Canada Women Qualify for Olympics; Men Take the Repechage Path
As expected the women had an easy time of the North American Olympic qualifying as the USA had prequalified and weren’t at the tournament. Also as expected the men would have difficulty getting past USA. The men will have to win the repechage tournament in order to qualify.
from Rugby Canada
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics with a 53-0 win over Mexico in the final of the 2023 Rugby Americas North Sevens.
Following three round robin wins on Saturday at Starlight Stadium in Langford, BC, Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team faced St. Lucia in the semi-finals. Julia Greenshields opened scoring, with Sophie de Goede doubling the score to 10-0 moments later. Two tries from Fancy Bermudez and two conversions from Olivia Apps helped Canada to a 24-0 lead at half-time.
St. Lucia became the only the team in the tournament to score on Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team in the second half. With Canada up 31-0 after a try from Krissy Scurfield, St. Lucia fended off Canada’s defence to score between the uprights. Chloe Daniels also added five points for Canada, with Justine Pelletier scoring her first career international sevens try to put the final score at 41-7.
“A few points on the board, a few missed tackles. I mean, we really wanted to keep that zero points against us and that didn’t happen, so I think we’re coming into this final really ferocious,” said Apps. “It all comes to playing as a collective and staying in the process. We did a really good job yesterday of punishing [Mexico] on their turnovers and scoring a lot on first phases, so we want some aggressive line speed, and when we get the ball in hand we need to be clinical and get the ball out wide.”
The women’s final featured another standout offensive and defensive performance from Canada, who shut out Mexico 53-0 with tries from Scurfield (2), Bermudez (1), Maddy Grant (2), Asia Hogan-Rochester (3) and Florence Symonds (1).
“I think we played some really good rugby in that final, and we were so connected,” said Head Coach Jack Hanratty. “I think we’ve been creative [with preparation] over the last couple weeks and that final, some of the style that we played was awesome. I’m just really proud and relieved that this group of people that we get to see every day get to enjoy a moment like this with their friends and family in a home stadium.”
With this win, Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team took the gold medal, becoming the first Canadian team (from a team sport) to qualify for Paris 2024.
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team will now look to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics through the Final Olympic Repechage Tournament (date and location still to be announced), following a 24-14 loss to the United States.
The team started out the day with a 54-5 win over Mexico in the semi-finals, having skipped the quarter-finals after finishing first in Pool B on Saturday. David Richard opened scoring, with tries from Lockie Kratz and Jack Carson helping Canada to a 21-0 score at half-time.
Ethan Hager continued his strong debut performance with Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team with a hat trick. Elias Ergas, who entered Sunday’s line-up in place of Cooper Coats, contributed two tries, while Kratz converted seven of Canada’s eight tries.
“It’s all about building for the next one,” Elias Hancock said of the learnings from Saturday’s games. “I think our connection [felt good today]. We might have gotten a little caught up in the crowd yesterday, but now I think that on day two we’re really dialled in, we know what to expect and we’re ready to put on a show. To actually have this in our hometown at the facility that we train at where our friends and family are all at, it’s just a blessing, and we really are so lucky to be able to do this in front of our friends and family.”
The tournament’s two undefeated men’s teams met in the final to determine who would earn qualification to the Olympics, Canada and the United States. The Americans scored first after a nail-biting opening few minutes, touching the ball down in the corner to go up 5-0. Following several phases of play in Canada’s end, Kratz found space to sprint down the field, dishing the ball off to Hancock to tie the game. A conversion from Kratz gave Canada a 7-5 lead.
In the final minute of the first half however, the USA’s Perry Baker broke away to regain the lead for his team, with the United States leading 12-7 at half-time. The Americans further doubled their score in the second half, with the final try of the game belonging to Canada’s Alex Russell, converted by Kratz. With a final score of 24-14, the United States qualified for Paris 2024, with Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team taking the silver medal.
“We were a little off the mark and it comes down to the bounce of the ball, a missed tackle here and there, and we didn’t get enough today. It comes down to execution,” said interim Head Coach Sean White. “We battled all last year to win the [World Rugby Sevens Series] relegation tournament and we’ll aim to do that again, and when we get to the repechage we’ll take care of that challenge.”
All scores and standings from the 2023 Rugby Americas North Sevens can be found on the Rugby Americas North website here.
