Canadian U20 Women Claim Bronze at Junior PanAm Rugby 7s
It wasn’t the final most would have expected, that would have been a Canada v USA matchup for Gold and Silver but Brazil were the surprise team of the tournament defeating Canada in the semi-finals and USA in the finals. Brazil won Gold and USA Silver. In the men’s tournament it was Argentina Gold, Uruguay Silver and Chile Bronze. It would have been a good learning experience for a Canadian men’s U20 team.
Semi-final
Brazil 12-Canada 7
Bronze medal
Canada 24 – Argentina 0
Canada had trouble with discipline throughout the tournament and in the key semi-final match they picked up two yellow cards. Overall they picked up 5 yellow cards and 1 red card over the two day tournament, many of the calls were for high tackling. The officiating was inconsistent and some of the calls mysterious but it was a good lesson on playing and adapting to the level of officiating… and fine tuning tackle technique.
Canada With 3 Wins on Day 1 Face Brazil in Semi-Finals on Day 2
The Canadian women’s U20 team made the semi-finals at the Junior PanAm Games but it wasn’t an easy path. After blowing past Jamaica 53-0 they had to work hard for wins against Colombia 19-12 and Argentina 22-12. Adia Pye has been the standout, scoring in each match and accumulating 5 tries. Canada received a red in the Argentina game when Kiki Idowu received two yellows for high tackles. Canada face Brazil in one semi-final while USA face Argentina in the other semi. The Canada kick off is at 7:40am PT. The video channel is here and the results page is here.
Canadá 53 – Jamaica 0
(6:19) UMEH Zina
(4:14) NEWSOME Olivia
(1:59) STEVENSON Kennedi
(5:52) IDOWU Kiki
(4:47) UMEH Zina
(3:46) HOLMES Adelaide
(1:58) PYE Adia
(1:50) DOUGLAS Elle
(0:43) LAWAL Bomi
(0:00) KEMPF Kelsa
Canadá 19 – Colombia 12
(1:39) PYE Adia
(0:00) POETKER Ivy
(2:45) PYE Adia
Canadá 22 – Argentina 12
(5:53) STEVENSON Kennedi
(1:34) PYE Adia
(5:18) STEVENSON Kennedi
(2:06) PYE Adia
Canada Anounce Women’s U20 Team for Junior PanAm Games in Paraguay
It’s good to see two BC coaches in charge of the Canadian U20 7s team heading to Paraguay for the 2025 Junior PanAm Games. The coaches are Brittany Waters who is the coach of the UVic women’s program and Robin MacDowell who runs the MacDowell Rugby Academy.
There are a number of players who are from BC or play in BC, Ivy Poetker and Elle Douglas play for Westshore in the women’s BC Premier, Kiki Idowu and Adia Pye play for the UBC Thunderbirds, Kelsa Kempf plays for TWU, Olivia Newsome plays for CW.
This is the second Junior PanAm games, the first in 2021 didn’t included Rugby 7s so this is a first for the tournament. There’s no explanation of why there’s not a U20 men’s team announced, or entered. The USA also announced they will be entering a team.
In the 2023 Senior PanAm games the men won Bronze with Argentina claiming Gold and Chile Silver. In the women’s competition the USA won Gold, Canada Silver and Brazil Bronze.
from Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced Canada’s U20 women’s rugby sevens team nominated to compete at the Asunción 2025 Junior Pan American Games.
The Team Canada U20 women’s rugby sevens team for the Asunción 2025 Junior Pan American Games are:
1. Bomi Lawal (Calgary, AB) – Calgary Canadian Irish Rugby Club
2. Kiki Idowu (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Scottish/UBC Thunderbirds
3. Sarah (Jiggy) Schonfeld (Ottawa, ON) – Kingston Panthers
4. Olivia Newsome (Calgary, AB) – Lanark Highlanders / Calgary Saints
5. Adia Pye (Victoria, BC) – UBC Thunderbirds
6. Zina Umeh (Calgary, AB) – Canucks Rugby Club
7. Ivy Poetker (Calgary, AB) – Calgary Rams
8. Kennedi Stevenson (Georgetown, ON) – Brantford Harlequins
9. Adelaide Holmes (Waterloo, ON) – Guelph RFC
10. Charlotte Hilton (Fall River, NS) – Halifax Tars FC
11. Elle Douglas (Saskatoon, SK) – UVic Vikes
12. Kelsa Kempf (Langley, BC) – Trinity Western University
Non-Travelling Alternates
Delphine Champagne (Québec City, QC) – Club de Rugby de Québec
Lauren Cheng (Toronto, ON) – Aurora Barbarians
Guinevere O’Hara (Toronto, ON) – Aurora Barbarians
Grace Jenkins (Port Hope, ON) – Oshawa Vikings
Rugby Canada will participate in the Asunción 2025 Junior Pan American Games, with a Canadian U20 women’s sevens team coached by Brittany Waters and Robin MacDowell taking to the field at Paraguay’s Olympic Park.
“It is an incredible honour to be named the Head Coach of our Junior Pan American Games team and to work with a group of passionate and talented players and staff,” said Waters. “The Junior Pan American Games offer a unique and exciting opportunity to compete at an elite level, and to embrace the energy and spirit of a multi-sport event. Representing Canada on this stage will be an amazing experience for up-and-coming players as they continue their high-performance journey.”
The second-ever edition of the Junior Pan American Games will take place August 9 to 23, 2025, in Asunción, Paraguay, with more than 4000 athletes from 41 countries competing in 28 sports. This will be the first time that rugby sevens, which is scheduled for August 16 and 17, is included in this international multi-sport event for young rising athletes.
Rugby sevens will take place August 16-17 (Days 8 to 9) at Paraguay’s Olympic Park.
Team Canada’s U20 women’s rugby sevens team’s coaches and support staff for the Asunción 2025 Junior Pan American Games are:
Coaches
Brittany Waters (Vancouver, BC) – Head Coach
Robin MacDowell (Cowichan Bay, BC) – Assistant Coach
Support Staff
Aiyana Grubac (Cedar, BC) – Medical
Clarence Gay (Ajax, ON) – Strength & Conditioning Coach
More information on the Asuncion 2025 Junior Pan American Games can be found here, with the event streamed live on the Panam Sports Channel.
Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organisations.