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The search for a new Canadian 7s coach is over. Rugby Canada today confirmed rumors that Damian McGrath would be taking over the program for the foreseeable future. It’s intended that the 57-year-old will head up the side through to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, though his immediate contract is subject to Canadian visa regulations.
McGrath was unceremoniously dumped from his position with Samoa just weeks ago in a surprising move that drew the ire of fans and pundits alike. Despite Samoa’s clear improvement during the 2015/16 HSBC Sevens Series and a Cup victory at the Paris tournament, Samoan management cited the failure to qualify for the Olympics as their reason to terminate McGrath’s involvement with the team. After a relatively swift courtship, Rugby Canada has now secured the in-demand coach with his name now out of the ring for the vacant Fijian coaching role, a position he had also applied for.
During a media call on Friday afternoon, McGrath stated that Canada was his preference.
“I’ve been humbled by the huge support from the Samoan people. This last month has been hard, but I’ve put it all behind me. I’m really excited to come to British Columbia and get stuck into the job.
“I’ve been [to Canada] on a couple of Churchill Cup tours with England. I also came out in 2005 to speak at a national coaching conference. My wife and I had an amazing 10 days in Vancouver and Whistler. It’s a beautiful country.”
Like Samoa, Canada failed to qualify for the Olympics, but unlike their Pacific rivals Canada did not find any success on the HSBC Series. Their inability to make a single cup draw during the entirety of the 2015/16 season contributed heavily to the decision to move on from Middleton. McGrath considers the current Canadian side to be underachievers.
“I think Canada struggled with consistency last year, and didn’t make the most of their resources. They were one of the biggest and most powerful teams on the circuit but were a bit one-dimensional and easy to defend.
“With Samoa I had a group of smaller, quicker, more agile players. We couldn’t compete with the size of other teams, but we adapted. Speed is everything in sevens. We need to try and address that issue with the current [player] panel. We’ve got to have a game plan that suits the players we have.”
While McGrath awaits visa clearance before he arrives in country, the players will return to training during the week with assistant coach Lee Douglas following the conclusion of a six week stand-off with Rugby Canada over compensation. That issue has now been resolved with officials reluctant to provide any details on the new agreement.
A new team of 20 full-time dedicated sevens players is set to be confirmed in the coming days. It’s expected that roughly a dozen will return from previous squads with the rest new to the senior program. An additional 6-8 part-time players will be identified during the coming months.
The 2016/17 HSBC Sevens Series kicks off in Dubai on December 2.
