Canadian rugby sevens teams finish runner-up at Emirates Invitational 7s

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Canada's men and women finished runner-up Friday at the Emirates Invitational 7s tournament.

The Canadian women lost 17-12 to France in the final while the men were beaten 26-19 by Argentina.

The Canada women had lost 29-10 to France earlier in the day before bouncing back to thump Brazil 60-0. Earlier Friday, the Canada men downed Japan 29-12 and France 29-10.

The Canadian women won the first Dubai event last weekend, defeating the U.S. 31-14. Argentina won the men's event, defeating France 19-7 in the final. The Canadian men finished fifth overall.

"Overall it was a good hit-up for us. Two weeks of good rugby," said Canadian veteran Harry Jones. "The first week was a bit shaky, getting the rust off. It was the first real rugby any of the boys had played in over a year."

"The second week we looked a lot better … Still lots to work on," he added.

While not part of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, the Emirates Invitational 7s was billed as a high-performance prep event in advance of the Tokyo Olympics.


This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2021

The Canadian Press

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