Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Canada’s Men team will be one of 12 core teams on next season’s World Sevens Series. A late try from Alex Russell gave them a dramatic 12-7 win over Kenya in the Relegation Playoff Final. As a result the Shujaa drop out of the circuit having held core status since the 2004-05 campaign.
The Maple Leafs booked their place in the Final with a blowout win over Tonga in their final round-robin match. Russell and Jack Carson each notched hat tricks. Meanwhile Los Teros were the first to defeat Kenya, but the 14-10 result meant that Uruguay would miss out on the Final on points differential.
It’s a cruel blow to both Kenya and Uruguay, who will now have to suffer the financial implications of losing core status. This was the first full season on the circuit for Uruguay, who entered the Relegation Playoff as the highest-ranked of the four teams.
Canada’s focus now turns to Olympic Qualification as they host the Rugby Americas North qualifiers at Starlight Stadium this coming August. Only the winners will book their place at Paris 2024, with the USA also in search of a spot after finishing 10th on this year’s circuit. The 2nd- and 3rd-place finishers in Langford will be entered in the Olympic Repechage qualifier to be played in June of next year.
