Vancouver’s marquee annual sport extravaganza climaxed March 11 at B.C. Place Stadium with Fiji’s 31-12 win over Kenya in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Canada Sevens Cup final.
Organizers claimed 77,096 attendance for the two-day, 16-nation tournament, the third in a four-year commitment. Canada Sevens is bidding on another four-year term, through 2023.
The only blemish on the weekend was the closure of the B.C. Place retractable roof, despite calm, sunny weather and temperatures in the mid-teens Celsius. B.C. Pavilion Corporation said it wanted to keep fans comfortable and World Rugby wanted consistent playing conditions throughout the weekend marathon of matches.
The men’s world sevens series resumes in Hong Kong April 6-8.
The fourth annual women’s edition of the Canada Sevens, featuring the top 12 teams in the world, is May 12-13 in Langford, near Victoria.
They’re both on the road to San Francisco, for the Rugby World Cup Sevens July 20-22.
Fiji celebrates the Canada Sevens Cup win on March 11 at B.C. Place Stadium. (Bob Mackin)
Fiji accepts the ball on a line-out during the Canada Sevens Cup final in Vancouver on March 11 (Bob Mackin)
Fiji won Olympic gold at Rio 2016 and the Canada Sevens on March 11. (Bob Mackin)
Fiji’s Uluiyata Batinisavu celebrates the Canada Sevens Cup win over Kenya. (Bob Mackin)
Not the Queen, Beefeaters or Hannibal Lecter, but real fans of the Canada Sevens. (Bob Mackin)
Canada Sevens 2018 champion Fiji shares the stage with runner-up Kenya and bronze medallist South Africa (Bob Mackin)
An American defender grabs South Africa’s Zain Davids. The Sprinboks were 29-7 winners in the Canada Sevens bronze final on March 11 at B.C. Place Stadium. (Bob Mackin)
