Lethbridge’s Steacy set to retire

Veteran Ashley Steacy, a cornerstone of the Canadian women’s rugby sevens team, will play her final tournament at the Clermont-Ferrand Sevens later this month.

The 29-year-old from Lethbridge, Alta., is retiring after the event, the final stop on the six-event HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series. She will be looking to leave on a winning note, helping Canada defend the title it won last year in France.

Coach John Tait says Steacy, a pocket dynamo at five foot two and 145 pounds, has left her mark on the Canadian team.

“She’s been around since Day 1, a pretty important part of the team,” Tait said Wednesday after naming his team. “A quiet leader.”

Steacy often marshalled the Canada defence, hitting with a ferocity that belies her size.

After Rio, she remained in the program but was no longer part of the centralized training squad in Victoria. Instead she opted to return home to her home and husband in Alberta, training on her own between events.

Steacy, who has served as captain of the sevens squad, earned her first caps for Canada with both the sevens and 15-woman team a decade ago.

A two-time Canadian university player of the year, she played in the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2009 and 2013 and at the Rugby World Cup in 2010. Steacy also helped Canada win sevens gold at the 2015 PanAmerican Games and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Canada, which was runnerup to New Zealand last month in Langford, B.C., is currently tied with Australia in the overall World Series standings with 82 points.