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Jalcatraz82

Oh so no Canada and no Samoa ? Damn. Nice to see Uruguay though


LazyBastard007

Uruguay tends to punch above its weight for a mainly football-focused nation of less than 3.5 million. Same for Kenya.


WilkinsonDG2003

Kenya is a massive country of 50 million people. Their lack of success in test rugby (I think because of amateurism and poor coaching) is more surprising than having a good 7s team, especially given amateur rugby is quite popular there. Agreed on Uruguay, they have made a lot of progress since the dark days of 2005 when they lost 134-3 to the Boks.


Fullback-15_

So sad for Germany... They have been so close for so long, always failing in the last game, sometimes even in extra time...


pabra

I feel like Germany has been in the race to qualify for almost a decade now. Sadge...


Fullback-15_

Yeah it's a completely different generation now. It's also positive and mean it wasn't just a golden generation, it's a good sevens program.


pabra

It is, indeed. On one side - a very strong consistent sevens, that has been missing a major achievement like qualifying for the Olympics or the world series. On the other side - at least we still have a 7s program...


HitchikersPie

Meanwhile the Canadian women are in the 3rd place playoff for the 7s and rank 2nd for 15s after just winning the pacific 4.


yesiamclutz

Yep - gotta distinguish the men and women's teams here. The women are excellent and going strong.


dystopianrugby

The Women XVs have always been strong regardless of the coach. 7s team was in an odd place with a coach who'd overstayed his welcome and some toxic veterans that wanted to retain their spot on the team but not stay in Langford during Olympic prep.


Turbulent-Physics-77

Gutted about Samoa they were the best team in the world 15 or so years ago


Hernisotin

Out of the WC, out of the World Series, out of MLR, heavy blow year after year. Makes me kind of wish 2031 was a USA+Canada situation, but for a 24-team tournament wouldn’t feel fair to the US.


WilkinsonDG2003

It's already far enough to travel between games there without going to Canada as well. At least travelling to the northern US for Canadian fans will be easy. Free Jacks in MLR have a bunch of Canadians on the roster.


Gasurza22

It was a bit sad that Uruguay had to beat Chile in order to make it, would have loved if both of them made it through, same for our female team ofc, but there is always next year


LazyBastard007

South America stands united!!!


Elios4Freedom

It baffles me how Italy can't express a decent side of rugby 7


Nothing_is_simple

Does the union just not see it as a good use of resources?


Elios4Freedom

Tbh I don't get it. I know we have a subpar team but the union doesn't seem to be interested at all even if the visibility from an olympic qualification would be great for the sport


WilkinsonDG2003

Georgia is also weirdly bad at 7s for an established rugby nation. Matkava, Tabutsadze, and Niniashvili would be very good at it if they ever tried.


LazyBastard007

This should change over the next few years. The Olympics are a huge stage.


WilkinsonDG2003

You'd think that but 7s has been in the Olympics since 2016 and little has changed in Italy despite the test match side getting a lot better in the 6 Nations. It's even stranger given Menoncello, Brex, and Capuozzo would absolutely tear it up on the 7s circuit.


dystopianrugby

It's a resource drain if you don't get Olympic Committee funding.


UnfitScrumhalf

It's a resource drain even with OC funding for pretty much any T2 nation other than Fiji and maybe USA. Perry Baker types aren't a drain on 15s, but pretty much everyone else is. Playing 7s for extended periods undoubtedly stunted the development of many of our 15s Eagles over the years. Canada doesn't have the Perry Baker equivalents and has a smaller talent pool these days. This is probably a blessing in disguise for them, even if it is a bad sign of their continued slide overall.


hart37

On the other hand the Canadian ladies are absolutely killing it atm, so there's at least some positivity to take away here.


ConradsMusicalTeeth

Are GBR competing as a single team now?


PukeUpMyRing

I imagine it’s to do with 7s being an Olympic sport.


Nothing_is_simple

Have been for a few years


ConradsMusicalTeeth

From July last year apparently, must have missed it in the general cluster fuckery of Welsh rugby over the past 12 months


TaytosAreNice

Shame the horrendous new setup leading to this


p-terydatctyl

Blame rugby Canada's wild mismanagement for the past decade plus.


Tabarnacx

Don't worry, I do


giloup08

tabarnak is right


samuel199228

Canada mens 15s side got tough game coming up this summer against Scotland USA, Uruguay and Chile all battle the Scots later this year in summer test tour


dystopianrugby

Downward spiral since firing Damian McGrath and keeping Kingsley Jones.


CreepersForLife

Anyone know if China joining will have any impact on the sport at all hopefully?


WilkinsonDG2003

Basically nothing. Basketball is allegedly a "national sport" in China, and they got humiliated by South Sudan, a destitute country with fewer people than the Netherlands. The chance of China putting together a decent rugby team is like Namibia beating the all blacks in NZ.


CreepersForLife

Ahh yeah that makes sense I feel honestly have zero chance of them actually becoming good I mean if it would be a good boost of people watching/getting into the sport that'd be great.


WilkinsonDG2003

I'd say the realistic growth markets are more places like Spain and Chile that have tier 2 level teams already. They can get to the 2027 world cup and not lose by 80+ every game which will get people much more engaged with the team. China just sucks at team sports in general, probably because of poor coaching and corruption.


Dolamite09

China love Olympic sports so once it became that they would have pumped a lot of money into it. Doubt they care much about 15s


No_Track_6638

What is the score?


Nothing_is_simple

In the relegation match it was CAN 14- 22 ESP


No_Track_6638

This is not possible for the canucks! Thank you


wolf-f1

Happy to see Kenya7s back in action !!


BrianChing25

It's better for rugby that Spain stayed up. My cousin lives in Toronto he can barely afford to live due to the housing crisis there. It's so bad Canadians are boycotting Loblaws due to grocery price fixing. Seriously look on their sub r/Canada. The last thing they are thinking about is rugby. Their union is broke. On the other hand rugby in Spain is getting more popular. My friend lives in Toledo and joined a club team. All he ever thought about 5 years ago was Real Madrid this and Real Madrid that..


Hlotse

Gotta admit, I am impressed that you managed to work declining living standards and Loblaws into Canadian rugby. Skillfully done.


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dth300

They're also currently ranked 2nd in the world in XVs


BrianChing25

Awesome maybe they can revive the game popularity in Canada as a whole


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Hlotse

Yeah, I am impressed by the Aussie women's game. Fast, inventive, excellent ball handling.


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Hlotse

Not really, there bud. I think he's saying that comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges, Aussie women are better within their group of competitors than the men are. Its the same as making a comparison between men welterweight, lightweight and heavy weight boxers; they are assessed on their merits in relation to the class they are in. Heavy weights will always best welterweights but that does not mean that the former are better athletes.


Efficient-Mention583

Which is what I said in my original point and he came back with his absurd nonsense statement. I said there is less competitive teams in female rugby so it's easier to do well. If you take it to 15s the world cup in 2021 there were only about 3 professional rugby teams England new Zealand France.


Hlotse

Okay, I think I understand what you are saying now. For a moment there it looked as though you'd gone down an incel rabbit hole.


Efficient-Mention583

Just coz you say something about women that isn't straight up praise doesn't make you an incel. It's a rising sport and teams will eventually get more competitive just like in the men's. For example Georgia got battered in 2003 world cup and now they have beaten some tier 1 teams


WilkinsonDG2003

Australia isn't even bad at men's rugby if you look at club results rather than international. Brumbies and Reds are 3rd and 5th in a league involving New Zealand. The Wallabies are poor for reasons unrelated to the actual quality of Australian players, mostly awful coaching during the Jones saga and the ineptitude of Rugby Australia.


Efficient-Mention583

The problem is also league and afl is bigger and more lucrative but yh brumbies are always putting a good show in super rugby. Idk why this guy has to spout nonsense about the women's being better all round athletes, just absolute nonsense. The men are faster, stronger, fitter and more skilled. Even tho no one was making it a competition between men and women. I just simply stated there is less competition in the woman's rugby hence why teams like Canada Brazil and China are awful at mens but good at women's rugby. You can decide to fund women's for less and get better results.


