Vancouver, BC: The British Columbia Rugby Union has confirmed the schedule for the second annual BC Rugby Sevens Series.
Seven-a-side rugby is on the rise in North America due largely to the recent inclusion of the sport in the 2016 Olympics. British Columbia is leading the charge in Canada, being the first to run a competition of this kind. In its inaugural 2010 season, the BC Sevens Series featured over 40 teams from both Canada and the United States.
Building on last year’s success, the 2011 edition will feature six tournaments endorsed by BC Rugby as official competitions on the sevens circuit. Club teams competing in those tournaments can accrue points towards a provincial sevens title.
There will be six more‘social’ tournaments across the province and in the U.S. throughout the summer, which will not be sanctioned as official stops on the circuit. A number of youth tournaments will also be held in conjunction with the senior tournaments and those dates will be announced shortly.
Endorsed Series Tournaments
June 11, 2011: James Bay Buccaneer Sevens (Victoria)
June 25, 2011: Vancouver Sevens (Connaught Park, Vancouver)
July 16, 2011: SFU Highland Summer Sevens Rugby Tournament (SFU)
July 23, 2011: Abbotsford Rugby Sevens (Abbotsford)
August 6, 2011: Burnaby Lake Rugby Club Lighthouse Sevens (Burnaby)
August 28, 2011: Bayside Summer Sevens Rugby Tournament (South Surrey)
Social Tournaments
June 11, 2011: United Midnight Sevens (Vancouver)
June 18, 2011: Seattle Sevens (Seattle, Washington)
June 18, 2011: Richmond Flatland Sevens (Richmond)
July 9, 2011: Can Am Sevens (Bellingham, Washington)
July 16, 2011: Vancouver Island Sevens (Victoria)
August 13, 2011: Capilano Sevens (North Vancouver)
Sevens Series
“With the recent inclusion of sevens in the Olympics, this is a natural step for rugby here in British Columbia,” former Canadian Sevens and current UVic Vikes head coach Doug Tate said. “The sevens series is going to expose more kids and senior players to seven-a-side rugby and it’s great for them to just get more touches on the ball.”
The pilot year of the BC Rugby Sevens Series was successful in 2010 attracting both men’s and women’s teams from across North America. A number of youth tournaments also featured alongside the senior competitions showing how quickly the sport is growing at the grassroots level.
Burnaby Lake Rugby Club was crowned provincial champs in both the men’s and women’s divisions in 2010. On the men’s side, Burnaby Lake played in six of the 10 tournaments, capturing the series title with a 20 point lead in the standings over rival club Bayside Sharks. On the women’s side, Burnaby finished first with a 22-point lead over Capilano RFC.
The two Burnaby sevensteams will kick off their title defences at the James Bay Buccaneer Sevens held in Victoria, BC on June 11.
