Veteran poised to make rugby history for Canadians
Canada women's rugby coach Kevin Rouet has named his roster for the Pacific Four Series with veteran forward Tyson Beukeboom poised to enter the Canadian record book.
The 33-year-old lock from Uxbridge, Ont., who goes into the four-team tournament with 65 caps, can surpass Gillian Florence (67 caps) as Canada's most-capped women's rugby player of all time.
The fourth-ranked Canadian women will hold a camp in Langford before leaving for Los Angeles to play the ninth-ranked United States on April 28.
The team then flies to Australia to face the fifth-ranked Wallaroos on May 11 in Sydney before taking on the World Cup champion New Zealand Black Ferns, currently ranked second in the world, on May 19 in Christchurch.
For the second year in a row, the Pacific Four Series will serve as qualifier for WXV 1, with the top three teams advancing to the elite tier of the three-division WXV tournament.
Canada was runner-up at last year's Pacific Four tournament, defeating the U.S. 50-7 in Madrid before coming home to Ottawa where it downed Australia 45-7 and lost 52-21 to New Zealand in front of a Canadian women's record crowd of 10,092 at TD Place
“Since we hosted the Pacific Four Series in Ottawa last year, our team has continued to grow and develop with a very strong group of core players as we prepare to qualify for WXV and as we look forward to the 2025 Rugby World Cup,” Rouet said in a statement.
Sports runs in the Beukeboom family.
Tyson's father, Jeff Beukeboom, played 13 seasons in the NHL with Edmonton and the New York Rangers. He won three Stanley Cups with the Oilers (1987, '88 and '90) and one with the Rangers (1994).
Her brother Brock played in the ECHL and abroad in Austria, Denmark and Scotland.
Cousins Brett and Matt Beukeboom both represented Canada in rugby. Their father, John Beukeboom, won the 1979 Memorial Cup as a defenceman with the Peterborough Petes. An eighthround draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, he went on to spend six seasons in the minors, where he collected more than 1,000 penalty minutes.
Two other cousins played on the Canadian women's water polo team.
Olivia Apps, Fancy Bermudez, Pamphinette Buisa, Sabrina Poulin and captain Sophie de Goede join the Canada squad after representing Canada at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens last weekend.
Olivia DeMerchant (57 caps), Alex Tessier (48 caps) and Brittany Kassil (38 caps) are also closing in on cap milestones for Canada.