National Sevens Review from BCRN 7s Correspondent



“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

[ed. our 7s correspondent takes a look at where the 7s programs are going into a new season]posted Sept 15 2016“A Tale of Two Cities” possibly described it best as we review the summer of rugby here in Canada…First – as expected our Women’s Sevens Team flew off to Rio and flew home again with an Olympic Bronze Medal – it was anticipated that the super talented team would return to Canada with a medal but the only lingering question before departure was what colour it would be.They saved their best performance for that Bronze Medal game as they took apart Great Britain in stylish fashion with skill, speed and authority. They made history across the globe and set new standards for the women’s game for the future – and now they are Canadian heroes in every sense!The medal in Rio was the highlight of the rugby calendar for Canada this year certainly as elsewhere there was little to cheer about particularly on the men’s side of the ledger.Our men’s sevens team went off to Monaco for the final qualifier for Rio and came home empty handed – thus ending a dismal season on the circuit and their frustrations continued off the field as well as on the field.The coach who had put wedges between the players on the squad was quite rightly fired following a needless ‘review’ by the union brass – the man never did fit into the Canadian environment and should never have been hired to start with – and he left behind a group of shattered and disgruntled players who had been given no respect by the office minions for years of effort and commitment.The ‘sores’ from years of financial disrespect quickly turned into gangrene as the players finally organized together and engaged a lawyer in an attempt to settle their grievances.Deadlines came and went and any proposals sent forward to the union went on deaf ears – it was an intolerable situation while the stonewall reaction from the union’s highly paid buffoons continued.In the end it was decided to seek out a mediator in an attempt to resolve the situation – but meanwhile the players continue to stay away from the training fields leaving many to wonder how this would play out as Dubai approaches in December.The situation was made worse when a short sighted board member’s email got circulated indicating that any strike action by the players would result in all of them being replaced – another outstanding response which indicates why rugby is in turmoil in this country.On another front – the newly carded XVs group who were to get additional funding money from World Rugby found themselves get short changed by the chaps in the Langford offices. After a promise of a monthly cheque the union suddenly decided that a Thrifty’s Card and some rent support would be in order.What was supposed to be a group of 20 players heading to Langford turned out to be far less in number as most individuals were only given two week’s notice to move to the west-coast.The smart ones had already enrolled in school out east or made work arrangements in their home towns - and at this point they may or may not turn up in the new year – and given the unions latest financial response of ‘food stamps’ it seems clear that most would be advised to stay put and finish their degrees.Clearly this is not exactly what the players had in mind when they were asked to join the squad out at the COE and one has to ask if this is what World Rugby had intended with their new money sent to our union HQ.The timetable for the new recruits is another brain-freeze by the union – players have been asked to be in Langford by 7am for their weight training sessions and then there is a six hour gap before they must return to the COE for skills practice with U20 Head Coach Jeff Williams who comes down the Malahat from his job at Shawnigan.In review – it seems clear that getting into classes at any university or a work place situation is virtually impossible for these players and that is clearly not how the new program was advertised by RC.The good news for the players is that on Thursdays they can return to their clubs to practice and play games on Saturdays in league play – but even then there could be potential issues as the clubs on the Lower Mainland might be left out of the equation entirely as players choose to remain on Vancouver Island with local clubs rather than travel to Vancouver where they have no housing and the burden of expense is on them entirely – you can’t use your Thrifty’s Card on BC Ferries!Finally it has to be recognized that after Monaco several players stepped away from the Sevens Program without a word of endorsement following years of service and commitment on the HSBC World Sevens circuit.Our world class player and record holder Phil Mack is one such player who has stepped away – there are others as well - namely Conor Trainor, Mike Scholz, Sean Duke and Sean White - as well as those who may or may not return to the program depending on the outcome of the mediation process. Another is the super talented Lucas Hammond who has wisely returned to his university studies and degree aspirations.All need a profound recognition of service to the program and to Canada – and while the union continues to stonewall the work stoppage by the players it may be time to appoint one of the highly paid office staffers to officially celebrate these players’ accomplishments.One has to wonder too how it is that the women’s team can remain so perfectly functional and successful while the opposite is true on the men’s side of the ledger… ?How this all plays out and is resolved remains up in the ozone heights of the atmosphere where there is a severe lack of oxygen – but that’s a common theme out in Langford!Stay tuned – this is far from over.