*Canada Women Cruise Through Day 1; Men Get Competition from Jamaica*
Before the tournament began it was anticipated there was only going to be one competitive game in the tournament, that was the men’s Canada v USA match. On the women’s side that proved to be true with USA not in the tournament, Canada breezed through and likely will on Day 2 as well. The men however got a bit of a scare from Jamaica with a close 21-12 win. The USA finished first in Pool A with a +102 point differential, Canada finished first in Pool B with a +47 point differential. The two are likely to meet in the final.
from Rugby Canada
Canada’s Women’s and Men’s Sevens Teams moved one step closer to qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics on Saturday at Starlight Stadium in Langford, BC, winning all their round robin games ahead of Sunday’s semi-finals.
Fancy Bermudez got things started for Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team, scoring halfway into the first half against St. Lucia. Followed by tries from Sophie de Goede and Alysha Corrigan, Canada held a 21-0 lead at half-time. The second half was highlighted by a hat trick from Krissy Scurfield, with Corrigan also scoring her second of the match, and Asia Hogan-Rochester and Florence Symonds collecting their firsts of the tournament. Captain Olivia Apps and Breanne Nicholas combined to convert seven of Canada’s nine tries.
“Playing at home always has kind of the first game jitters, so it’s nice to get those out, and we finished on our terms and how we wanted to finish, so we’re happy with the win,” said Corrigan. “I liked the tempo we played with. It was kind of a rough start so we’re going to want to clean up that going into next game, but how we finished with the tempo, we got some points on the board, so we’re happy with that.”
Canada’s scoring spree continued in the second game, with the Canadians taking a 27-0 lead at half-time due to tries from Symonds, de Goede, Scurfield, and Maddy Grant. Hogan-Rochester and Nicholas added to Canada’s tally before Jamaica put together one final push into Canada’s half. Jamaica was unable to score, with the ball eventually making its way into the hands of Chloe Daniels, who ran the full length of the field to increase Canada’s lead to 46-0. Apps, who kicked all four of Canada’s conversions, scored the final try of the 53-0 win.
“Our first game started a bit slow, a bit sloppy, and we worked on our discipline, our sense of urgency,” said Julia Greenshields. “I think that really came through in the second game, and we hope to carry that on in the third and of course to the gold medal game.”
Not allowing a single try against on day one, Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team won their final game of the day by a score of 82-0, with multi-try performances from Grant, Symonds, Bermudez, and Scurfield.
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team finishes at the top of the standings following round robin play, and will now meet fourth-ranked St. Lucia in the semi-finals.
Cooper Coats, returning to competition following recovery from injury, opened scoring for Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team versus Barbados, later converting tries from Alex Russell and Ethan Hager to put the score at 19-0 at half-time. Hager’s try was his first ever for Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team in what was his first international sevens appearance. Second half tries from David Richard, Elias Hancock and Coats, along with conversions from Lockie Kratz and Coats, gave Canada a 38-0 win.
“We came out in the first two minutes and took care of what we wanted to in the beginning, which was setting the tempo early and taking care of the little details. I think we got away from that a touch, but a quick chat at half-time and we got back on board,” said interim Head Coach Sean White. “We just keep going game to game, detail to detail, and looking to take care of what we can in each given game.”
Hager scored yet again, converted by Coats, in Canada’s match against Jamaica. An offload from Kratz to captain Phil Berna, with Kratz adding the conversion, further increased Canada’s lead to 14-0 at half-time, but Jamaica struck shortly after, closing the gap to 14-12. Canada confirmed their win moments later however, with a run down the field by Russell, who offloaded the ball to Brock Webster for the try, which Webster also converted to give Canada the 21-12 win.
“From our lessons from Toulouse and London, those high pressure games—[for example] we were down 19-7 against Uruguay [in London] with three minutes to go in the second half, and we figured a way to crawl back—I think that’s sort of a testament to the team,” Russell said of playing games with tighter scores. “Finding the ability to get the job done in the hard moments. So I’m pretty proud of the boys for a full 14 minute performance, and we’ll learn from it.”
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team finished pool play at the top of Pool B, and will skip quarter-finals and progress straight to the semi-finals, their opponent still to be determined.
Rugby Americas North Sevens continues tomorrow, Sunday August 20, with Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team playing St. Lucia in the semi-finals at 1:35 p.m. PT / 4:35 p.m. ET and Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team playing the winner of the Mexico vs Barbados quarter-final in the semi-finals at 2:02 p.m. PT / 5:02 p.m. ET. The gold medal games are set for 4:28 p.m. PT / 7:28 p.m. ET (women’s final) and 5:28 p.m. PT / 8:28 p.m. ET (men’s final), the winners of which will qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
All scores and standings can be found on the Rugby Americas North website here.
Broadcast coverage is available in Canada via CBC. The full tournament is available to stream via cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app, and the free CBC Gem streaming service, with live and highlight television coverage tomorrow, August 20, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. PT / 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET.
