About the series

Rugby sevens is a stripped-down version of rugby union with just seven players on each team playing on a full sized pitch. There are four backs, three forwards and each team can have up to five replacements. With fewer bodies and extra space on the pitch, games are fast-paced, full of breakaway sprints and exciting tries.

There are two nail biting seven-minute halves and a quick one minute half-time break for players to catch their breath. Scoring is the same as the 15-man game: five points for a try, two for a conversion and three for a penalty kick or drop goal. All conversions must be taken within 40 seconds and must be taken as a drop goal rather than a place kick. The scoring team kicks off to the opposition.

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is one of the most dynamic global sporting events on the market, featuring the dynamism of sevens rugby, paired with a spectacle of entertainment and fan engagement that is second to none.

Day 1 of each tournament consists of round-robin play within pools. Day 2, the bottom two teams of each pool will contest for a 9th place finish, while the higher seeded teams will progress to the Cup competition and have the chance to win gold, silver, or bronze medals.

The electricity of rugby sevens debuted at the Rio 2016 Olympics and kept the world on the edge of their seats, delivering a roller coaster of a tournament including big plays, unsung heroes, and overwhelming excitement. It concluded with an emphatic victory by the ‘Flying Fijians’, who brought their country its first ever gold medal.

For more on promotion/relegation, please visit World Rugby for Series Qualifying information.

Sevens is on the rise internationally, touted as one of the most exciting spectator sports on the market, Sevens is a knock-down, drag-out show of power, speed and agility featuring just seven players a-side covering a full-size rugby pitch. Scoring is frequent, and feats of extreme athleticism are jammed into every play of each short game. The best part is, you don’t have to know anything about rugby to fall in love with the spectacle, and it doesn’t take long to figure the game out if you try.

Sevens Rugby is a variant of rugby union featuring just seven players a-side, playing on a full-size field by much of the same rules as the original 15-player game. While a regular rugby union match lasts at least 80 minutes, a sevens match consists of two halves of seven minutes with a one-minute half-time break.

British Columbia is home to more than 200 bands and 34 distinct First Nation languages and associated cultural identities. As a result, First Nations peoples in B.C. are the most culturally and linguistically diverse in Canada, with each First Nation having a unique history and experience.

The HSBC Canada Sevens takes place on the traditional territory of the Coast Salish tribes – specifically the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. The tournament is proud to partner and engage with these communities.

One of the ways the culture of the First Nations is honoured each year is with the production of trophies and medals by local Indigenous artists. The awards pay tribute to the sport of rugby through compelling symbols of native art related to the sea, land, mountain and sky.  The Tournament Cup is the one trophy that remains in the host city of Vancouver, to be won by a new team each year. It features the design of a wolf, known to be a great team player that symbolizes perseverance and success.

As a valued partner of the tournament, Wheaton Precious Metals has been a key contributor to the creation of the tournament trophies.