Canadian Women Finish 7th in Vancouver – Defeat USA in Final Match
It wasn’t the tournament the women’s team hoped for but they finished strong, defeating USA in the 7th/8th match, 27-10, despite missing two key players due to injury, Krissy Scurfield and Piper Logan. The try scoring trio in the final match Florence Symonds, Asia Hogan-Rochester and debutant Olivia Sarabura may give a glimpse of what lays ahead for Canada with two tournaments left, Hong Kong and Singapore, before the final in LA. Asia Hogan-Rochester was probably the player of the tournament for Canada and Florence Symonds the player of the game in the USA match, Olivia Sarabura scored a crucial try to keep Canada ahead, and she had to do it one on one against the USA defender. Olivia Apps as usual was solid on both sides of the ball.
Canada fell one position from 5th to 6th with Japan moving up to 5th. Canada can’t take it easy in the remaining two tournaments as Fiji have announced they will likely be a top 8 team, making the Vancouver 7s final and jumping up to 8th place in a 8th/9th tie with Brazil at 26 points. Great Britain sit in 7th with 35 points and Canada are only 5 points ahead of that with 40 points. In retrospect Canada would have gone a lot further in the tournament if they had pushed themselves in the first game and denied Brazil a losing bonus point, that bonus point would come back to bite Canada and give them a quarter-final against NZ, the eventual winner.
The Hong Kong 7s is next, March 28-30. Canada are in Pool C with Australia, Japan and Spain.
Canada 27 – USA 10
Scorers: Florence Symonds (3T), Asia Hogan-Rochester (1T), Olivia Sarabura (1T), Olivia Apps (1C)
from World Rugby
Argentina and New Zealand continue their reign at HSBC SVNS Vancouver
Celebrations were in full swing as the curtain came down on the tenth anniversary of HSBC SVNS Vancouver. Los Pumas and the Black Ferns Sevens stole the show, hoisting the trophy together for the third consecutive year.
- Seven-try windfall against Fiji saw New Zealand lift the trophy at BC Place once more
- In the men’s final, Argentina continued their winning spree with a display of resilience against South Africa
- Australia women and Spain men claim bronze respectively
- Pools drawn at BC Place for the fifth round of HSBC SVNS Hong Kong on 28-30 March. Visit svns.com for information
Fans at BC Place were treated to two sizzling, closely contested men’s semi-finals. The first contest saw Argentina edge Spain in a tight game that saw only one match-winning try from Los Pumas Marcos Moneta in the ninth minute. Spain went down to six players and were unable to recover with the Argentinians booking their place in Sunday’s final.
South Africa claimed their place in the final with an exhilarating showdown against the flying Fijians featuring nonstop action from start to finish. Fiji appeared to have sealed the win with a monumental full-length team attack that was grounded by Jeremaia Matana. With a player down and the odds against them, a last-minute try from Selvyn Davids saw the Blitzboks snatch victory and secure their spot in the finale against Argentina.
No strangers to a final, Argentina and South Africa kicked-off proceedings in their final dual of the tournament with referee Tevita Rokovereni officiating his first final. Argentina started strong with Luciano Gonzalez scoring twice in quick concession and Tobias Wade flying in with the third. The pendulum started to swing with the Blitzboks matching two of their own but it was too little too late as the Argentinians were able to defend their line and scoop their second consecutive gold this Series and their fourth overall in Vancouver.
Winning Captain Santiago Mare commented after their celebrations “We are very happy and really proud of the team for all the effort they put in. To be here, to be in a position to be in another final and win in a very tough game again against a great rival like South Africa, we are very happy and very proud.”
“We did the small things well, we have a very good defence and that was what we did well on the field and it was our difference. Our pressure and our patience showed we trusted in our system.”
The women’s semi-finals did not disappoint with a meeting for the history books with Japan encountering Fiji in their first ever Cup semi-final. They were not able to go one step further on this occasion but the Sakura Sevens put up a valiant performance against the unstoppable Fijians who secured four tries and their third Cup final place.
Familiar foes, the Black Ferns Sevens faced Australia once more with New Zealand taking the upper hand with a six-try bonanza that saw Stacey Waaka secure a hat trick and seal their place in their fourth consecutive final this Series and their 50th overall.
The stage was then set for Fiji to face New Zealand in the grand finale, the first time both teams have encountered each other in a Cup final on the SVNS series. It was a tall order for Fiii to conquer New Zealand as they chased their first victory against the Black Ferns Sevens, a team that have never been defeated at BC Place.
The first try for the Olympic Champions came in the opening minute with Risi Pouri-Lane getting the first points on the board. A flurry of three further scores saw them lead 22-0 at half time. Fijiana were able to fightback with an eleventh minute try from Sesenieli Donu but New Zealand finished strong to take the win 41-7 and secure their 39th title.
