Canada Finish 4th at Perth 7s: In Pool with Australia, Brazil and Spain at Vancouver 7s in 26 Days
Canada finished 4th in Perth, their best finish of the season to date after finishing 8th and 5th in previous tournaments. Canada now sit in 5th place, 8 points behind USA and 2 points ahead of Japan with 3 tournaments left before the final.
At the Vancouver 7s in 26 days, Canada face Australia, Brazil and Spain in pool A. New Zealand are in pool B with the USA, China and Ireland. Pool C includes France, Japan, Fiji and Great Britain.
from World Rugby
- Spectacular end to HSBC SVNS Perth with epic women’s final in front of a full house at HBF Park
- Australia beat Olympic champions New Zealand 28-26 to win thrilling women’s final and delight home fans
- Argentina prove too strong for hosts in men’s final with convincing 41-5 victory to retain Perth title
- Spain and France claim men’s and women’s bronze respectively
- New Zealand lead Australia by two points in women’s standings while Fiji, Argentina and Spain lead the men’s standings with equal points after three rounds
- Pools drawn for fourth round of HSBC SVNS in Vancouver on 21-23 February, visit svns.com for information
A sell-out finals day crowd for the second year in succession witnessed a blockbuster day of international rugby sevens as Australia and Argentina were crowned women’s and men’s HSBC SVNS Perth champions respectively in a highly charged atmosphere at HBF Park.
In a landmark first, the women’s final was the last showpiece match of the tournament, taking centre stage on Sunday evening and bringing down the curtain on an unforgettable HSBC SVNS Perth.
Australia added the Perth title to their Dubai crown as they beat great rivals New Zealand in a pulsating final – thanks to a new generation of players – to send the Perth crowd wild.
Teenager Heidi Dennis scored a try in each half for Australia who edged a thrilling end-to-end final by a 28-26 scoreline.
Australia had their work cut out without the services of two superstars Maddison Levi and Faith Nathan in the second final meeting between the two sides in three HSBC SVNS Series tournaments.
But Dennis and fellow teenager Mackenzie Davis, stepped up and showed composure beyond their years to help guide Australia to a famous final victory. The key ingredient, player of the match Dennis said immediately afterwards was: “Just grit, all the way to the end. They really made us fight for that one.”
France, meanwhile, beat Canada 14-7 to make it three bronze finishes in as many tournaments, and Japan stunned USA to claim fifth place.
In the men’s competition Argentina became the third different tournament winners in as many rounds in a highly competitive HSBS SVNS 2025.
The defending Perth champions dominated the final against hosts’ Australia to claim their first tournament win in this year’s HSBC SVNS Series.
Two first-half tries in quick succession set defending tournament champions Argentina – with head coach Santiago Gómez Cora watching from back home – on the way to back-to-back titles, as they dominated Australia to win 41-5 and claim their second Perth final in a row against the same opponents.
Argentina captain Santiago Mare warned that Los Pumas were improving after a slow start to their season. Immediately after the match, he said: “I’m very proud of my team. We are growing, tournament to tournament – we are looking forward to Vancouver.”
Once again impressive Spain claimed bronze with a dramatic 14-7 third-place play-off win against South Africa, while Fiji grabbed the upper hand in a rapidly developing post-Olympic rivalry with France.
After three rounds women’s Olympic champions New Zealand lead the current standings on 56 points, closely followed by reigning SVNS champions Australia on 54 points, with France in third on 48 points.
It is extremely tight at the top of the men’s standings with Fiji, Argentina and Spain level on 48 points at the top of the table, heading into the next tournament in Vancouver, in February. Spain continue to impress with the quality and consistency of their performances, reaching three consecutive semi-finals.
Men’s Olympic champions France defeated SVNS league winners Argentina to claim the inaugural men’s HSBC SVNS champions title in 2024.
Meanwhile New Zealand’s women secured their second successive Olympic title in Paris and are aiming to reclaim the SVNS Champions title they lost to Australia in 2024.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “To sell-out finals day for two years running is a fantastic achievement and a tribute to all the stakeholders involved in delivering what has been another exhilarating event, both on and off the pitch. Congratulations to Australia and Argentina on their well-deserved titles and it was fitting to bring down the curtain with an epic women’s final, showcasing the very best of world-class rugby sevens played by these incredible athletes.”
