Sevens rugby provides some amazing spectacles. Teams throw themselves at one another at breakneck pace, in a game that tests both skill and endurance. Vancouver native Sean Duke knows the rigours of both the Sevens and the 15 a side game intimately, and currently represents Canada as part of the national Sevens team.
Sean is currently sidelined due to injury, and was kind enough to take time out of his schedule to answer a few question for me about himself, and rugby in Canada.
Canada’s rugby spirit is indomitable, the players of the Red Nation are fiercely proud and even more fiercely competitive. Watching the Canadian team on the field you can’t help but get a sense of watching a group of guys who will fight to the death to support the guy in the red jersey next to him.
I asked Sean what first attracted him to the game. “I started playing rugby in grade 8 not knowing a thing about the sport, but a few of my close friends and I loved playing high school sports and rugby seemed like a great fit for us. On the grade 8 team, about a quarter of the players had played club rugby before and they ended up doing a lot of peer-to-peer coaching. I think most of us wore baggy plaid boxers that were exposed at the bottom because they were longer than our team rugby shorts. ”
Sean joined the Rugby Canada squad in 2008 after a successful career with UVic Vikes, where head coach Doug Tate described him as “a hard worker, he was always consistent”
His test debut against Scotland in 2008 marked the beginning of a career which has seen him awarded the Rugby 7’s player of the year, and widely regarded as a key member of the squad.
The current season of the HSBC Sevens series kicked off a couple of weeks ago in Australia. A dominant performance against teams like Scotland, France and Portugal set Canada up for a big finish, however they ultimately succumbed to Fiji. On looking at the performance at the Gold Coast, Sean commented “[We] were unfortunate to not make it through to the cup round after finishing 2-1 on day 1 and I know that the boys were a bit disappointed at this; however, the team achieved some very good wins and gained some valuable experience to take onto the remainder of the series.”
Looking ahead, this weekend sees round two kick off in Dubai, where Canada is in the same pool as England, USA and Fiji, all of whom are strong sides. I asked Sean what he saw the plan for this weekend as being. “As always, the game plan will be to play to the team’s strengths, which involves each player to demonstrate what he does best. Canada’s team speed is something to reckon with, so you can expect the boys to swing the ball around the field to find weaknesses in a tiring defensive line. This isn’t to say that some of the players who thrive on confrontation don’t have the green light to puncture holes in the defence.”
I also asked who would provide the biggest challenge for Canada in the pool play, “This is difficult to say, as England looked in great form in Gold Coast Sevens, Fiji have an abundance of depth and experience, and USA have always proven to be a tough opponent for Canada.”
One of the big draw cards in Sevens rugby is the chance to play against a variety of different teams in a faced paced environment, when asked who his favourite teams to play against was, Sean commented “I love playing against the USA because, as I said before, they always show up and give Canada a real challenge. It seems that the stakes are higher whenever playing the USA, perhaps it’s due to the neighborhood rivalry or that we play them frequently in a number of different competitions (e.g. World Cup Qualifiers in both 15’s and 7’s, NACRA 7’s, Pan-American Games).”
One thing I’ve wondered is how these players are able to keep going through so many games in such quick succession. Sean advised “Strength and conditioning coaches are always reading articles and sharing information between their peers to come up with new ways to get the boys going, whether it be some nutritional product or a recovery technique, and I think this has helped our team in particular. Our S and C coaches continue to babysit our players and make sure they take the necessary steps in order to be recovered and ready for the next games. In training, for me at least, 7’s specific conditioning games seem to be the best way to get ready for a tournament with respect to fitness”
Another area of interest is looking at the changes Rugby Canada has been through in recent history. Rugby Canada seems to be one of the most forward thinking unions in the world, with a real focus on development. I asked Sean what changes he’d seen, “Rugby in Canada has grown an incredible amount over recent years, and I think it is most noticeable in the younger generation’s involvement in the sport. The first time I played sevens outside of the annual Saint George’s 7s tournament for high school senior teams in BC was for the national team, which was a huge jump to make. I’m very happy to see that youth men’s and women’s 7’s programs as well as 15’s programs have emerged throughout a large proportion of the country so that more young people have the opportunity to play. With regard to resources, the recent boost in funding and centralization of the 7s program have given us the ability to train as a team in all aspects of the game (e.g. weights, speed, conditioning, field work, food) in one compact location near Victoria. The team of staff involved in the 7s program has grown from a handful of people to some number in the teens over the past few years, indicating the amount and variety of support that we now receive.”
“I think that more young people will continue to get involved in rugby- I hope to see plenty more men’s and women’s 7’s and 15’s club programs for youth and adults, as well as varsity programs at universities. I expect to see our National Teams continue to climb the world rankings and for our Women’s 7’s team to remain a dominant force.”
Finally, I asked Sean about his plans for the Christmas break. “Ill be spending this Christmas at home in Vancouver catching up with friends and family, hopefully with a trip to Whistler somewhere in the mix. I’ve still got a ways to go with rehab so I’ll be getting myself to the gym as well.”
I’d like to thank Sean for his time, and wish him a speedy recovery. Keep up with Sean and his career via Twitter, also follow Rugby Canada at their Twitter and Website.
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Main Photo Credit: Scott Heavey via Zimbio.com
