SINGAPORE — The Canadians evened their record at the Singapore Sevens tournament with a 28-7 victory over Spain after opening with a 5-0 loss to Ireland.

The Canadians, who arrived at the rugby sevens tournament in fifth place in the season standings after six events, will finish their Pool A match on Saturday against undefeated New Zealand.

Carissa Norsten scored two tries and Alysha Corrigan and Krissy Scurfield added singles in the win over Spain. Chloe Daniels kicked three conversions and Breanne Nicholas kicked one.

New Zealand and Australia, who arrived in Singapore top of the women's rankings with 106 points each, won their two opening matches to secure their place in Saturday's quarter-finals.

New Zealand beat Spain 38-7 and Ireland 31-10, with Portia Woodman-Wickliffe scoring her 250th try.

The Canadian men, who rank last among 12 teams, saw their losing streak on the Sevens circuit extend to 22 games after losing 22-17 to New Zealand and 21-14 to the Australia.

On the positive side, the Canadians pushed No. 1.5 New Zealand and No. 6 Australia to the limit, with the All Blacks equalizing in the 14th minute before scoring the winning try in extra time.

Former Australian XV captain Michael Hooper scored his first international try at 7 in the victory against Canada. Matt Oworu, returning from injury, scored both tries for Canada and Thomas Isherwood added two conversions.

David Richard scored two tries and Phil Berna added a single in Canada's loss to New Zealand, who had to recover from a 10-7 halftime deficit. Brock Webster started a conversion.

The rebuilding Canadian men have collected at least one point in five of the first six events. They didn't win, beating France 33-7 in December. 10 to finish seventh in Cape Town.

The Canadian men finish their group match against series leaders Argentina.

Australia, France, South Africa and the United States have already qualified for the men's quarterfinals with perfect records.

The slimmed-down Sevens circuit, renamed this season HSBC SVNS from the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, comprises seven regular season events, each featuring men's and women's competitions, as well as a grand final with promotion and relegation on the line.

The men's and women's teams with the most cumulative points after seven rounds earn the title of winners of the 2024 SVNS League, while the eight highest-ranked teams earn their place in the new “winner takes all” grand final on May 31 to June 2 in Madrid. where the male and female champions will be crowned.

The eighth and final place in the Madrid women's final will be decided when number 1.8 Great Britain and No.9 Brazil meet on Saturday. Great Britain, currently two points clear in the standings, and Brazil both lost their opening two matches in Singapore.

The Canadian men, who won the relegation playoffs last year to preserve their core status, will find themselves fighting to stay in Madrid. The Canadians, on the other hand, will have the chance to aim for the grand prize.

The relegation bracket in Madrid, made up of the bottom four teams in the SVNS rankings and the top four in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series, will determine the top four remaining HSBC SVNS teams.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2024.