Our thanks and gratitude goes to Western Australia Premier Roger Cook, Tourism Western Australia, Venues West, Rugby Australia and our title partner HSBC.”
The pool draw for the fourth round of HSBC SVNS in Vancouver on 21-23 February took place shortly following the final whistle in Perth and sees some mouth-watering match ups.
Men’s pool A sees Argentina, France, Great Britain and Kenya. Pool B includes Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland. In pool C are Spain, Fiji, Uruguay and the USA.
In the women’s draw Australia face Canada, Brazil and Spain in pool A. New Zealand are in pool B with the USA, China and Ireland. Pool C includes France, Japan, Fiji and Great Britain.
Canada Women into Semi-Final vs Australia at Perth 7s
The Canadian women defeated Brazil 27-5 in the quarter-finals to ensure their best finish this season. Previously they had finished 8th in Dubai and 5th in Cape Town but they’ll finish in the top 4 in Perth. They’ll face Australia at 12:11 am PT this evening in one semi and NZ face France in the other semi.
Scorers: Mahalia Robinson (1T), Asia Hogan-Rochester (1T, 1C), Olivia Apps (1T), Florence Symonds (1T), Carmen Izyk (1T)
Canada ran in five tries Saturday to defeat Brazil 27-5 in women’s play and move into the semifinals of the HSBC SVNS Perth rugby sevens tournament.
Seventh-seeded Canada will face No. 2 Australia on Sunday in a battle of unbeaten teams. Australia, which won the opening event of the season in Dubai, advanced with a 35-0 win over No. 6 Japan.
Top-seeded New Zealand, which lifted the trophy last time out in Cape Town, meets No. 3 France in the other semifinal.
The Australians outscored their opposition 149-12 in their first four games in Perth while Canada holds a 100-20 edge in scoring over its first four outings.
The two teams met in the semifinal of the Paris Olympics with Canada winning 21-12.
The men’s semifinals pit Spain against Argentina and South Africa against Australia.
Mahalia Robinson, Asia Hogan-Rochester, Olivia Apps, Florence Symonds and Carmen Izyk scored tries for Canada, which led No. 10 Brazil 15-5 at the half. Hogan-Rochester added a conversion.
It was an 11th straight Cup quarterfinal loss for Brazil, which has never beaten Canada on the HSBC SVNS circuit.
Canada dominated the early going with Robinson crashing over from close range to cap the attack before Hogan-Rochester scored a second.
Thalia Da Silva Costa pulled a try back for Brazil with a fine solo effort late in the first half, outracing Hogan-Rochester for her 104th career sevens try. Apps padded the Canadian lead, scoring on an overlap.
Symonds scored early in the second half after Canada turned the ball over at the breakdown. Izyk added a late try.
After defeating Britain 38-5 and Fiji 14-12, the Canadians downed the previously unbeaten U.S. 21-7 to win Pool B in their first outing Saturday.
All the scoring in the U.S. game came in the second half with Canada captain Piper Logan scoring two tries and Carissa Norsten adding a third. Apps kicked three conversions.
Canada arrived at the tournament in seventh place in the overall standings after finishing eighth in the season-opening tournament in Dubai and fifth in Cape Town. The Canadian women went 1-4-0 in Dubai and 3-1-0 in Cape Town.
The U.S. stood fourth overall while Britain was fifth and Fiji 11th. The Australia women sit second behind New Zealand.
Canada lost Savannah Bauder to an injury in training this week. Rugby Canada declined to elaborate on the injury when asked for more details.
With this HSBC SVNS season the first in the new Olympic quadrennial, Canada coach Jocelyn Barrieau has been blooding new talent.
Olivia Sarabura, Larah Wright and Gabrielle Senft made their sevens debut in Perth. Senft also plays in the back row for the Canadian 15s team.
Barrieau included seven new faces in her squad for the first two stops on tour before Perth.
“It’s been a great start to a year,” said Apps, the former captain who rejoined the sevens side in Perth after playing 15s for Canada. “Honestly this group is fantastic and the young energy and skill of this group is very exceptional. They inspire me every day.”
After Perth, the teams head to Vancouver for the fourth stop of the season Feb. 21-23 at B.C. Place Stadium. The circuit then moves to Hong Kong and Singapore before wrapping up May 3-4 in Carson, Calif.
