By Canadian Press

Canadian men’s bid for rugby sevens promotion runs into World Rugby roadblock

May 1, 2025 | 1:59 PM

World Rugby has announced a change in format to its rugby sevens competition on the eve of the season finale this weekend in Carson, Calif., a move that delays the Canadian men’s bid to earn promotion back to the top tier.

The Canadian men were relegated from the elite HSBC SVNS circuit last June and, after winning the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens in November, looked to win their way back to this weekend’s promotion/relegation playoff by finishing in the top four of the second-tier Challenger Series.

They did their part by finishing third with 48 points behind Portugal (52 points) and Germany (50). Samoa was fourth at 44.

The four Challenger teams join Kenya, Uruguay, Ireland and the U.S. — the sides ranked eighth through 12 in the HSBC SVNS standings — in what was supposed to be a promotion/relegation playoff held in conjunction with the final event of the HSBC SVNS season at Dignity Health Sport Park.

Under the existing format, the top four teams in this weekend’s playoff would have secured a return to the top tier. But that has changed under the new model announced Thursday.

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Starting next year, there will be a three-tiered structure to the sevens series, with the top tier reduced to eight teams from 12.

The top eight men’s and women’s teams will compete in six Division 1 events, while six men’s and women’s sides will compete in a second division across three events. The third division will feature eight men’s and women’s teams, qualifying from regional competitions, competing in a stand-alone Challenger event.

At the end of the season, the top four Division 2 teams will join the eight Division 1 sides in three World Championship events, for a shot at promotion.

The top two men’s and women’s teams from Division 3 will move up to Division 2, with World Rugby saying teams can advance “from regional qualifiers to global championship contention in a single season.”

Rugby Canada did not offer an opinion on the format change in a brief statement, saying the Canadian men “will no longer be competing for a spot in the top level this weekend.”

“Despite the change to the series, Rugby Canada expects to have both of Canada’s sevens teams featured at B.C. Place in HSBC SVNS Vancouver next year,” it added.

The best the Canadian men can do this weekend is to finish in the top four of the playoff, which will move them into Division 2, dubbed SVNS 2, for the 2025-26 season. The bottom four will have to start their 2025-26 season via their respective sevens regional qualifier competitions.

World Rugby says the new competition model is designed to “deliver long-term financial sustainability and grow the global reach of rugby sevens” in the lead-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The governing body added that it is investing 10 million pounds ($18.4 million) annually into the sevens series, with “a large proportion” of that going to participating teams

“This evolved model provides greater certainty for unions with more events, increased competitiveness, greater pathway opportunities than ever before and most crucially, a financially sustainable event ecosystem which provides a clear pathway for the future for international rugby sevens,” Sam Pinder, World Rugby Sevens general manager, said in a statement.

“While change can be difficult, this is an evolution that ultimately secures the sustainable advancement of a sport that has proven to be a hit at the Olympic Games, showcasing some of the most gifted athletes on the planet.”

The Canadian men’s journey to climb back to the top tier has taken them to Trinidad, South Africa and Poland so far. They had hoped to seal the deal this weekend, playing in a pool with Uruguay, Ireland and Germany.

The Canadians narrowly avoided the drop in May 2023 when Alex Russell scored with a minute remaining to give Canada a dramatic 12-7 win over Kenya in a relegation playoff final. The 2023 playoff was a product of the HSBC SVNS reducing the number of men’s teams to 12 from 16 next season to align with the women’s competition and the Olympic field.

World Rugby subsequently merged the men’s and women’s competitions, holding six combined events this season in advance of the weekend’s season-ending winner-take-all world championship and the promotion/relegation playoff.

The top eight men’s and women’s teams, including Canada’s women, are competing for the title this weekend. Canada’s women placed fourth in the season standings after six events, finishing with third-place finishes in both Hong Kong and Singapore.

The men’s sides in title contention are Argentina, Fiji, Spain, South Africa, France, New Zealand, Australia and Britain. Canada is joined in the women’s field by New Zealand, Australia, Britain, France, Fiji, the U.S. and Japan.

The Canadian women will play in Pool A with No. 1 New Zealand, No. 5 Japan and No. 8 Britain.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press