New Zealand’s Captain Sarah Hirini commented after the win “It’s amazing, we love coming here, we love the Canadian people and we’re really proud to get another win here.
“We played well as a team, we were pushed in some games but I think we just stuck to what we know and stuck to our plan. I’m just really proud of the efforts of the girls.”
In wider proceedings, Spain men secured their second consecutive bronze win this Series following 22-7 triumph over Fiji while Australia women grabbed the upper hand against Japan, ending their historic run with a 12-26 finish.
BC Place kept the party rocking all weekend and although they weren’t able to bring the title home, they did end the weekend on a high beating USA with the roar of the home crowd behind them. Canada’s Olivia Apps reflected after the win “It was a really fun weekend. We were disappointed we couldn’t get the result that we wanted but I think that that last game showcased a lot of this groups talent and really what we’re capable of.
“We’re looking forward to building to Hong Kong and Singapore and we really hope we can come back and win Vancouver next year!”
HSBC SVNS Hong Kong pool draw took place at BC Place on Sunday straight after the Vancouver finals and ahead of the fifth round of HSBC SVNS 2025 on 28-30 March.
WOMEN’S POOL
Reigning Olympic Champions New Zealand were drawn in Pool A against Brazil, China and USA.
Pool B will see Fiji up against France, Great Britain and Ireland.
Australia to face Canada, Japan and Spain in Pool D.
MEN’S POOL
HSBC Vancouver SVNS Winners Argentina were drawn against Fiji, Ireland and USA in Pool A.
South Africa will encounter Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay in Pool B.
Pool C will see Spain meet France, Great Britain and Kenya in Hong Kong.
Canadian Men Win 3 Team Exhibition Tournament; Women to Face USA for 7th/8th on Day 3
The men wrapped up their 3 team exhibition tournament with double wins over Japan and Trinidad & Tobago to claim top spot. The women lost their final pool match to Australia and then the quarter-final to New Zealand to put them in a 7th/8th playoff game tomorrow against USA.
The women’s team failed to pick up a bonus point in pool play which put them in 3rd place in their pool with Brazil and Australia also finishing 2-1 but both picking up bonus points. That resulted in Canada getting NZ in the quarter-finals and that didn’t end well. Canada’s defence was a problem area against top teams like NZ and Australia and not being able to shut down Brazil, and deny them a bonus point, cost them an easier quarter-final. Brazil ended up losing their quarter-final to Fiji 46-0. The odd scenario is that #6 Japan and #11 Fiji will meet in one cup semi-final and #1 NZ and #2 Australia in the other semi-final. Canada, currently #5, will drop in the standings after the tournament with Japan set to bypass them as a semi-finalist. Canada face USA for 7th/8th place at 2:42 pm.
The men won their exhibition tournament easily but it’s difficult to evaluate the players with the level of competition at this tournament being down a level from the World Rugby series. Japan will be in the Challenger series but they didn’t make the top four last year, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be contenders this year. Samoa, Chile, Germany, Portugal will be teams to watch out for, with Tonga, Hong Kong, Uganda, Brazil and maybe even Georgia providing strong opposition. The first Challenger series tournament begins next weekend in Cape Town.
Notes : Piper Logan went down in the first minute of the NZ match and had to be helped off the field. The next tournament is Hong Kong March 28-30. Story photo by pjCarr.
Men
Canada 51 – Japan 12
Scorers: Jamie Armstrong (1T,1C), Ethan Turner (1T, 1C), Michael Laplaine (1T), Jamie Armstrong (1T), Kal Sager (1T), Ethan Hager (1T), Morgan Di Nardo (1T), Elias Hancock (1T), Kyle Tremblay (1T), Brendan Black (2C)
Canada 50 – Trinidad & Tobago 0
Scorers: Michael Laplaine-Pereira (1T), Ben Greenstein (1T, 1C), Jamie Armstrong (2T), Kyle Tremblay (1T), James Thiel (2T), Morgan Di Nardo (1T), Brenden Black (4C)
Women
NZ 34 – Canada 12
Scorers: Asia Hogan-Rochester (1T), Carissa Norsten, Olivia Apps (1C)
Australia 35 – Canada 14
Scorers: Florence Symonds (1T), Alysha Corrigan (1T), Olivia Apps (2C)
Canadian Men and Women Undefeated on Day 1 of Vancouver 7s
The Canadian women started slowly with a narrow win over Brazil in their first match, some defensive lapses letting Brazil back into the match. They played a stronger 2nd match against Spain with Asia Hogan-Rochester looking to be the on form player with 3 tries. They play Australia in their final pool game on Saturday, Australia were upset by Brazil 14-12 in their last pool match of the day. The men also went 2-0 in their exhibition series with wins over T&T and Japan, some of the new faces looking impressive against this level of competition. They’ll repeat the matches again on Saturday.
