It was a busy month for the BC Rugby community with the annual HSBC SVNS Vancouver and BC Rugby’s Vancouver Sevens Invitational back in town.
Rugby was at the heart of the community once again as Sevens fever returned. Catch up on the best of the action below!
Inspired by the HSBC SVNS Vancouver? Here’s how you can help support the next generation of young athletes.
GREAT WEEKEND FOR CANADIAN RUGBY AT THE 2025 HSBC SVNS VANCOUVER
Canada’s Men’s and Women’s National 7s Teams delivered exciting performances at the 2025 HSBC SVNS Vancouver, with an electric crowd turning out for a memorable weekend at BC Place. Canada’s Women’s 7s Team closed out the weekend with a 27-10 victory over the United States to delight fans and clinch a 7th-place finish in the women’s tournament. Meanwhile Canada’s Men’s 7s Team participated in a Fast 3 style invitational tournament and finished 1st, with big wins over Japan and Trinidad & Tobago.
You can read recaps from the weekend’s action on Rugby Canada’s website here.
FAMILY DAY TRY RUGBY WITH THE CANADIAN NATIONAL WOMENS 7S TEAM
On Monday, February 16, Vancouver Rowing Club hosted a Try Rugby session with the Canadian National Womens 7s team. This fun and inclusive day featured Rookie Rugby games for kids under 14 and touch rugby for parents and older youth. Over 100 kids participated in the event and were exposed to rugby for the first time.
Many Club members from the area were in attendance at the event, which also featured a BBQ for attendees. Volunteers from Justice Rugby lent a helping hand with everything from setting up to leading the kids games. Rugby Canada athletes joined the games with the kids, and touch rugby games with the adults, providing a great introduction to the sport for everyone who attended.
Special thanks to Vancouver Rowing Club’s Chris Seyler, who offered up their facilities and did a fantastic job hosting the event.
CANADA NATIONAL WOMENS 7S TEAM HONOURED BY SQUAMISH NATION IN TRADITIONAL BLANKETING CEREMONY
On Tuesday, February 17, Canada’s National Womens 7s team were hosted at Capilano Rugby Club by the Squamish Nation for a traditional blanketing ceremony. Squamish Nation General Councillor Sxwixwtn Wilson Williams spoke protecting and heartfelt words to the team, and the nation’s drummers provided medicine with their drumming.
Special thanks to Capilano Vice President and Justice Rugby member Matt Plant for his support and organization leading into the event.
BC OFFICIALS AT HEART OF THE ACTION
BC Rugby Officials were hard at work across the province in February, including refereeing numerous games across the Van SVNS and VSI events.
Special shoutout to BC Rugby Officials Kristine Lovatt, Cole Pedrick, and Ben Lambrick, who were at the heart of the action as part of the World Rugby Officials Team at BC Place!
As always, a massive thank you to our world class officials for the work they do for our sport in this province!
JUSTICE RUGBY MEETS GREAT BRITAIN’S NATIONAL WOMENS 7S TEAM
Justice Rugby partnered up with Great Britain’s Womens 7s team to host a fun day to introduce youth to rugby and raise funds for Justice’s programs. This fun event took place at Queen Elizabeth School, and was full of fun intro to rugby games with some of their classes.
This partnership also raised important funding for Justice Rugby. For every try scored during the tournament by Great Britain’s men and women’s team, ActiveOp’s Try for Good made a donation to Justice Rugby for their work in the community. Justice Rugby will be using the money to purchase equipment for schools they go into so they can continue enjoying the sport of rugby.
BC Rugby would like to send a huge thanks to the Justice Rugby members and Stu Hurst for the continued collaboration and support during BC Rugby and Rugby Canada events and delivering rugby in the metro Vancouver area.
ROOKIE RUGBY AND TRY RUGBY EVENTS APLENTY
February also featured several other events catered to getting more kids into the game. On February 18, Rugby Canada and BC Rugby hosted a Rookie Rugby festival at BC Place. Approximately 300 kids from Vancouver schools came to BC Place for Rookie Rugby games for the morning. The kids engaged in various Rookie Rugby games stationed around the field before being invited to enjoy their lunches while watching the professional teams train.
The next day, VanTech School played host to a Let’s Play Rugby introduction session for youth girls. This involved working with girls PE classes at VanTech for part of the day. This event provided a great opportunity for girls aged 15-17 were new to learn the basics of rugby and participate in fun, small sides games.
YOUTH AND MINI RUGBY STARS GET ON THE FIELD AT BC PLACE!
During Sunday’s final day of HSBC SVNS Vancouver, BC Rugby hosted a dual on-field activation with U18 girls players from Warriors Rugby and Nova Scotia, as well as Minis Rugby kids from across the lower mainland.
The U18 girls got to get out on the field for some T1 rugby games and put on a great show to entertain the crowd during intermission. Meanwhile, the Minis got to get some experience with rugby on the biggest stage. It was a great session full of laughs and smiles!
5050 RAISES VITAL FUNDS FOR BC RUGBY AND BC CANCER FOUNDATION
The HSBC SVNS Vancouver 2025 50/50 Draw in support of BC Rugby and the BC Cancer Foundation jackpot set a new record, topping out at a MASSIVE $255,285 – with the winner taking home half of the pot!
The winning ticket number was 13008475 – click here for more information.
The other half of the prize pot will go towards making Rugby more accessible in BC, and support critical cancer research and care in British Columbia.
Thank you once again for your incredible support, and thank you to the team of Volunteers who gave up their time to sell tickets in-stadium!
VANCOUVER SEVENS INVITATIONAL RETURNS
The Vancouver Sevens Invitational returned for its 2025 iteration on the BC Rugby calendar, with four champions crowned after two days of epic Rugby 7s action at UBC in Vancouver.
Teams from across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Washington State competed in a festival-like atmosphere.
Taking place in the days leading up to the 2025 HSBC SVNS Vancouver, the VSI provided a complete Sevens experience for participants, blending competitive gameplay with the opportunity to watch world-class international Rugby competition, and bringing together elite youth 7s athletes from across all regions of BC and beyond.
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BC Rugby gratefully acknowledges that its offices reside on the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
