Canadian rugby men earn season-best result at France 7s ahead of relegation playoff

Canada ran into a buzz saw in Argentina and lost to host France but still finished fourth at the HSBC Sevens on Sunday, its best finish on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series this season.

The performance in Toulouse was a timely boost for the 14th-ranked Canadian men who now move to a relegation playoff next weekend in London to save their status as a core team next season.

The Canadians, whose best showing previously this season was a 10th place in the opening stop in Hong Kong, lost 33-5 to No. 2 Argentina in the semifinal before falling 28-12 to No. 3 France.

A diving try at the corner flag by Roderick Solo in extra time gave No. 1 New Zealand a 24-19 win over No. 2 Argentina in the men's championship game. It marked the All Blacks' 67th career tournament win on the World Series.

In the women's final, No. 1 New Zealand rallied from a 14-5 halftime deficit to down the third-ranked U.S. 19-14 for its sixth straight tournament win. The New Zealand women finished runner-up in the season opener in Dubai.

The finale of the seventh and final stop of the women's circuit marked just the third time this season the Black Ferns sevens squad had trailed going into a second half.

No. 2 Australia defeated No. 4 France 33-7 in the bronze-medal match. The Canadian women finished 10th after losing 15-14 to Spain in their final outing Sunday, dropping one spot below Japan to ninth overall.

Both Canadian teams will now focus on the Rugby Americas North Sevens Olympic qualifier in Langford, B.C., in August.

By reaching the men's final in Toulouse, New Zealand clinched the World Series season title with one event left on the 11-stop season. Argentina and No. 4 Fiji joined New Zealand in earning qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics by