Rugby 7s at the Commonwealth Games

Nations from six continents will compete in the coming weekend's action in this, the fifth occasion that Sevens has been played at the Commonwealth Games.

Much like the IRB World Sevens Series, interest has grown in the sport since its 1998 Games debut in Kuala Lumpur, with Manchester, Melbourne and Delhi following as hosts every four years. Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow will now take centre stage in hosting the Commonwealth's best in the sport.

Despite the change in venue over the past sixteen years, one thing has remained unchanged, and that's the victor, with New Zealand having won all Commonwealth Games title in each edition held.  Fiji has come close, with two silver medals, and England and Australia each having one second place result since 1998.

Canada meanwhile has enjoyed mixed results in its two most recent outings in the sixteen-team competition, as in 2006 the team made it to the Plate semis where it fell narrowly to South Africa. Four years later, it was pool heartbreak behind New Zealand and Scotland, going on to lose in the Bowl final against Papua New Guinea.

But with its World Sevens Series progress since the 2010 Games being on such a steep upward curve, many would expect Canada to exert pressure in Glasgow and be dark horses at the business end of the showpiece. Players such as John Moonlight, Nathan Hirayama, Ciaran Hearn, Conor Trainor and Sean Duke all bring Commonwealth experience that they will look to use to good effect this weekend.

Looking to better 2010 is a task made all the more intriguing by the fact that Kieran Crowley's charges face both the All Blacks Sevens and the Scots yet again in the group stage, with Barbados completing a testing quartet. Cup progress would likely see Canada face either of Pool B heavyweights South Africa or Kenya on Sunday.

In the three other pools there are representatives from Asia, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Oceania, and also non core-teams such as Trinidad and Tobago, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Cook Islands, Uganda and Papua New Guinea, all countries who await the spotlight in what promises to be an entertaining two days.

Credit: Rugby Canada Communications