National Women’s XVs – April 2023

National Women’s XVs Program Co-ordinates Coast to Coast Regional Selection Matches

While the men’s XVs program continues to flounder, the women’s XVs program is moving from strength to strength with the latest announcement of selection and talent ID matches from coast to coast.

Kudos have to go to head coach Kevin Rouet who seems to have a plan to sustain the #4 world ranked team. He’s got the age grade competitions rejuvenated and now has the provincial unions on board to run regional competitions that he will use as a selection tool. Last year before the World Cup he brought the top 50 players to Halifax to compete for World Cup positions. He seems to be doing everything right, utilizing the resources available to him in Canada.

In comparison the men’s XVs is languishing in inaction. They missed the World Cup for the first time in their history. They brought in a high profile out of country coach who didn’t have a clue about the Canadian rugby landscape. He based his entire selection strategy on a Tier 2 pro league and the results were almost predictable. Rugby Canada doubled down on that strategy recently bringing in more out of country support staff for the Arrows, the only Canadian based team in that league. Their 80-5 loss last week has further eroded the little faith that remained in the national men’s XVs program leadership team and their strategy.

Kudos to the women’s XVs program, they have a strategic coach with a plan and an iconic on field leader in Sophie de Goede. The future is looking bright for them.

from Rugby Canada

With the upcoming selection announcements for Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team and Canada’s Women’s U23 Team, Rugby Canada will use a series of regional competitions taking place across Canada from April to June as selection tool to form the roster for both squads.

The regional competitions for the provincial senior women’s programming, organized by the provincial unions, is set to begin on April 23.

On the west coast, two BC regional teams – BC Gold and BC Blue – will battle in a two-game series. In Alberta, two squads will be formed between players in the north and south regions of the province for a pair of games in May. Ontario and Quebec have created a competition structure that will see representative sides from Ontario West, Ontario East, Montreal and Quebec City face-off for a total of eight games throughout April and May. On the East Coast, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island will each form a team for a total of six games spanning all three provinces starting in April until June. A senior women’s squad from Manitoba is set to travel across the border in early June for a match in Madison, Wisconsin.

These games will provide another opportunity for Rugby Canada and Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team Head Coach, Kevin Rouet, to identify players for the upcoming competitions for Canada’s senior women and U23 women teams this summer.

Those aspiring for Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team will have the opportunity to play in front of Rouet as he builds the roster for the final two Pacific Four Series games in July against New Zealand and Australia. Rouet will assist Head Coach of Canada’s Women’s U23 Team, Dan Valley, with the selection of his squad.

“We want the women who are playing in these competitions to know that we will be watching them,” said Rouet. “Along with the U SPORTS competitions that take place across the country every year, this is another tool we can use as a pathway to our high-performance programs. I am looking forward to watching the high-quality rugby these games will offer and the chance to attend several of the matches in-person. All the games will be recorded and reviewed to ensure we can evaluate all the games across the country.”

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team will meet New Zealand and Australia in the third and fourth rounds of the Pacific Four Series this July in Canada with selection of the team being announced on June 11 and the team assembling from June 25 to July 15.

The players who will represent Canada’s women’s U23 team this summer for a two-game series against the USA in Boston will be announced on June 12 and assembling from July 20-30.

Provincial Senior Women’s Programming – Regional Competition Schedule (subject to change)

BC

May 20 – BC Gold (Victoria) vs BC Blue (Vancouver) – University of Victoria
June 3 – BC Gold (Victoria) vs BC Blue (Vancouver) – UBC

Alberta

May 6 – Alberta North vs Alberta South – Calgary (CRU)
May 21 – Alberta North vs Alberta South – Edmonton (Leduc, Alberta)

Manitoba

June 3 – Manitoba vs Wisconsin – Madison, Wisconsin

Ontario/Quebec

April 23 – Ontario West vs Ontario East – Toronto, Ontario
April 30 – Ontario West vs Montreal – Kingston, Ontario (Queen’s University)
April 30 – Ontario East vs Quebec City – Kingston, Ontario (Queen’s University)
May 7 – Ontario West vs Quebec City – Ottawa, Ontario (Twin Elm Rugby Park)
May 7 – Ontario East vs Montreal – Ottawa, Ontario (Twin Elm Rugby Park)
May 14 – Montreal vs Quebec City – Quebec City, Quebec
May 22 – Third Place Game – Montreal, Quebec
May 22 – First Place Game – Montreal, Quebec

Maritimes

April 29 – Nova Scotia vs Prince Edward Island – Windsor, Nova Scotia
May 6 – Prince Edward Island vs New Brunswick – Charlottetown, PEI
May 13 – New Brunswick vs Nova Scotia – Moncton, New Brunswick
May 27 – Nova Scotia vs New Brunswick – Truro, Nova Scotia
June 3 – Prince Edward Island vs Nova Scotia – Charlottetown, PEI
June 10 – New Brunswick vs Prince Edward Island – Moncton, New Brunswick

Head Coaches

Montreal – Jacqueline Tittley
Quebec City – Francois Vachon Marceau
Ontario West – Colette McAuley
Ontario East – Sean Dunleavy
Nova Scotia – Matt Melanson
New Brunswick – Curtis Lauzon
Prince Edward Island – James Voye
BC Blue – Albert Michau
Blue Gold – Dean Murten
Alberta North – Ricky Coombe
Alberta South – Peter Rowe
Manitoba – Colleen Horton

Posted in National Women's XVs.