Everything you need to know about Vancouver Sevens this year

It was love at first sight, and it appears Vancouver still adores rugby sevens.

The 10th edition of Vancouver Sevens is this weekend at BC Place, and it’s expected to be another smash hit. Fans continue to flock to this event, just as they did when it was first held in Vancouver in 2016.

Vancouver has embraced not only this form of rugby but also the sevens culture.

Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s event.

Get your costumes ready

Daily Hive

If there’s one thing that sets Vancouver Sevens apart from other sporting events, it’s the festive atmosphere complete with hilarious costumes.

“Fancy dress” is a sevens tradition that Vancouver has got on board with. It’s like Halloween in February, with group costumes in particular ruling the day.

Three days of action

@VanSevens/Instagram

Vancouver Sevens became a three-day event in 2023, when both men’s and women’s tournaments were held at BC Place for the first time.

The action kicks off Friday morning, with three all-day affairs taking place.

Canada is the reigning Olympic silver medal winners in women’s rugby sevens, and enter the Vancouver tournament ranked fifth on the world tour.

Our men’s team is not part of the world tour this year, but Canada will have a team competing in an invitational tournament on Friday and Saturday, with matches against Japan as well as Trinidad and Tobago.

Rule refresher

HSBC Canada

Sevens is an abbreviated form of traditional rugby, featuring teams with only seven players on the pitch at a time. You can score points via tries (5 points), conversions (2 points), and penalties/drop goals (3 points).

Each match lasts just 14 minutes, consisting of two seven-minute halves.

That allows for a total of 70 matches to take place over the three-day Vancouver event.

Competing countries

New Zealand All Blacks Sevens celebrate with a shirtless Haka when they win (@CanadaSevens/X)

Twelve countries are competing in each of the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Fiji, Argentina, Spain, South Africa, and France currently lead the men’s world tour standings, while New Zealand, Australia, France, USA, and Canada lead the way on the women’s side.

Men’s tournament

Pool A

• Argentina
• France
• Great Britain
• Kenya

Pool B

• Australia
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• South Africa

Pool C

• Fiji
• Spain
• Uruguay
• USA

Women’s tournament

Pool A

• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• Spain

Pool B

• China
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• USA

Pool C

• Fiji
• France
• Great Britain
• Japan

Tickets

@BCPlace/X

There are a number of ticket-buying options for Vancouver Sevens, including multi-day passes.

Single-day general admission seats start at $50 plus fees, with $5 discounts available for groups of 7+. Reserved seats range in price from $55 to $100.

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