Rugby Canada Name 14 to Travel to Australia this Weekend to Prepare for Perth 7s January 24-26
Rugby Canada have named 14 players to travel to Australia to prepare for the Perth 7s. The team are travelling there this weekend, 2 weeks ahead of the tournament for preparation. The silver medal won at the last Olympics has no doubt given the program the extra funds to travel early and with an extra player. The final roster will be named the week of the tournament.
Olivia Apps and Florence Symonds are returning to the squad for the first time since the Olympics. Missing however from Dubai/Cape Town is Shalaya Valenzuela so there are now 5 players from the Olympic squad playing in Perth – Piper Logan, Carissa Norsten, Asia Hogan-Rochester, Olivia Apps and Florence Symonds. Also missing from Dubai/Cape Town are Pam Buisa, Monique Coffey, Adia Pye, Maya Addai.
Beside Apps and Symonds also joining in Perth are Olivia Sarabura, Larah Wright and Gabby Senft. Senft is an interesting choice, as she was playing for Saracens last week at #8, adding some size to the team if she’s selected.
After experimenting with 4 pools of 3 in Cape Town, the series has reverted to the traditional 3 pools of 4 where the 2 best 3rd place teams also make the quarter-finals. With Apps back and a 2 week on-site preparation, the team should be able to improve on their 5th place finish in Cape Town. Canada’s first match will be a good test, it will be against Great Britain who sit two places above them in the standings.
from Rugby Canada
Fourteen players have been named to Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team ahead of HSBC SVNS Perth, the third stop on the 2025 HSBC SVNS series.
The team travels to Australia this weekend to train for two weeks ahead of the three-day tournament taking place January 24 to 26 at HBF Park in Perth/Boorloo. The final roster of 13 players will be determined the week of the tournament.
Returning to Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team for the first time since winning silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics are Olivia Apps and Florence Symonds. This past fall, Apps represented Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team at WXV in Vancouver, helping move Canada up to second in the world rankings. Symonds spent the fall with the University of British Columbia, helping the Thunderbirds to their first-ever U SPORTS women’s rugby championship in November.
Three players could make their international sevens debut in Perth. Olivia Sarabura, Symonds’ UBC teammate, and Larah Wright, a standout player with the University of Victoria, both won silver for Canada at the 2024 FISU World University Championship last June. Gabrielle Senft, a mainstay for Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team at WXV in Vancouver this past fall, joins the squad in partnership with the PWR’s Saracens.
“We saw a lot of growth for our squad in Dubai and Cape Town in December, which marked the start of a new Olympic cycle for us, with seven players making their international debuts and gaining some critical game experience,” said Jocelyn Barrieau, Head Coach of Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team. “We are excited about the group that we are taking to Perth and look to continue to build as the season progresses and as we near our home tournament in Vancouver.”
PERTH POOL PLAY SCHEDULE
Thursday January 23
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team vs Great Britain
7:44pm PT / 10:44pm ET / 11:44am local time (Friday January 24)
Friday January 24
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team vs Fiji
12:21am PT / 3:21am ET / 4:21pm local time
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team vs USA
10:41pm PT / 1:41am ET (Saturday January 25) / 2:41pm local time (Saturday January 25)
The next HSBC SVNS stop after Perth will be Vancouver. Catch both Canada’s Women’s and Men’s Sevens Teams in action on home soil at HSBC SVNS Vancouver over February 21 to 23 at BC Place. Buy tickets now at vansevens.com.
MORE INFO
For the most up to date information on the HSBC SVNS Series and live coverage, including details on the event format, the schedule and the latest news, visit the official website: www.svns.com.
CANADA’S WOMEN’S SEVENS TEAM ROSTER
4. Breanne Nicholas (Blenheim, ON) – Kent Havoc RFC
7. Florence Symonds (Vancouver, BC) – University of British Columbia
8. Carmen Izyk (High River, AB) – Rugby Club Toulon Provence Méditerranée
9. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Lindsay RFC
11. Piper Logan (Calgary, AB) – Calgary Hornets / University of British Columbia
17. Camille Arvin-Bérod (Saint-Denis-Sur-Richelieu, QC) – Montreal Irish / Laval University / Lons Section Paloise
19. Carissa Norsten (Waldheim, SK) – Kirin RFC / University of Victoria
24. Asia Hogan-Rochester (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Nomads / Westshore RFC
25. Shoshanah Seumanutafa (White Rock, BC) – Counties Manukau
26. Savannah Bauder (North Vancouver, BC) – University of British Columbia
27. Olivia Sarabura (Guelph, ON) – University of British Columbia
29. Mahalia Robinson (Fulford, QC) – Town of Mount Royal RFC
47. Larah Wright (Calgary, AB) – University of Victoria
88. Gabrielle Senft (Regina, SK) – Castaway Wanderers / Saracens