Sorry, Not Sorry In Canada

Sorry, Not Sorry In Canada

Canada's infighting between the sevens players and the leadership goes on.

Sep 20, 2018 by Alex Goff
Sorry, Not Sorry In Canada

It is not getting any friendlier in Rugby Canada as the sevens players are looking at the possibility of unionization, and the captain and the CEO are still conversing on social media.

Meanwhile, a major supporter of the Canadian age-grade programs, Karl Fix, who runs the Dog River Howlers select-side program out of Saskatchewan, is pulling his support.

In an open letter, Fix said: 

"After many days of this weighing heavily on my mind, and with much trepidation, I've decided to withdraw from the Canada U20 Men’s National Rugby Team Support Group ... 

"I however have significant concerns with Rugby Canada’s haphazard execution of the recent Rugby Canada board’s decision to amalgamate the 7’s and 15’s elite programs in an no holds barred effort to qualify for the 2019 World Cup at the upcoming “last chance”  Repechage tournament being played in November against Germany, Hong Kong and Kenya." (sic)

"I would respectfully suggest that it is time for the Rugby Canada Board to actively and urgently review the management of the senior men's program and further, to consider a full scale reorganization of the staffing structure."


Meanwhile, Rugby Canada CEO Allen Vansen defended Rugby Canada against unionization in part by saying publicly that the sevens players are not employees, and not professional, but instead amateur athletes who get their funding from the Government of Canada.

This angered many, including one of the most vocal Canadian sevens players, Nathan Hirayama.

Hirayama said Vansen was out of touch. Vansen replied.

Fans differed with that opinion, noting that the Canadian sevens players, men and women, are compensated for their efforts, and also help promote Rugby Canada's most successful annual event, the Canada Sevens in Vancouver. 

The sevens and 15s programs are now one, when financially and in terms of location, training, and schedule, they have been separate for some years now. That, some players feel, is simply an effort to use sevens funding to help the 15s program win in the Rugby World Cup repechage. Fix said as much.