Canadian men one loss away from relegation from elite rugby sevens circuit

MADRID — Canada’s men face an uphill battle to avoid relegation from the HSBC SVNS circuit after finishing bottom of its group Saturday.

After losses to Uruguay and Germany on Friday, Canada was beaten 14-7 by the U.S. on Saturday to finish fourth in Qualifier Pool A. They play unbeaten Spain, the Pool B winner, on Sunday with relegation from the 12-country elite rugby sevens series at stake.

It won’t be easy. Spain won all four meetings with Canada this season and looked rampant in dispatching Samoa 31-src on Saturday.

While Canada’s men fight for survival, the Canadian women had a banner day. They reached the semifinals of the eight-team championship bracket after upsetting Series leader New Zealand 26-17 and beating Britain 22-17 in extra time.

No. 5 Canada meets No. 3 France in one semifinal while No. 2 Australia faces No. 1 New Zealand in the other.

Canada’s men have lost 28 straight since a 33-17 victory over France on Dec. 1src in Cape Town to finish seventh on the second stop of the HSBC SVNS campaign.

Canada placed last on the other six stops, compiling a dismal 3-32-src over the seven events that preceded the season finale in Madrid. They were winless in Dubai, Perth, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Teams in the eight-team qualifier series cross over Sunday with A1 versus B4, 2A versus 3B, 3A versus 2B and 4A versus 1B. That translates into U.S. vers