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There’s no getting around it: the next month for the Canadian men’s sevens squad is going to be a bigger chore than they’ve ever faced before.

This weekend they’re in Hong Kong for the grand daddy tournament of them all. A week later, it’s the Commonwealth Games in Australia. And then two weeks after that, it’s the Singapore Sevens.

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Yes, Singapore, where Canada will be the defending champions.

Asked whether this is the toughest sevens tour he’s even been involved with, Canadian coach Damian McGrath was unequivocal:

“Without a shadow of a doubt,” he said. “It will be a test of both physical and mental resilience for the players and the staff.”

In the standard schedule, the Canadians and their World Rugby Sevens Series rivals play two weekends in a row. That generally takes a hard enough toll: McGrath figures about half the playing squad goes into the second weekend carrying some sort of minor injury.

“It’s definitely the longest, that’s for sure,” captain John Moonlight concurred. “It’s going to be a task to keep focus but also to be able to reset when needed.”

In Hong Kong, the Canadians have a tough pool — but one they could conceivably win. Of course, they’re up first against Kenya, who are coming off a high in Vancouver, where they impressed everyone, roaring to the final, where they lost to Fiji.

Second, the Canadians are facing Australia, who are sending a very inexperienced squad to Hong Kong while the main squad preps for the Commonwealth Games. There are seven debutants in their 13-man squad.