photo credit: Mike Lee / KLC / World Rugby

Final Americas rosters for Sevens Series finale in Madrid

The final event of the 2023-24 World Sevens Series takes place at Civitas Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid this weekend. For the first time in the circuit’s history, the winner will be determined solely by the results of the ‘Grand Final’ tournament.

At the same time four core positions in each of the Men’s and Women’s brackets are up for grabs, with the bottom four finishers on the table pooled together with four qualifiers from the Challenger Series. Pool play will determine knock-out seeding then it’s a winner-take-all fourth and final match for each team that will determine who will have core status next year.

The tournament begins at noon local time on Friday, 6am Eastern, 3am Pacific. All matches will be broadcast list on TSN+ in Canada and on RugbyPass TV worldwide. Semifinals and Finals will also air on Peacock in the USA. A full list of fixtures can be seen here.

 

MEN’S QUALIFIER

Half of the entries in the Men’s Qualifier are Americas teams. The USA missed the cutoff for the top eight by a single point, while Canada were last on the table this season. Chile and Uruguay emerged from the Challenger rankings as contenders from South America.

For the North American sides the stakes are high. While the USA has already qualified for the Olympics, Canada has yet to do so and a loss in Madrid could have dire financial consequences for the men’s program. The USA similarly could see funding cuts to their program.

Chile and Uruguay have named competitive outfits that feature numerous crossover players who have featured in Super Rugby Americas and their respective test sides. Canada will lean on the likes of fully-capped Cooper Coats and Matthew Oworu, while the USA feature long-time stalwarts Madison Hughes, Stephen Tomasin, and Perry Baker.

POOL A: Canada, Germany, Uruguay, USA

POOL B: Chile, Kenya, Samoa, Spain


CANADA
Phil Berna (capt.)
Liam Bowman
Jack Carson
Cooper Coats
Noah Flesch
Elias Hancock
Thomas Isherwood
Josiah Morra
Cody Nhanala
Matthew Oworu
Matt Percillier
David Richard
Kal Sager

CHILE
Clemente Armstrong
Lucca Avelli
Cristóbal Game
Nicolás Garafulic
Gonzalo Lara
Nicolás Saab
Tomás Salas
Luca Strabucchi
Ernesto Tchimino
Iñaki Tuset
Francisco Urroz
Benjamín Videla
Diego Warnken (capt.)

URUGUAY
Ignacio Álvarez
Felipe Arcos Pérez
Diego Ardao (capt.)
Bautista Basso
Tomás Etcheverry
Ignacio Facciolo
Juan González
Valentín Grille
Guillermo Lijtenstein
James McCubbin
Dante Soto
Juan Manuel Tafernaberry
Mateo Viñals

USA
Perry Baker
Orrin Bizer
Aaron Cummings
Malacchi Esdale
Naima Fuala’au
Madison Hughes
Lucas Lacamp
Faitala Talapusi
Stephen Tomasin
Maka Unufe
Pita Vi
Kevon Williams (capt.)
Lance Williams

 

WOMEN’S QUALIFIER

There will be two South American sides in the Women’s Qualifier bracket. Brazil were the 10th-place finishers on the circuit and should be confident of retaining their spot. Japan will also be favored to carry on as a core side. Argentina have improved dramatically but will need inspiration from captain Sofia Gonzalez to lead them to a first-ever core position.

POOL A: China, Japan, Poland, Spain

POOL B: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, South Africa


ARGENTINA
Sheila Carlevaris
Virginia Brígido
Cristal Escalante
Mayra Genghini
Sofía González (capt.)
Gimena Mattus
Azul Medina
Josefina Padellaro
Micaela Pallero
Antonella Reding
Talía Rodich
María Taladrid
Brisa Trigo
 
BRAZIL
Luiza Campos (capt.)
Thalia Costa
Thalita Costa
Marina Fioravanti
Raquel Kochhann
Gabriela Lima
Isadora Lopes
Milana Mariano
Mariana Nicolau
Bianca Silva
Leila Silva
Yasmim Soares
Marcelle Souza

 

MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

Los Pumas were the top name on the log heading into Madrid, leading Ireland by two points after a stellar campaign. The two sides are joined by New Zealand as the top contenders, with France a darkhorse with the addition of superstar Antoine Dupont. Argentina are building nicely towards the Olympics with a good mix of youngsters and battle-hardened veterans.

POOL A: Argentina, Australia, France, Great Britain

POOL B: Fiji, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa


ARGENTINA
Santiago Álvarez (capt.)
Tomás Elizalde
Agustín Fraga
Luciano González
Matteo Graziano
Rodrigo Isgró
Santiago Mare
Matías Osadczuk
Joaquín Pellandini
Gastón Revol
Germán Schulz
Santiago Vera Feld
Tobias Wade

 

WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

The two North American sides have put together powerful rosters but a podium finish is likely the best they can hope for with New Zealand and Australia the top-ranked sides by a distance this season. A silver finish in Hong Kong will boost the USA’s hopes, with Canada earning one bronze over the sevens tourneys in the build-up.

Established sevens stars Alev Kelter, Ilona Maher, and skipper Lauren Doyle are among an impressive cast for the Women’s Eagles. Canada have notably recalled three players from their Pacific Four-winning campaign – Fancy Bermudez, Maddy Grant, and captain Olivia Apps.

POOL A: Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, USA

POOL B: Australia, Fiji, France, Ireland


CANADA
Olivia Apps (capt.)
Fancy Bermudez
Alysha Corrigan
Caroline Crossley
Chloe Daniels
Maddy Grant
Asia Hogan-Rochester
Piper Logan
Taylor Perry
Florence Symonds
Shalaya Valenzuela
Keyara Wardley
Charity Williams

USA
Kayla Canett
Lauren Doyle (capt.)
Nicole Heavirland
Alev Kelter
Kristi Kirshe
Sarah Levy
Ilona Maher
Alena Olsen
Ariana Ramsey
Stephanie Rovetti
Alex Sedrick
Sam Sullivan
Kris Thomas

About Americas Rugby News

Formally created in June 2015, this website's goal is to increase media exposure of the Tier 2 rugby nations, and create a hub with a focus on the stories of rugby in the Americas - North, Central and South.

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