'There's nothing like playing at home': Canadians relish Vancouver rugby sevens stop

Canada back Charity Williams (6) reacts as she scores a Try against New Zealand during first half women's rugby 7s action at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France on Sunday, July 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The roar of the costume-clad crowd at B.C. Place Stadium is still special for Charity Williams.

It’s a sound and atmosphere the Canadian rugby star is eagerly anticipating as she prepares to play in the 10th edition of HSBC SVNS Vancouver, taking place Friday through Sunday.

“We travel the world and we see the most amazing places, but there’s nothing like playing at home,” said the three-time Olympian.

The Canadian women have high expectations as they return to Vancouver.

Last year, they won bronze at the event. Canada then went on to capture a silver medal at the Paris Games in July.

Nine players from that Olympic team are set to play this weekend, including Williams, who returns for her first game with the national sevens squad since winning silver.

The performance in Paris has been a huge confidence boost for the Canadian crew, she said.

“We were always looked at as underdogs, but we’re underdogs with two Olympic medals,” said Williams, who also won bronze at the Rio Olympics in 2016. “So I think it’s pretty amazing. Anything could happen in a game of rugby, and we feel pretty confident.”

Alysha Corrigan is also back with the national team after playing 15s club rugby for Saracens in England.

Joining midway through the sevens series has meant playing catch-up in training camp.

“It’s a different mindset,” Corrigan said. “It’s been a fun season away and just getting to play different rugby has been fun.

“It was an easy switch, but there’s still loads of things that I got to work on, and it will be fun this weekend to see what happens.”

Canada comes into Vancouver sitting fifth in the standings on the rugby sevens circuit. They’ll face No. 9 Brazil and No. 12 Spain on Friday before wrapping up pool play Saturday against No. 2 Australia.

The tournament’s quarterfinals go Saturday afternoon and the finals are set for Sunday.

“I think our expectation this weekend is to get on a podium,” Corrigan said. ”We’ve never been able to win Vancouver sevens, so we have our eyes set on that, and we have a team that’s able to do that.”

The team is coming off a fourth-place finish in Perth, the third stop of seven stops on the series.

Adding veteran players such as Corrigan and Williams into the fold will help Canada in Vancouver and beyond, said captain Piper Logan.

“We’ve been building all season,” she said. ”Also, lots of returning players coming back as well, and they fit really good into the group. It’s super cohesive.”

Logan and the rest of the team know they’ll have extra eyes on them in Vancouver, in part because of their performance in Paris, and they embrace the extra attention.

“I think there’s been a lot of exposure of the game since the Olympics and a lot of new fans to the game,” Logan said. ”So to be able to have an opportunity for Canadians to actually come out and learn the rules and actually see us, I think, is really important.”

Canada’s men’s squad will also play at B.C. Place this weekend, though in an invitational tournament instead of part of the main series.

The team was relegated last year and will look to climb back into the top tier this season when they play in World Rugby’s Challenger Series.

“Last year didn’t go the way we wanted. But it’s an exciting rebuild,” said veteran Alex Russell. ”And (this weekend) is an opportunity for these young guys to come in and make a name for themselves and show what they can do.”

While there are 16 players in Vancouver for the invitational tournament — where Canada will face Japan and Trinidad and Tobago on Friday — just 13 will go to South Africa for back-to-back tournaments on the Challenger series.

Vancouver is a chance for up-and-coming players to prove they deserve a spot, Russell said.

It’s also a chance for the team to prove to rugby fans that they should be excited about the squad’s future.

“We need to keep showing the Canadian fans that we’re still here in this program, it’s building in the right direction, and we’re aiming towards L.A. 2028 (Olympics),” Russell said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press