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Canada and Chile have both crashed out of the Olympic race in the quarter-finals of the repechage tournament in Monaco. For both it’s a bitter pill to swallow, particularly so for Canada who were tipped by many to claim the golden ticket heading into the weekend.
It was Russia who brought the curtains down on Canada’s ill-fated campaign. The two fought to a stalemate until the final play of the first half, when the star playmaker Vladislav Sozonov showed off his lethal footwork as he bamboozled the defense and cut back inside to touch down under the posts.
Conor Trainor got Canada back in the game shortly after the break, with Nathan Hirayama’s conversion creeping over from a tricky angle to even it up. Russia had Rio on their mind, however, and it was their captain Vladimir Ostroushko who led the way as he burst through outstretched hands to score a decisive try between the sticks.
Canada managed to claw their way back with Ciaran Hearn crossing before time, but again it was wide out and this time Hirayama’s kick could not find the target. The restart went to Russia and with it the game, final score 14-12. Canada continue in the 5th place draw but have only pride to play for.
Joining them will be Chile, who were shut out in a one-sided 26-0 loss to Germany in their quarter-final. In earlier action on Day Two it was mixed results for the Americas reps. Mexico dropped a 19-10 result to Zimbabwe in the Trophy quarter-final, while Uruguay raced past Tunisia with a solid 22-5 score on the back of four tries.
The Cup draw saw Spain upset Ireland 12-7, while Samoa got their tournament back on track with a 31-12 win over Hong Kong. Spain now play Russia, while Samoa face off against Germany in the Cup semi-finals.