A note on roster changes on the women’s team, Krissy Scurfield was injured in training and photos show her in a lower leg cast, Shalaya Valenzuela is the replacement.
(cover photo by pjCarr)
Women
Canada 41 – Spain 5
Scorers: Asia Hogan-Rochester (3T, 1C), Fancy Bermudez (1T), Breanne Nicholas (1T), Alysha Corrigan (1T), Carissa Norsten (1T), Olivia Apps (2C)
Canada 26 – Brazil 19
Scorers: Charity Williams (2T), Flo Symonds (1T), Piper Logan (1T), Olivia Apps (3C)
Men
Canada 33 – Japan 12
Scorers: Brendan Black (1T, 3C), Ben Greenstein (1T, 1C), Ethan Turner (1T), Elias Hancock (1T), Noah Bain (1T)
Canada 55 – Trinidad & Tobago 12
Scorers: Ethan Hager (3T), Morgan Di Nardo (1T), Jamie Armstrong (1T), Alex Russell (1T), Kyle Tremblay (1T), Rhys James (1T), Ethan Turner (1T), Thomas Isherwood (5C)
from World Rugby
A ground-shaking day of HSBC SVNS action at BC Place in Vancouver saw Canada Women make a triumphant return dominating pool A with a shock Brazil win over Australia and tight battles in the men’s pool setting the stage for a thrilling day two.
Canada Women returned to Vancouver to a heroic welcome following their silver medal winning performance at Paris 2024 Olympics with two huge wins. Charity Williams secured her 100th HSBC SVN Series try straight out of the gate against Brazil and went one further taking her to 101. They continued the momentum with a seven-try bonanza against Spain sitting top of pool A heading into day two.
Williams commented on her milestone “That’s probably the milestone for me that I’m really proud of. I’m really proud of myself for being in the game for as long as I have. It was awesome to get the ball from our captain who has been wonderful and it felt good touch that one down for sure.
“It brings me back to the very beginning when I was 16 or 17 and I think I scored my first try in Brazil, it literally feels like a lifetime ago and I was like a baby then and I had no idea what was instore for me. To look back and see that I’ve been here for over a decade, I’m just really grateful.”
Olympic Champions, New Zealand continued their winning ways in pool B with two comfortable wins with Michaela Brake showcasing why she’s the all-time leading try scorer for the tournament taking five of the 10 tries against Ireland and surpassing her compatriot Portia Woodman-Wickliffe to set a new record of 260, helping the team to cruise into Saturday’s quarter-finals.
Japan closed out day one on top of pool C after securing victories over Fiji and Great Britain. Meanwhile, France, after back-to-back losses, will be looking to bounce back with a crucial win against Japan tomorrow to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.
The biggest upset of the day came at the very end as Brazil edged out second-placed Australia, setting the stage for an electrifying showdown on day two.
In one of the biggest games of the opening round, South Africa just pipped New Zealand 12-10 in an end-to-end game that could have seen either team come out victorious and followed it with an impressive win against Ireland that saw them sit top of pool B at the end of day one.
In a result against the seedings, pool A saw Great Britain take an impressive opening win against France 7-26 but they will have to wait until day two to see if they qualify for the quarter-finals following their close defeat to Argentina.
Meanwhile in Pool C, Spain maintained their strong form in the series with a pair of victories over the USA and Uruguay, joining Fiji at the top, who also secured maximum points against the same opponents.
The pool phase continues from 10:30 (GMT-8) on Saturday heading into the quarters in the afternoon. All the action rounds-off at Sunday’s finals day which begins at 10:50 with the men’s and women’s finals at 17:05 and 17:41 respectively.
Building on Perth, the women’s final will once again be the tournament’s grand finale, taking center stage on Sunday evening and closing out HSBC SVNS Vancouver in style.
RESULTS, POOLS AND FIXTURES >>
This year’s Vancouver SVNS festival is bigger than ever as the Canadian leg of the series celebrates its 10 year anniversary. Alongside the epic rugby sevens action, featuring the world’s best 12 men’s and women’s teams packed with Olympic stars, fans in the stands can enjoy global food offerings, live bands, interactive activities including a snowball obstacle course and a first for the SVNS Series, a competitive axe throwing competition from the captains!
Outside of BC Place, there will also be seven rugby-themed light installations set up in iconic spots around downtown Vancouver all weekend following on from the success of a similar fan-favourite activation when Taylor Swift was in town.
