Playing at home, Canadian rugby 7s teams look to punch ticket to Paris

The margin of error is slim for Canada's men's and women's rugby sevens teams at the Olympic qualifier in Langford, B.C., but the players are hoping home-field advantage will be their ace in the hole.

The Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens tournament runs Aug. 19-20 at Starlight Stadium, the home base for Rugby Canada just outside of Victoria on Vancouver Island. CBC Sports has full coverage beginning Saturday.

"I think the fans really do fuel us and and provide us that extra bit of energy to compete in those high-pressure moments," said Olivia Apps, who will captain Canada's women's team. "So I think this team really loves to play in front of their friends and family."

The 6,000-seat stadium played host to the majority of Canada's stops in the HSBC Rugby Sevens Series since 2015, and the teams' training facilities are just across the street.

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"I think we've seen in the past, this team played in Langford a couple of years ago and in Vancouver Sevens last year, and I think that we really do take on that home-court advantage," Apps said.

The women's team, which won bronze in the sport's Olympic debut in Rio 2016, must finish first in its five-team pool (Jamaica, Mexico, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) in order to earn a spot in next summer's Paris Olympics.

A win for the men's side will guarantee them a spot in Paris, but finishing second or third at least earns them one final chance at Olympic qualification in a world repechage tournament. There will be seven men's teams in Langford, including the U.S., which has already qualified. Canada is in a pool with Barbados, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

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