Canadian men win two of three, top Pool B at Dubai rugby sevens tournament
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DUBAI – Canada advanced to the semifinals at the HSBC SVNS Division 3 challenger event after winning two of three matches Saturday.
The Canadian men, looking to continue their climb back up the rugby sevens ladder, opened with a 33-7 win over Italy at The Sevens Stadium and then lost 19-15 to Belgium before bouncing back to dispatch Madagascar 24-17.
Canada will face Hong Kong in one semifinal with Samoa taking on Belgium in the other. Samoa topped Pool A at 3-0-0 while Hong Kong was runner-up at 2-1-0.
The stand-alone SVNS 3 tournament features eight men’s and eight women’s teams.
The top two men’s and women’s sides earn promotion to the three-event HSBC SVNS 2 series in Nairobi (Feb. 14-15), Montevideo (March 21-22) and Sao Paulo (March 28-29). The SVNS 2 series is one level below the elite HSBC SVNS circuit, which is home to the Canadian women.
The top four men’s and women’s teams from HSBC SVNS 2 will then join the eight HSBC SVNS core sides for the final events in Hong Kong, Valladolid, Spain, and Bordeaux, France, in April, May and June. The top eight teams over that three-event stretch will retain their core status with the bottom four relegated.
Brenden Black, Jack Shaw, captain Lockie Kratz, Thomas Isherwood and Kal Sager scored tries against Italy with Canada padding its advantage in the second half after leading 14-7 at the break.
A Canada comeback fell short against Belgium, however. The Belgians led 12-5 at the half with Sager scoring the lone Canadian try. Isherwood and Johnny Franklin scored to give Canada a 15-12 lead, only to see Belgium pull ahead on a late converted try by Miguel Fachada.
Canada’s second-half rally was successful against Madagascar, which held a slim 12-10 lead at the half. Converted tries by Isherwood and Kratz gave Canada a 24-12 lead before the Africans scored a late try.
Adam Doane and Isherwood accounted for Canada’s first-half tries.
The Canadian men qualified for the HSBC SVNS Division 3 in November by winning the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens tournament in Trinidad.
Canada, relegated from the top tier in June 2024, had hoped to reclaim its place via a promotion-relegation playoff series last May after climbing out of the second-tier Challenger Series. But World Rugby rejigged the entire sevens series structure ahead of the season-ending tournament in California, taking promotion off the table.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2026