The Singapore event will crown the SVNS season winners before the top eight men’s and women’s teams take part in the winner-takes-all world championship at California’s Dignity Health Sports Park.
The Olympic silver medallist Canadian women finished fifth in the standings last season before losing 26-14 to New Zealand in June in Madrid in the third-place game. Australia won the women’s title, defeating France 26-7.
Fiji came to Perth on top of the men’s standings, ahead of Spain, France and South Africa. New Zealand stood sixth, four places ahead of Uruguay.
Canada’s men dropped off the circuit last June after being beaten 22-14 by Spain in a relegation decider in Madrid. They are looking to earn a chance back into the top tier via World Rugby’s Challenger Series.
Canadian Women 2-0 on Day 1: Face USA on Day 2
The Canadian women had a good start to the tournament defeating Great Britain 38-5 in game one and then earning a come from behind win over Fiji, 14-12. The USA also remain undefeated in that pool and the rivals will meet in Day 2 to determine the top position in Pool B.
Scoring vs GB
Asia Hogan-Rochester (2T, 1C), Olivia Apps (2T, 1C), Carmen Izyk (2T), Shoshanah Seumanutafa (2C)
Scoring vs Fiji
Scorers: Carissa Norsten (1T), Olivia Apps (1T, 1C), Asia Hogan-Rochester (1C)
from World Rugby
- Uruguay, Spain, France and South Africa men secure double victories on day one at HSBC SVNS Perth
- New Zealand, Japan, Canada, USA, France and Australia claim pair of wins to book places in Saturday’s women’s quarter-finals
- HBF Park in Perth is hosting the third round of HSBC SVNS 2025 on 24-26 January
- Pool matches continue from 12:00 (GMT+8) on Saturday, with the quarter-finals at 17:27. Finals day kicks off at 13:30 on Sunday with the women’s final at 20:11
- Following last year’s finals day sell-out, fans are urged to secure their tickets to avoid disappointment. Remaining tickets are available from www.svns.com
Uruguay made the headlines on a thrilling first day of HSBC SVNS action at HBF Park in Perth as the South Americans overcame traditional rugby sevens powerhouses Fiji and New Zealand to lead men’s pool C
Meanwhile Spain continued their scintillating start to the season with a pair of victories over Great Britain and Ireland to lead pool B alongside Olympic champions France, while South Africa lead a tight pool A on maximum points.
While Australia’s women continued their exceptional form with a pair of convincing victories over China and Spain on day one, there was disappointment for the hosts in the men’s competition as they slipped to narrow defeats against Argentina and South Africa, but could still reach the quarter-finals if they beat the USA in their final pool match on Saturday.
Olympic Champions New Zealand and Japan lead women’s pool A following opening day wins over last season’s Perth winners Ireland, and Brazil for whom Thalia Costa became her nation’s first player to reach the 100 SVNS Series try milestone, claiming three tries on day one in Perth to bring her career tally to 101.
North American rivals the USA and Canada top pool B after beating Fiji and Great Britain on day one, while France join Australia in qualifying for Saturday’s quarter-finals from pool C.
RESULTS, POOLS AND FIXTURES >>
Uruguay men’s captain Diego Ardao said: “Amazing! It’s unbelievable what we have achieved here. It’s more than just two games, it’s about who we faced and proving we can beat them. For us it is huge and helps us to build our confidence for what awaits next. We give everything for the team and for each other on the pitch.”
Women’s Olympic champions New Zealand lead the current standings, closely following by reigning SVNS champions Australia who will be looking for glory on home soil this weekend.
Fiji lead the men’s standings following gold in Dubai and bronze in Cape Town, ahead of Spain who continue to impress with the impressive quality of their performances.
Men’s Olympic champions France are looking to retain their SVNS Champions crown after they defeated SVNS league winners Argentina to claim the inaugural men’s title in 2024. Meanwhile New Zealand’s women secured their second successive Olympic title in Paris and will be aiming to reclaim the SVNS Champions title they lost to Australia in 2024.
The HSBC SVNS pool play continues from 12:00 on Saturday before the quarter-finals begin at 17:27. Sunday’s finals day begins at 13:30 with the men’s and women’s finals at 19:35 and 20:11 respectively.
In a landmark first, the women’s final will be the last showpiece match of the tournament, taking centre stage on Sunday evening and bringing down the curtain on HSBC SVNS Perth.
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