Canada’s sevens women win bronze
The Langford-based Canadian rugby sevens teams discovered just why the Fijian men and Australian women stood atop the Olympic podium last summer in Rio de Janeiro.
The 2016 Olympic bronzemedallist Canadian women were beaten 26-19 by the Aussies in the USA Sevens semifinals Saturday in Las Vegas. Canada, however, regrouped to win the bronze medal with a 31-7 victory over the host United States to entrench its No. 3 world ranking.
The 12th-ranked Canadian men did well in Sin City to make the quarter-finals of the USA Sevens before meeting their match in the lightning-quick Fijians, who sprinted to a 31-12 victory to relegate Canada to the consolation side of the NBCbroadcast tournament today.
The Aussie women avenged their stinging semifinal loss at home to the eventual-champion Canadians last month in the Sydney Sevens. Canada, however, could be fairly satisfied with its USA Sevens bronze medal Saturday after going 3-0 in pool play and blanking France 33-0 in the quarter-finals.
“We played some really good rugby,” Canadian coach John Tait of Mill Bay said in a statement.
“We just made a few too many mistakes against Australia and they showed their class and why they are gold medal Olympic champions. They punish you for errors. I was pleased with the way we came back and responded with a really good performance against the U.S.”
Canadian captain Ghislaine Landry led the tournament in scoring with 66 points and now heads the entire World Series season with 131 points.
“Every game, except for our semifinal, was a really good team performance,” the fleet Landry. said. “We’re looking to win gold. It’s such a competitive series. [We] made too many mistakes in the semifinal and it cost us.”
Caroline Crossley of Victoria, a 19-year-old Oak Bay grad, scored her first two international tries Saturday.
On the men's side, the 2017 USA Sevens will be remembered for John Moonlight surpassing Phil Mack of Victoria to become Canada’s all-time men’s caps leader with 53.
The Canucks finished 2-1 in pool play with wins over Wales and France after an opening loss to Rio Olympics bronze-medallist South Africa.
Ring Road meets The Strip as there is a heavy University of Victoria flavour to the Canada roster in Vegas with Vikes players or alumni Luke Bradley of Port Alberni, Pat Kay of Duncan, Lucas Hammond, Nathan Hirayama and Isaac Kay playing.
The Blue Jags are also well represented with St. Michaels University School grads and Castaway Wanderers Mike Fuailefau, who scored the gamewinning try against Wales at the death, and Luke McCloskey playing for Canada.
Both the 10-event men’s and six-event women’s 2016-17 World Series seasons feature Canadian stops.
The men’s Canada Sevens is next Saturday and Sunday at B.C. Place, with more than 33,000 fans to be in attendance each day. The women’s Canada Sevens is May 27-28 at Westhills Stadium in Langford.