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Upset at the contract they were offered and offended by what they saw as a Rugby Canada effort to marginalize sevens by having one centralized pool of players, the sevens squad refused to sign new deals.

Wounds from the labour dispute are still fresh and there is more work to be done behind the scenes to resolve differences. A bid to unionize is still before the B.C. Labour Relations Board despite the objections of Rugby Canada.

But captain Nate Hirayama says the players are as ready as they can be.

“We’ve made the best of the situation that we could,” he said. “There’s lots of positive feelings on the team.”

One plus is the dispute has brought the players closer than ever.

“We’re extremely a close group and I think with everything that has happened this year — and in previous years that people may not know about — it’s amazing how unified this group is,” said Hirayama, who led all scorers last season with 334 points. “We are just playing for each other because that’s our biggest motivation. We’re all great friends on and off the park. Our teammates are why we’re playing the game.

“So it’s definitely galvanized us. We just want to keep pursuing our dreams here and hopefully turn this whole thing into a positive.”

McGrath has noticed the strong ties between players.

“They were always a close group. But to go through what they went through and stick together, I think, tells you how tight they are as a group of people and (as) close friends. As a coach, that’s everything you could ask for. You want a group like that that’s all fighting for the same cause.