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Vancouver, BC – October 30, 2019: BC Rugby is delighted to announce that they are sending a Girls’ Sevens team, the BC Elite 7s, to the World School Sevens in Auckland, New Zealand. The tournament will take place on December 13-14 this year and feature 32 U18 boys and girls teams from over 10 different countries.
Players on the BC Elite 7s team represent the very best in young Rugby Sevens talent in the province. Drawn largely from talent pools in the BC Elite Sevens Series and Rugby Canada Development Academy, the named team includes a number of players who have regularly represented their province over the last two years including Summer Blackmore (Cranbrook, BC), Kira Peary (Abbotsford, BC), Halle Smith (Kamloops, BC) and Delaney Woods (Victoria, BC).
“This is a really exciting group of players,” said head coach Darcy Patterson, “Many of these players are targeting future spots on the Canada Women’s Sevens team, so it is vital that we give them exposure to quality opposition outside of Canada. The World School Sevens is an ideal tournament for this and we’re honoured to be one of the few northern hemisphere sides to be attending.”
The World School Sevens established in 2016, is a tournament known for featuring some of the best young talents in the world. In just three short years, twenty players who have participated in the tournament have gone on to represent their countries at the highest level of rugby. According to the tournament website “The aim of the tournament is to give players a life-changing experience in New Zealand, showcase their talent and act as a development tool for the next generation of athletes in rugby sevens. The event also involves a week of activities including an official team welcome and powhiri (traditional Maori welcome), a cultural evening and a warm-up game.”
Canada has had boys’ teams participate in the tournament in the past, but the BC Elite 7s will be the first Canadian side to play in the girls’ division. “It’s definitely a real honour for the girls to be taking part in this tournament,” said Patterson, “It will be a big learning opportunity for sure, but with the talent in this team, they are definitely going in there to make an impact.”
The BC Elite 7s will depart for Auckland on December 7th, with the World School Sevens taking place in Pakuranga on December 13-14. Stay tuned for updates on how you can follow the action.
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