It just gets better for the Langford-based Canadian women’s rugby sevens squad, which continues to find ways to top its achievements. A day after its pool results assured qualification for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, the Canadian team took it one step further Saturday by capturing the Amsterdam Sevens for its first-ever World Series tournament title.
Canada out-ran France 33-0 in the quarter-finals before edging the U.S. 19-14 in the semifinals and Australia 20-17 in the final.
Canada finished the six-event 2015 World Series, which included the Canada Sevens last month at Westhills Stadium in Langford, second overall in the standings, behind New Zealand. The top-four in the series standings — New Zealand, Canada, Australia and England — qualified for the Rio Olympics.
“[The result] reinforces for us that we have the right people on and off the field building towards next season’s goal of winning an Olympic gold medal,” said Canadian head coach John Tait of Victoria. “We won’t be complacent, either. We know we have lots of areas we can get better at and we will be raising our standards again, but for a night or so, we are going to just enjoy this achievement.”
It will indeed be a very compelling year of training at Westhills Stadium, building to Rio 2016.
Ghislaine Landry of Canada led the World Series in scoring with 301 points, so it was only fitting she scored the winning try in the last minute against the Aussies in the final.
HIGH SCHOOL: Overwhelming is about all you can say about the B.C. Triple-A top-ranked Shawnigan Lake Stags, who began the provincial playoffs Saturday with a 112-0 victory in the Sweet Sixteen over the 16th-ranked G.P. Vanier Towhees of Courtenay.
The Stags are after their sixth provincial title in seven years and are again playing attacking, innovative rugby.
“There is great pride in the program. That is why we do so well,” said Shawnigan coach Tim Murdy.
“There is no secret to what we do. We play an expansive game, which is possession-based with ball in hand.”
Fifth-ranked Oak Bay defeated No. 12 Terry Fox 39-24 in an intriguing match-up played at Brentwood College. It featured the Barbs’ pure rugby IQ against the raw tackle-sport athleticism of the big and physical Ravens, who have several players from their successful football program on their rugby team. “They [Ravens] kept coming at us,” Barbs coach Murray Allen said.
Oak Bay has a Grade 11-heavy roster, with pundits predicting a big season next year for the Barbs. But Allen said his message to his players is that the future starts now. Oak Bay’s quarter-final opponent is No. 4 Earl Marriott, which defeated the Barbs 10-9 earlier this season, and No. 13 Carson Graham 15-10 in its playoff opener Saturday.
The No. 8 Handsworth Royals edged the No. 9 Cowichan Thunderbirds 22-17 in competitive Sweet Sixteen-round game at Brentwood.
In the B.C. Double-A Sweet Sixteen fixtures Saturday at the Brentwood fields in Mill Bay, No. 2 St. Michaels University School blanked No. 15 Seacove from North Vancouver 20-0 while No. 6 Glenlyon-Norfolk also pitched the shutout in besting No. 11 Frances Kelsey 36-0 in an all-Island derby. Host and No. 8 Brentwood College beat No. 9 D.W. Poppy of Langley 26-19.
Saturday’s winners advanced to the B.C. quarter-finals Wednesday at Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford. The semifinals are Thursday and the finals next Saturday, also in Abbotsford.
JUNIOR WORLD CUP: The Canadian Under-20 team — featuring University of Victoria Vikes players Guiseppe du Toit, Qualicum Beach’s Ollie Nott and Port Alberni’s Luke Bradley — meets Georgia in the championship final for the second-tier nations in Lisbon today.