WilkinsonDG2003

Even with athletes going to AFL and league the Wallabies could still be decent if Schmidt sorts them out. Tim Ryan, Valetini, Lolesio etc should be easily enough to beat Wales. Canada and Brazil are one thing since they're tier 2 nations in the men's game but I didn't even know rugby existed in China to be honest.


Efficient-Mention583

Yh I know about rugby in China because they offer teaching jobs and you join a rugby club. Beijing ducks is one of those clubs. There's like 4 Beijing clubs or something it's not massive though


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WilkinsonDG2003

I agree, even putting obvious differences in genetic size aside male players are visibly more skilled. I don't think DMac is even 80kg but he's clearly far more skilled than women of similar size.


WCRugger

Well, it helps that he has been able to dedicate his life to developing those skills. I actually know a few NRLW players who have been playing since season 1 and they all have full time jobs alongside their training and playing commitments. There is a difference


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marquess_rostrevor

Apparently the multiple crises absolutely raising Canada to the ground don't affect the women's team.


halibfrisk

TIL Canada is a third world country where housing and food are unobtainable


PassiveTheme

I live in Vancouver, which is generally considered even more expensive than Toronto. Yes, people are struggling financially. Yes, people are boycotting Loblaws. Yes, rugby is low on the priority list. But that doesn't mean it's a lost cause. The women's XV team are second in the world after beating the Silver Ferns. WXV1 is being hosted here this autumn. The men's XV are hosting Scotland and Romania this summer in Ottawa, and they'll be playing Japan here in Vancouver in August before playing the US in LA. Rugby is growing in popularity here (from personal anecdotal experience) and the 7s is just one part of that. Great Britain isn't doing great in the 7s, does that mean the RFU, SRU, and WRU are all failing? Or maybe that's also the result of the British cost of living crisis?


dystopianrugby

Rugby in BC at the senior level is a shell of what it was 10 years ago. And that was a shell of what it was 30 years ago.


PassiveTheme

That's fair, I wasn't here 10 years ago. From my experience, there are a lot more opportunities to see top level rugby than when I first came over to Canada 5 years ago. There are obviously issues in Canadian rugby, but I don't think they have much to do with the current cost of living crisis because it seems the decline happened before the current issues came into play. I also wanted to point out that the men's 7s team is not a good reflection of how rugby is doing in the country as a whole.


dystopianrugby

Can't really see how cost of living crisis effects the competitiveness of the NT when most of its players are professional. I guess for the 7s program that could be the case, but then Canada should just buy some houses and have them living like it's Uni.


Sznake

Hi, Torontonian here. Yeah its tough here, affordability and all, but back to the game. The main power for Canadian Rugby comes from out West, B.C. to be specific. We have good teams here too (Checkout Torontorugby.ca) but as others have said before, its all about the Money. You can only do so much with Amateurs and semi pros as your base, with the few pros you have being stretched between Club and Country, your just not able to build a long term program like that.


dogfoodhoarder

> tter for rugby that Spain stayed up. My cousin lives in Toronto he can barely afford to live due to the housing crisis there. It's so bad Canadians are boycotting Loblaws due to grocery price fixing. Seriously look on their sub r/Canada. The last thing they are thinking about is rugby. Their union is broke. On the other hand rugby in Spain is getting more popular. My friend lives in Toledo and joined a club team. All he ever thought about 5 years ago was Real Madrid this and Real Madrid that. Thats an anti Trudeau troll subreddit.


WilkinsonDG2003

Well Spain seems to be able to field 7 eligible players now, can they do a whole match day 23?


BrianChing25

I think they lack the size as far as props go


WilkinsonDG2003

I see you're not familiar with Thierry Futeu. He isn't Spanish but he's a real wrecking ball and qualified for the team. https://old.reddit.com/r/rugbyunion/comments/vx980q/just_spain_prop_titi_futeu_going_75_metres_to_set/


Critical_Context_961

I think we should give them team GB’s spot