Maple Leafs Win NextGen Tournament – Scores & Day 1 Photo Gallery
Canada East go into Day 2 in the lead with a 3-0 record. Photos from Day 1 can be viewed at this link.
Canada East 19 – Maple Leafs 17
Canada West 34 – USA 7
Canada East 31 – USA 10
Maple Leafs 19 – Canada West 12
Canada East 32 – Canada West 14
Maple Leafs 28 – USA 14
Canada East 3-0
Maple Leafs 2-1
Canada West 1-2
USA 0-3
Day 2 semi-finals take place at Starlight Stadium with #1 Canada East taking on #4 USA and #2 Maple Leafs taking on #3 Canada West.
Semi-finals
Maple Leafs 24 – Canada West 14
Canada East 12 – USA 5
3rd/4th match
Canada West 22 – USA 5
1st/2nd
Maple Leafs 19 – Canada East 14
*NextGen Women’s Tournament on Friday Includes Canada East, Canada West, Maple Leaf Academy and USA Academy: ROSTERS & SCHEDULE*
[ed. we’ve heard the venue has been changed from Westshore to UVic, this is now confirmed. The high school list is also changed, we’ve posted the revised schedule below.]
In March, Rugby Canada announced the NextGen tournament (see story below), it’s happening tomorrow at the Westshore Rugby Club UVic. It has been integrated with a high school girls 7s tournament that includes Royal Bay, Isfeld, SMUS, Stelly’s, Oak Bay, Claremont, Esquimalt, Belmont and QMS.
The schedule is below as are the rosters for the Canadian teams. There is a USA team listed, we assume it’s an academy team but we don’t know much about its composition.
SCHEDULE (updated April 28th 7pm)
ROSTERS
Maple Leaf Academy (on Schedule as ML)
Players:
Eden Kilgour
Ella O’Regan
Emilie Merilainen
Krissy Scurfield
Larah Wright
Lucie Romeo
Maya Addai
Shaylaya Valenzuela
Summer Blackmore
Talia Hoffman
Faith Tilley
Kelly Russell – Head Coach
Mandy Marchak – Assistant Coach
Laura Schrader – Therapist
Jenn Joyce – S & C
West Selects (on schedule as CAN 1)
Players:
Angie Olukunmi
Carissa Norsten
Cassie Joregenson
Maelle Reed
Taejah Thompson
Melina Ioannides
Bethany Cudmore
Shoshanah Seumanutafa
Savanah Bauder
Piper Logan
Bronwyn Dormaar
Staff:
Chelsea Ross – Head Coach
Emma Delory – Assistant Coach
Aiyanna Grubac – Therapist
East Selects (on schedule as CAN 2)
Players:
Alex Ondo
Carmen Izyk
Corinne Frechette
Kendra Cousineau
Laura Guay
Madison Grant
Mahalia Robinson
Kyla Warren
Siobhan Sheerin
Taylor Black
Justine Blatt-Janmatt
Staff:
Jocelyn Barrieau – Head Coach
Mitch Francois – Assistant Coach
from Rugby Canada (March 31st)
Rugby Canada is delighted to confirm the return of the NextGen Womens Sevens tournament and the coaching staff of the three Canadian teams taking part, all of which will be led by female head coaches.
The event will get underway at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre on Friday, April 29 followed by the play-off rounds at Starlight Stadium in Langford, BC on Saturday, April 30, aligning with the first day of the HSBC Canada Womens Sevens. Tickets for the HSBC Canada Women’s Sevens event can be purchased here.
The NextGen tournament will provide much-needed, high-level competition for up-and-coming talent spread across three Canadian teams and one team from the United States. The event will also provide Rugby Canadas National Senior Womens Sevens Interim Head Coach, Jack Hanratty, with ample opportunity to identify players for the National Program development pathway.
Jocelyn Barrieau to lead Canada East Selects
The Canada East Selects will be led by Jocelyn Barrieau, Head Coach of Concordia University. She will be assisted by Head Coach of the Montreal Carabins, Mitch Francois. A former player, Barrieau has been coaching in Quebec for many years and has played a crucial role in the programs success. She will also coach Team Quebec at the upcoming Canada Summer Games in April.
Im so excited to be able to support the development of rugby in our country by coaching this talented group of athletes, Barrieau said. The fact that we can mirror the HSBC Canada Womens Sevens tournament and give our next generation of athletes a side-by-side experience with the world’s best is great foresight and planning from the team at Rugby Canada.”
‘I’m really looking forward to this opportunity to work with the next generation of Canadian rugby superstars, Francois added. I think we have gathered an exciting crop of hungry and talented athletes for this tournament, and I am looking forward to seeing how they do in this context.’
The East Selects will include representation from five universities in Eastern Canada. Many of its players were identified through 15s competitions held in the Fall and through the NexGen Sevens camp run in early March.
Chelsea Ross to take charge of Canada West Selects
The Canada West Selects will be led by Chelsea Ross, coach of the University of Alberta Pandas, who will be assisted by Daniel Valley, coach of Queens University and former National U18s Womens 15s Head Coach.
Ross has also been named as Head Coach for the Alberta team heading to the Canada Summer Games. She was a recent recipient of a professional development bursary and is relishing the chance to work with a team full of talent. She said: To get to coach and build connection with the athletes and staff will be an invaluable experience.”
Coming off a U Sports National Championship with Queens Gaels, Valley added: “Im excited to work with this group of athletes and to build depth and capacity in the future. Its a great chance for U Sports student-athletes to showcase the quality of development that is happening coast to coast.”
This will be the first competition for the Maple Leaf Academy since they transitioned from a U19 program to a university-targeted age group. Head Coach Kelly Russell will be joined by longtime teammate and recent Rugby Canada Hall of Fame Inductee Mandy Marchak on the coaching staff.
Rugby Canada and the National Senior Womens Sevens Program are proud to support this tournament and are looking forward to seeing these teams showcase their on-field abilities.