A limited number of tickets are still available for purchase for Sunday at rugby.ca/en/tickets. Questions regarding ticket purchases can be directed to tickets@rugby.ca.
*Olympic Qualifier Update: Ethan Hager Replaces Josiah Morra; Men’s and Women’s Rosters Listed*
Men’s Update
Hailing from Brantford, Ontario and representing the Brantford Harlequins Rugby Club, Ethan Hager is set to make his international sevens debut at the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens, the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifier taking place this weekend, August 19-20 in Langford, BC. Hager joins the roster after veteran Josiah Morra was ruled out due to injury.
“Ethan’s recent experience in high-level competition, dedication and hardworking attitude has earned him this opportunity with our team,” said Interim Head Coach of Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team, Sean White. “Our entire coaching staff has been so impressed with how hard he works throughout every training session. We look forward to seeing the impact he can have on the field this weekend.”
A former player with the University of Victoria Vikes, Hager will bring plenty of experience to Canada’s squad despite this tournament being his international debut with Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team. The 6’2” winger was a first-round pick in the 2022 MLR draft, selected eighth overall by the Dallas Jackals.
Most recently, the Brantford native was playing with the Steeltoes Rugby Club in the Premier Rugby Sevens competition, with the club claiming the league’s Eastern Conference title in July before falling just short in the PR7s championship game.
Earlier in 2023, Hager was named to a Rugby Canada Maple Leaf West 7s that competed in the Men’s Elite Division at the LA Seven Invitational Tournament in February. At the tournament he played alongside players with experience from Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, Brennig Prevost, Anton Ngongo and Max Stewart. The Western Canadian side competed against development squads from Japan, USA, France and Ireland.
While attending the University of Victoria from 2017 to 2022, Hager collected a bronze medal at the 2018 Canadian University Rugby Championships before capturing a gold medal the following season and was named to the 2019 Canadian University All-Star Team. Hager was also named to Canada’s FISU Men’s 7s Roster that same year, competing in Napoli Italy against the top university and collegiate players from around the world.
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team opens the 2024 Olympic Qualifying tournament in Langford on Saturday August 19 at 10:52 a.m. PT versus St. Vincent & The Grenadines. Canada will conclude pool play on the same day with games against Barbados at 1:58 p.m. PT and Jamaica at 4:42 p.m. PT.
The top two teams from each men’s pool will then play in the semi-finals on Sunday August 20, with the winners progressing to the gold medal final, which will determine the team that will earn a spot at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Women’s Team
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team for Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens, the rugby sevens Paris 2024 Qualification Event taking place August 19-20 in Langford, BC, has been named by Head Coach Jack Hanratty.
The team was selected following a two-weekend international summer showcase on Vancouver Island featuring Canada, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong, and is captained by Olivia Apps. Three players on the roster looking to qualify Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team for a third Olympic Games are Olympians from Canada’s Tokyo 2020 squad: Apps, Breanne Nicholas and Julia Greenshields.
Also playing in Langford will be seven players who recently competed with Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team in Ottawa against New Zealand and Australia for the Pacific Four Series. This includes Apps, Florence Symonds, Fancy Bermudez, Alysha Corrigan, and Maddy Grant. The captains of Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team have also been named to the roster, with this being the second international sevens tournament for Sophie de Goede and the first for Justine Pelletier.
Asia Hogan Rochester returns to competition with Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team having missed the majority of the 2023 season due to injury.
“This has been a date on our minds and marked in our calendars for months,” said Hanratty. “We have had a brilliant, competitive few weeks. Although we will have 12 players take the field, we had 40 players between the Maple Leaf Academy and the senior squad in our environment during this period whose work and commitment has been unquestioned. We pride ourselves in being an Olympic program and Paris is where we want to be next summer. Our goal is to punch our ticket there at Starlight Stadium.”
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team opens the tournament versus Mexico on Saturday August 19 at 11:36 a.m. PT / 2:36 p.m. ET, followed by match-ups with St. Lucia at 2:20 p.m. PT / 5:20 p.m. ET and Jamaica at 5:26 p.m. PT / 8:26 p.m. ET. Round robin play will conclude on Sunday August 20 with Canada playing St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 2:14 p.m. PT / 5:14 p.m. ET. The top two women’s teams following round robin play will progress to the gold medal final, the winner of which will earn a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Tickets start at $40 for a full weekend pass and $25 for a single day ticket and are available for purchase at rugby.ca/en/tickets. Questions regarding ticket purchases can be directed to tickets@rugby.ca. For more information on suites, please contact suites@rugby.ca.
Broadcast coverage will be available in Canada via CBC. The full tournament will be available to stream via cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports all, and the free CBC Gem streaming service, with live and highlight television coverage from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. PT / 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET on August 19 and 20.
