Inconsistent Canadians look to defend rugby 7s title in Singapore
Team playing without recently retired captain John Moonlight
The Canadian men's rugby sevens team begins life without John Moonlight at the site of the team's biggest-ever win.
The longtime captain announced his retirement to pursue a firefighting career ahead of the Singapore stop on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Canada, currently ranked 11th on the circuit, enters the tournament as defending champions after beating the United States in last year's final.
Moonlight's absence from the squad will certainly be felt, but he's confident that his now former teammates will be able to fill his spot.
"We have a lot of really exciting guys coming through our program," he said.
One player making waves this season for Canada is Justin Douglas. The 24-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., is earning a reputation as one of the more well-rounded players in the Sevens Series with 22 tries and 82 tackles this season. Douglas, who's scored 106 tries since his debut in 2012, is also the reigning Canadian sevens player of the year.
Having helped Canada to their first-ever <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldRugby7s?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WorldRugby7s</a> Cup Title in Singapore and touched down for dozens of highlight-reel tries, we're happy to announce <a href="https://twitter.com/jdougg13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jdougg13</a> as our Men's 7s Player of the Year for 2017! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RugbyCA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RugbyCA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RCAwards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RCAwards</a> 🍁🏉 <a href="https://t.co/XCCPYXyXR2">pic.twitter.com/XCCPYXyXR2</a>
—@RugbyCanadaEven with the winger's impressive skill set, Canada has been relegated to the Challenge Trophy consolation bracket in all but one Series event this season. However, that line doesn't tell the team's full story, according to women's sevens and 15s veteran Andrea Burk.
"How they're coming into the Challenge Cup, it's a decision here, a minute there, it's not reflective of their 14 minutes of play on the field," said Burk, who also works as a rugby analyst and commentator for CBC Sports.
"Consistency is a word that has been used across both the men's and the women's programs."
Our Men's Team has touched down ready to begin their <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Singapore7s?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Singapore7s</a> Cup Title defence this weekend!<br><br>🇨🇦 vs 🇦🇷 at 11:44pm ET/8:44pm PT (April 27)<br>🇨🇦 vs 🇿🇦 at 3:34am ET/12:34am PT (April 28)<br>🇨🇦 vs 🇼🇸 at 6:38am ET/3:38am PT (April 28)<br>Watch> <a href="https://twitter.com/cbcsports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cbcsports</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RugbyCA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RugbyCA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RC7s?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RC7s</a> 🍁🏉 <a href="https://t.co/7QkpeQHsQq">pic.twitter.com/7QkpeQHsQq</a>
—@RugbyCanadaTo that end, the team still boasts veterans like Nathan Hirayama, who sits fifth all-time in points scored on the Sevens circuit and trails Moonlight's 116 career tries by three for second in Canadian history. Hirayama will serve as Canada's captain for this tournament.
"Nate is the engine that runs everything on the team," Moonlight said of his longtime comrade. "Look at how well he's playing this season, how well he played last season. He's one of the guys I love watching play."
Canada has a difficult path to repeating as champions in Singapore. The team will face Argentina, Samoa and South Africa in pool play — and is 0-8 against those three teams this season.
The Blitzboks enter the tournament in first place overall, holding a slim margin over Fiji. Commonwealth Games champion New Zealand is also expected to contend for gold in Singapore.
CBC Sports will stream the event live from April 27-29.