Season of rebuilding sees Canada’s Senior Women’s Sevens team conclude HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in 7th place

In a season of rebuilding and with a squad comprised of new, up-and-coming players, Canada’s Senior Women’s Sevens team, presented by Velocity Trade, concluded the 2022 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in an impressive 7th place in the standings.

Following the retirement of some of the best Women’s Sevens players in the world from the program, 12 players were handed HSBC Sevens Series debuts for Canada’s Senior Women’s Sevens team and six graduates of the Maple Leaf Academy featured on the roster during the season.

Head Coach Jack Hanratty was appointed on an interim basis in October ahead of the series kicking off with a double header in Dubai, where the Canadian team sealed back-to-back 8th-place finishes to rack up 12 points in total.

The squad then travelled to Malaga, Spain in January and reached the 5th-place play-off after beating Poland in the semi-final. A loss to Ireland meant they finished 6th and collected 10 points heading into their next event in Seville the following weekend. There, Canada reached the Cup quarter-finals and, thanks to a 21-5 victory over Spain in a play-off, eventually finished 7th.

Hanratty’s squad had to wait three months for their next chance to compete on the series. Although, during that gap, they did seal Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 qualification as they won the RAN Sevens Qualifiers in Nassau, Bahamas.

The penultimate Women’s event of the season saw the team return home for the HSBC Canada Women’s Sevens at Starlight Stadium in Langford, BC. It was there that the squad enjoyed its best tournament of the year as, in front of a passionate home crowd, they beat the USA 12-7 in the 5th-place play-off, earning a season-high 12 points.

Canada concluded their campaign at the France Sevens in Toulouse, where they finished 6th after beating the USA in the 5th-place semi-final before losing narrowly to France in the play-off. That meant the team finished the season on 40 points.

“When we sit and reflect on the season, we have a lot to feel proud about,” said Hanratty. “We had to find the team’s new identity and learn the strengths of the new franchise. The season is ending as we have really started to gather momentum and it’s with these positives which we will build on ahead the Commonwealth Games and the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.”

He continued: “We’ve worked really hard on developing this exciting, new group and have seen that translate into strong displays on the pitch. I’m so proud of all the players for the effort levels and performances they have put in over the course of the season.”

Click here to see the final HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series Women’s standings.

Canada’s Senior Women’s Sevens team receives HSBC Sevens Fair Play Award

Canada’s Senior Women’s Sevens team was named recipients of this year’s HSBC Sevens Series Fair Play Award at the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 Award ceremony on Sunday.

Taking place at the Centre des Congres in Toulouse, the event recognized players and teams for their achievements over the course of the 2022 season. Award winners were selected by the World Rugby Sevens Series Awards panel, comprised of former international sevens players and series commentators.

The Fair Play Award was selected by match officials and recognizes the team that showcases rugby’s values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect.

“Of course, positive results are what we are striving for on the field and are what the Canadian rugby community should expect of our high performance programs,” Hanratty commented. “In a season of development, being able to explore the game while in-keeping with its values is something that our team should take real pride in and hopefully we are setting an example for the next generation of rugby players in Canada to play the right way."

2022 CANADA’S SENIOR WOMEN’S SEVENS HSBC WORLD RUGBY SEVENS SERIES STAT LEADERS*

Most points scored: Breanne Nicholas (69)
Most tries scored: Krissy Scurfield (8)
Most conversions: Breanne Nicholas (27)
Most tackles made: Olivia De Couvreur (46.0)
Most runs made:  Breanne Nicholas (84.0)
Most matches played: Olivia Apps (33)

*Stats taken from the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series website, www.world.rugby/sevens-series.

PLAYERS WHO MADE HSBC WORLD RUGBY SEVENS SERIES DEBUTS FOR CANADA’S SENIOR WOMEN’S SEVENS TEAM IN 2022 SEASON

Sabrina Poulin
Fancy Bermudez
Chloe Daniels
Olivia De Couvreur
Asia Hogan Rochester
Renee Gonzalez
Nakisa Levale
Krissy Scurfield
Alexandra Tessier
Alysha Corrigan
Florence Symonds
Ella O’Regan