Media accreditation applications are currently open here. Questions regarding media accreditation can be directed to media@rugby.ca.
CANADA’S WOMEN’S SEVENS TEAM
2. Krissy Scurfield (Canmore, AB) – University of Victoria
3. Justine Pelletier (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec / Stade Bordelais
4. Breanne Nicholas (Blenheim, ON) – Kent Havoc RFC
5. Julia Greenshields (Sarnia, ON) – Sarnia Saints
7. Florence Symonds (Hong Kong) – University of British Columbia
10. Fancy Bermudez (Edmonton, AB) – NorWester Athletic Association / Westshore RFC
15. Sophie de Goede (Victoria, BC) – Castaway Wanderers RFC
16. Alysha Corrigan (Charlottetown, PEI) – CRFC
21. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Lindsay RFC
24. Asia Hogan Rochester (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Nomads RFC
33. Maddy Grant (Cornwall, ON) – University of Ottawa
77. Chloe Daniels (Sutton, ON) – Aurora Barbarians / Queen’s University
Men’s Team
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team for Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens, the rugby sevens Paris 2024 Qualification Event taking place August 19-20 in Langford, BC, has been named by interim Head Coach Sean White.
Tokyo 2020 Olympian Phil Berna captains the team, which includes 10 players who helped Canada win the 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series Play-off final this May with a thrilling 12-7 victory over Kenya. Cooper Coats returns to competition following recovery from injury, having last played at the Hong Kong Sevens last November.
Three players on the roster, Berna, Coats and Josiah Morra, played in the previous edition of RAN Sevens, which was hosted in the Cayman Islands in July 2019 and qualified Canada for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with their win over Jamaica in the final.
“I’m continually impressed by our group,” said White. “Their effort level, attention to detail, and consistent willingness to make the small adjustments in training allow them to grow as a collective. We’ve had this date circled on our calendar for over a year now. To host it in front of our home crowd, family and friends is going to be special. We’re ready to take the challenge head-on.”
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team opens the tournament in Pool B versus St. Vincent & The Grenadines on Saturday August 19 at 10:52 a.m. PT before playing Barbados at 1:58 p.m. PT and Jamaica at 4:42 p.m. PT. The top two teams from each men’s pool will then play in the semi-finals on Sunday August 20, with the winners progressing to the gold medal final, which will determine the team that will earn a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Tickets start at $40 for a full weekend pass and $25 for a single day ticket and are available for purchase at rugby.ca/en/tickets. Questions regarding ticket purchases can be directed to tickets@rugby.ca. For more information on suites, please contact suites@rugby.ca.
Broadcast coverage will be available in Canada via CBC. The full tournament will be available to stream via cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app, and the free CBC Gem streaming service, with live and highlight television coverage from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. PT / 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET on August 19 and 20.
Media accreditation applications are currently open here. Questions regarding media accreditation can be directed to media@rugby.ca.
CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM
4. Phil Berna (Vancouver, BC) – Vancouver Rowing Club
5. Alex Russell (Chichester, ENG) – McGill University
6. Josiah Morra (Toronto, ON) – Castaway Wanderers / Toronto Saracens
7. Brock Webster (Uxbridge, ON) – Oshawa Vikings RFC
8. Cooper Coats (Halifax, NS) – Halifax Tars
12. David Richard (Milton, ON) – Mississauga Blues RFC
19. Matthew Oworu (Calgary, AB) – Pacific Pride
23. Thomas Isherwood (Okotoks, AB) – Foothills Lions RFC
33. Kal Sager (Peterborough, ON) – Peterborough Pagans / Trent University
44. Lockie Kratz (Victoria, BC) – Castaway Wanderers / NOLA Gold
64. Elias Hancock (Ottawa, ON) – Bytown Blues
99. Jack Carson (Victoria, BC) – University of British Columbia
*Olympic Qualifier August 19-20 in Langford: Schedule and Ticket Link*
from BCRU
Come out to Rugby Sevens Paris 2024 Qualification Event at Starlight Stadium on August 19-20 and cheer on the BC players on Canada’s Men’s and Women’s Sevens Teams!
The weather next weekend is looking perfect for two full days of rugby, beer gardens, food trucks, fan entertainment, DJs and more. Secure your tickets NOW for just $25.
The top-placed women’s team and top-placed men’s team of this two-day tournament will qualify for Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Be there to cheer on Canada’s Women’s and Men’s Sevens Teams in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to qualify for Paris 2024 on home soil!
Tickets are sold as single day tickets or weekend passes. View the full tournament schedule HERE