamaica.
Pool C includes the USA, Series runners-up in 2019, together with hosts Canada and invitational teams Germany and Chile. The hosts will be looking to repeat their performance from the HSBC Canada Sevens 2020 in Vancouver, where they thrilled the home crowd to claim the bronze medal.
There is a strong line-up for the women’s Fast Four tournament with Canada, Great Britain, the USA and Mexico participating. Mexico men’s and women’s teams were added to the event following the late withdrawal of France’s teams due to Covid-19 related international travel logistics issues.
The women’s fast four competition format, which was previously successfully employed at the men’s Series event in Hamilton in 2019, will see all teams play each other before the top two play for gold and the other two teams compete for third place.
The women’s competition will get the action under way when Canada face the USA at 09:00 local time (GMT-7) on Saturday 18 September. The men’s Series event begins with a Pool B encounter between Ireland and Hong Kong at 09:44 local time. The last match of day one promises to be an exciting encounter as hosts Canada take on the USA in Pool C at 18:33 local time.
Day two begins with the first of the men’s quarter-finals kicking off at 09:20 and concludes with the women’s Fast Four final at 16:56 followed by the men’s final at 17:28 (all times local).
The Vancouver tournament will be followed by a second HSBC Canada Sevens event in Edmonton the following weekend, on 25-26 September. The two rounds in Canada form the 2021 Series, with the Series title awarded in Edmonton.
Given the unique circumstances of the pandemic, there will be no relegation from the 2021 Series and the results will not contribute towards seedings for any other future events.
The complete HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 schedule will be announced later this month. Rugby sevens players and fans can look forward to a very busy and exciting year in 2022 with the Series followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on 29-31 July and Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, South Africa, on 9-11 September.
