Bronze for Canada at London 7s

The 2016-17 HSBC Sevens Series has come to a close with Scotland taking the spoils after a tense 12-7 win over hosts England in the Cup Final. It was a fitting close to the careers of several of the Scottish team including retiring veterans Mark Robertson and Scott Wight, with coach Calum MacRae also moving on to coach Edinburgh next season.

For the Americas it was a another memorable tournament with all three teams reaching the Cup Quarter Finals and a Bronze Final contested between Canada and the USA. Ultimately it was the Canadians who came out on top, with some late errors contributing to the USA’s demise.

Determined to finish their season on a high after a disappointing performance in Paris, the Canadians achieved their goal with a dominant win over Argentina in the Quarter Finals assuring them of a Top 4 finish. England proved too much on their home turf in the Semi Final but the team rebounded against the Eagles, scoring four tries to the USA’s three to take the Bronze. It caps a significant turnaround for the beleaguered side, who rose an impressive five spots from 13th in 2015-16 to 8th overall this season under the leadership of new coach Damian McGrath.

Despite the loss to Canada in their final match the Eagles can hold their heads high with their best-ever season on the HSBC Sevens Series. A thumping win over Australia secured their spot in the Semi Finals where they came up just short to eventual champions Scotland. The 4th place finish in London sees them end on 5th place overall, behind only traditional powerhouses South Africa, England, Fiji, and New Zealand. Perhaps most impressive is their consistency in performance, following up on 6th place finishes in each of the last two seasons. It also secures their status as contenders for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens to be held in San Francisco.

Argentina’s season did not quite go to plan, losing both of their final day matches convincingly as energy levels were noticeably compromised. Their Quarter Final appearance did however ensure that they would retain a Top 10 finish for the season, coming away with 9th place overall. It’s something of a return to average for the team who ended the 2015-16 in 5th place overall. With several new players entering the team this year and shared resources with the Argentina XV side, the UAR may look to revisit their selection policy ahead of next season.

Overall champions South Africa looked content to coast through the final event of the season having already clinched the Series win in Paris and, realistically, never looking likely of being caught all season. They emerge from the season as clear favorites for San Francisco 2018 with only England proving consistently difficult opposition. For the likes of Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia, the rebuilding will continue over the coming months as they look to revitalise their teams after an underwhelming season.

The Americas will also remember the contribution of Chile, who managed to finish 16th overall on the season and were overwhelmingly considered the best invitational side by their competitors. Unfortunately their form was not sharp enough at the qualifier in Hong Kong and instead it will be Spain who are promoted to Core Status for the 2016-17 season, with Chile left to put in extra effort for next year’s Hong Kong tournament. They will, however, have a shot at competing in San Francisco 2018 where they might be looked at as potential spoilers for more fancied opposition.

Relegated to part-timers once again are Japan, who had a massively disappointing season considering the talent available to their side. World Rugby will be particularly displeased with their efforts in the run-up to the 2019 World Cup and with Asia viewed as a priority region for development. Their program looks to require a significant overhaul if they are to regain Core status next season with the likes of Chile and Germany now showing significant progress and very much on the promotion trail.

The Series now takes a long break with the XV-a-side international season set to swing into top gear. Dubai will host the opening leg of the 2017-18 Series in December.

 

 

DAY TWO RESULTS

TROPHY QUARTER FINALS
Kenya 33 – 7 Spain
Fiji 31 – 5 Russia
Samoa 21 – 29 Wales
France 22 – 5 Japan

CUP QUARTER FINALS
USA 31 – 14 Australia
New Zealand 21 – 24 Scotland
England 17 – 12 South Africa
Argentina 7 – 28 Canada

13th PLACE SEMI FINALS
Spain 5 – 38 Russia
Samoa 33 – 7 Japan

TROPHY SEMI FINALS
Kenya 5 – 45 Fiji
Wales 26 – 17 France

5th PLACE SEMI FINALS
Australia 40 – 7 New Zealand
South Africa 24 – 7 Argentina

CUP SEMI FINALS
USA 14 – 21 Scotland
England 24 – 5 Canada

13th PLACE FINAL
Russia 19 – 24 Samoa

TROPHY FINAL
Fiji 26 – 14 Wales

5th PLACE FINAL
Australia 17 – 28 South Africa

BRONZE FINAL
USA 19 – 22 Canada

CUP FINAL
Scotland 12 – 7 England