The Langford-based Canadian women’s rugby team has one cleat metaphorically planted in the sands of Ipanema.

They could have had both feet set in, but were denied officially clinching qualification into the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics by a dramatic 20-17 loss to Australia on a try in injury time of the championship game in the London Sevens at fabled Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

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But it seems only a matter of time. Canada will qualify for Rio by reaching the quarter-finals of the final World Series tournament next week in Amsterdam.

Canada and Australia are tied for second in the World Series standings with 76 points each. The top-four teams after the Amsterdam event will advance as part of the first qualifying wave for Rio. New Zealand, runaway leader with 96 points, is the only team to have clinched qualification.

Canada, after starting 3-0 Friday in pool play, defeated Russia 26-5 in the quarter-finals Saturday and edged the U.S. 17-14 in the semifinals on a winning try by Magali Harvey. The latter was a rematch of the Plate final of the Canada Sevens, won by the Americans, last month at Westhills Stadium in Langford.

The Langford-based Canadian men went 2-1 in pool play Saturday before 75,000 fans at Twickenham in their London Sevens to advance to the quarter-finals for the third consecutive time in a World Series tournament. The Canadians shaded Samoa 17-14 and downed Argentina 26-5 before losing to fleet Fiji, the greatest side historically in sevens, by 31-14.

Island pros Matt Evans of Duncan, from the Cornish Pirates, and Connor Braid of Victoria, from the Glasgow Warriors, drew into the Canadian roster. The Canadian lineup is a triumph for Island high school rugby, with Evans from the Shawnigan Lake School Stags, Pat Kay from the Cowichan Thunderbirds, Mike Fuailefau from the St. Michaels University School Blue Jags, and Braid and Sean White both from the Barbs of Oak Bay.

Players from Island clubs on the Canadian roster include Fuailefau from the Castaway Wanderers of Oak Bay; Kay, Sean Duke and Nathan Hirayama from the University of Victoria Vikes; and Braid, White and John Moonlight from James Bay.

Perhaps the story of the tournament for Canada is the elegant Vikes player Hirayama, whose recent return followed a lengthy absence due to injury.

Canada meets the U.S. in a quarter-final match-up today that is intriguing on several levels. Neither of the North American rivals has a chance of grabbing one of the four World Series men’s Olympic qualifying spots to Rio. New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa have qualified, with England closing in.

Canada’s best chance is through the North American/ Caribbean zone Olympic qualifying tournament on June 13 and 14 in South Carolina, with a direct berth into Rio 2016 awaiting the winner of what will likely be a Canada-U.S. final.

Meanwhile, Canada Under-20 defeated Hong Kong 24-15 Saturday at the 2015 Junior World Cup in Lisbon after opening with a 35-20 victory over Namibia.

Lucas Rumball, an emerging James Bay player, scored two tries for Canada against Hong Kong while Guiseppe du Toit from the UVic Vikes, a graduate of Shawnigan Lake, slotted two penalty goals.

“Taking points when on offer has been critical for our success and epitomizes tournament-style rugby,” du Toit said in a statement.

Port Alberni’s Luke Bradley and Qualicum Beach’s Ollie Nott, both from the UVic Vikes, are also part of the Canadian team.

Jeff Williams, Canada U-20 coach, described his players in Lisbon as the “foundation for the future” of the senior Canadian national side.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com