Canadian Team Named for Vancouver 7s: Return of Scurfield, Bermudez, Corrigan from English Premier XVs
With the return of some of high profile players from overseas there’s only 8 players remaining from the Perth 7s tournament. Krissy Scurfield, Fancy Bermudez, Alysha Corrigan are all returning from professional XVs seasons in England. Pam Buisa and Charity Williams are returning to the squad as well. Unlucky not to make the squad based on her performances in Perth and Cape Town was Carmen Izyk.
Besides Carmen Izyk, also missing from Perth, where Canada finished 4th, are Camille Arvin-Bérod, Shoshanah Seumanutafa, Savannah Bauder, Larah Wright, and Gabrielle Senft.
CANADA’S WOMEN’S SEVENS TEAM ROSTER
4. Breanne Nicholas (Blenheim, ON) – Kent Havoc RFC
6. Charity Williams (Toronto, ON) – Markham Irish / University of British Columbia
7. Florence Symonds (Vancouver, BC) – University of British Columbia
9. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Lindsay RFC
10. Fancy Bermudez (Edmonton, AB) – NorWester Athletic Association / Westshore RFC / Saracens
11. Piper Logan (Calgary, AB) – Calgary Hornets / University of British Columbia
13. Krissy Scurfield (Canmore, AB) – University of Victoria / Loughborough Lightning
16. Alysha Corrigan (Charlottetown, PEI) – CRFC / Saracens
19. Carissa Norsten (Waldheim, SK) – Kirin RFC / University of Victoria
24. Asia Hogan-Rochester (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Nomads / Westshore RFC
27. Olivia Sarabura (Guelph, ON) – University of British Columbia
29. Mahalia Robinson (Fulford, QC) – Town of Mount Royal RFC
99. Pamphinette Buisa (Gatineau, QC) – Ottawa Irish
VANCOUVER POOL PLAY SCHEDULE
Friday February 21
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team vs Brazil
3:28pm PT / 6:28pm ET
Watch live on TSN+
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team vs Spain
8:58pm PT / 11:58pm ET
Watch live on TSN
Saturday February 22
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team vs Australia
3:08pm PT / 6:08pm ET
Watch live on TSN
The roster that will represent Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team at the 10th edition of HSBC SVNS Vancouver has been announced, with nine players from Canada’s Paris 2024 Olympic silver medal-winning team amongst the squad that will take to the pitch at BC Place.
Captained by Piper Logan, the team kicks off the fourth stop of the 2025 HSBC SVNS series on February 21 in Vancouver. Tickets are available at vansevens.com.
Returning to Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team for the first time since making history last summer by winning silver at Stade de France are Alysha Corrigan, Charity Williams, Fancy Bermudez and Krissy Scurfield. Corrigan, Bermudez and Scurfield have spent the season playing Premiership Women’s Rugby in England, with Scurfield leading the Loughborough Lightning in tries scored.
With 99 career SVNS series tries, three-time Olympian Williams, who also helped lead the University of British Columbia to its first-ever U SPORTS women’s rugby championship title in the fall, is primed to potentially reach a milestone of 100 tries, and 500 points, on home soil in Vancouver.
Breanne Nicholas will play in her 39th SVNS series tournament, moving her into second all-time amongst Canadian women.
Pamphinette Buisa returns to the roster after missing HSBC SVNS Perth. Rookies Mahalia Robinson and Olivia Sarabura, who made their international sevens debuts earlier this season, have earned a spot on the squad as well.
Iain Monaghan will step into the Head Coach role for HSBC SVNS Vancouver, with Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team Head Coach Jocelyn Barrieau on leave in Montreal until March as she prepares to start a family.
“It was a hard-fought selection process, with players making for a competitive selection camp over the last two weeks in Langford, and we are excited to see this experienced squad take to the pitch at BC Place,” said Monaghan. “Vancouver is a special place to play, and our team is eager to get in front of the Canadian crowd and to continue to build upon the work we’ve been doing this season.”
TICKETS
Tickets for HSBC SVNS Vancouver are available at vansevens.com, with limited single day Saturday tickets remaining. Questions regarding ticket purchases can be directed to tickets@vansevens.com or 604-355-5330. For more information on suites, please contact suites@vansevens.com. Please note that these inboxes will be monitored during regular office hours, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm PT.
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: svns.com.
TSN will air more than 13 hours of live linear television coverage, including the pool play matches against Spain and Australia, the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the third place play-off and cup final matches. In addition, all matches will be available on TSN+.
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team will be competing in an invitational tournament alongside HSBC SVNS Vancouver, with matches on Friday February 21 and Saturday February 22 against Japan and Trinidad and Tobago. The Vancouver roster for Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team will be announced on Tuesday February 18.