Playing at home, Canadian rugby 7s teams look to punch ticket to Paris

The margin of error is slim for Canada's men's and women's rugby sevens teams at the Olympic qualifier in Langford, B.C., but the players are hoping home-field advantage will be their ace in the hole.

The Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens tournament runs Aug. 19-20 at Starlight Stadium, the home base for Rugby Canada just outside of Victoria on Vancouver Island. CBC Sports has full coverage beginning Saturday.

"I think the fans really do fuel us and and provide us that extra bit of energy to compete in those high-pressure moments," said Olivia Apps, who will captain Canada's women's team. "So I think this team really loves to play in front of their friends and family."

The 6,000-seat stadium played host to the majority of Canada's stops in the HSBC Rugby Sevens Series since 2015, and the teams' training facilities are just across the street.

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Playing at home, Canadian rugby looking to punch ticket to Paris

1 year ago

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Canada's men's and women's rugby teams are attempting to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, on home soil.

"I think we've seen in the past, this team played in Langford a couple of years ago and in Vancouver Sevens last year, and I think that we really do take on that home-court advantage," Apps said.

The women's team, which won bronze in the sport's Olympic debut in Rio 2016, must finish first in its four-team pool (Jamaica, Mexico, and St. Lucia) in order to earn a spot in next summer's Paris Olympics. St. St. Vincent and the Grenadines was originally scheduled to take part but travel problems forced them to drop out on Friday.

A win for the men's side will guarantee them a spot in Paris, but finishing second or third at least earns them one final chance at Olympic qualification in a world repechage tournament. There will be seven men's teams in Langford, including the U.S., which has already qualified. Canada is in a pool with Barbados, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

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Canada isn't too familiar with its pool opponents as none play in the competitive World Rugby Sevens Series, but men's captain Phil Berna knows it won't be easy, especially with the tough American team expected to reach the final from the other pool.

"There's a lot of men and women that are coming up here with the same dream that we have, so I don't want guys expecting any easy games out there," said Berna, the only returning player from the team that qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. "Everyone's going to be fighting for that top spot and Olympic qualification. So we're not taking any teams lightly."

Helping push the teams across the finish line will be many family and friends who live in the area.

"This is where we live. This is our home," said Sophie de Goede, who grew up playing rugby in Victoria. "So to have the opportunity to play on home soil, to know that our friends and family are going to be able to come out, to know that all our stuff is here to support us... we're very, very fortunate and very grateful to Rugby Canada for going out and getting that tournament on home soil for us."

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