The Martlet

The eyes of the world will be on the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai, UAE on March 5, and several UVic rugby players will be representing Canada.

According to the International Rugby Board, the tournment will be screened in 140 different countries through 25 international broadcasters. Among the 24 national teams competing to be crowned world champions are 12 Canadians looking to reassert themselves on the international Sevens circuit. Out of those 12, 10 individuals currently play their club rugby right here in Victoria — and five of those players are currently playing in UVic’s rugby program.

It will be the chance of a lifetime as Adam Kleeberger, Neil Meechan, Phil Mackenzie, Jordan Kozina and Gordie Sawers put their studies on hold to play at the highest international level of rugby.

Unknown to many in Victoria, Sevens is an abbreviated game of rugby that follows the same rules as the traditional 15-a-side format. The only differences are that a team will field seven players at a time, and the halves are shortened from a grueling 40 minutes down to brief seven-minute intervals.

The pitch remains the same size, and with 16 fewer players on the field, the game becomes a wide-open contest of speed and handling skills. For many newcomers to rugby, the abbreviated version is considered much easier to understand and tends to be higher scoring in shorter periods of time.

Entire Sevens tournaments can take just two days, and because of the fast and exciting style of play, it tends to be well received by the international rugby community.

The annual Hong Kong Sevens, for example, regularly sells out its 120,000-seat stadium each spring as the Sevens teams come to battle it out. Due to the wide fan base in the Commonwealth, Asian, Pan-American and World Games, the international rugby community has been trying to have Sevens rugby added to the list of Olympic sports. It’s a tough challenge, but a necessary one for the growth of the game on the world stage.

A number of professional clubs will also be releasing their players for the tournament — something that doesn’t always happen due to the number of annual tournaments on the Sevens’ circuit. James Pritchard from Bedford Rugby Club (RC) and Justin Mensah Coker from Plymouth Albion RFC will be released by their clubs to represent Canada in Dubai. The two players were missing from Canada’s recent tour that saw them take the Shield in San Diego, California on Feb. 15.

According to Canadian National Men’s Sevens’ coach Shane Thompson, the addition of the two players will add a new dimension to the team’s scoring abilities.

“They will give us a different threat,” Thompson said. “They will allow us to capitalize on some of our offensive opportunities that we haven’t been able to finish recently.”

The two professional players from Europe will be joined by a squad that has trained and played alongside one another for several months through the Carded Program in Victoria.

Many of Canada’s up-and-coming rugby stars are “carded,” where they are paid to train in a high-performance program set to prepare them for the international stage. The program not only develops them individually, but builds a chemistry among the players for when they travel to international tournaments such as the World Cup this March.

Also joining the tour to add to their offensive strength is UVic’s Gordie Sawers. After an impressive New Zealand tournament in what Thompson described as Sawers’ best Sevens career performance, his quick pace and ability to generate plays will be a strong asset to the Canadian team.

“It’s huge being selected for the World Cup side,” Sawers said after being chosen for the tournament. “It only happens every four years and they take the best of the best.”

Although a number of the Canadian players may be young, they aren’t inexperienced. Despite playing in a non-professional league in Victoria, the level of competition is considered some of the highest in Canada due to the number of carded athletes and national veterans training in the area. Practices are already under way as the team looks to build on their recent tours through Wellington, New Zealand and San Diego, California. Over the two-week period, the team came away with a record of 2-6-2, one that Thompson says was below his players’ capabilities.

“Obviously our goal is not to be in the shield,” Thompson said after his side’s victory over Uruguay in San Diego. “Our goal is to be back in the top eight, and they’re totally capable of doing it. It’s just putting it together for the whole game and for the whole tournament.”

Canada will be up against some stiff competition as their pool sees them take on South Africa, Scotland and Japan in the round robin. After being replaced by the U.S. as a core member on the Sevens circuit this past year, the Canadian squad will try to silence their critics and regain their status as one of the toughest teams on the Sevens stage.