Canada drawn with South Africa, Ireland and Kenya at HSBC Los Angeles Sevens

Canada has been drawn with South Africa, Ireland and Kenya in Pool B at the HSBC Los Angeles Sevens.

Formerly held in Las Vegas, the U.S. stop on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series runs Feb. 29 to March 1.

The Canadian men stand 10th in the overall standings after finishing fifth and 10th at tournaments in New Zealand and Australia.

New Zealand tops the table after four events with South Africa second. The Blitzboks won in Dubai and finished runner-up in Cape Town and Sydney, Australia.

Ireland stands ninth and Kenya 11th.

The host U.S. will be looking to win a third straight title on home soil. The event is being held at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, south of Los Angeles. The stadium is earmarked to host rugby sevens in the 2028 Olympic Games.

The Americans are in Pool C with Australia, Samoa and Scotland.

Pool A features Olympic champion Fiji, France, Argentina and South Korea, which is the invitational team in Los Angeles. New Zealand is in Pool D with England, Spain and Wales.

In a repeat of last year's format, the top two teams in each pool qualify for the quarterfinals. Teams finishing in the bottom two in the groups play for positions nine to 16 on Day 2 of the tournament.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2020.

The Canadian Press

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