Rugby Canada – Rio 2016 Bronze Medallist Kelly Russell returns to lead 3rd world-ranked Canada’s XV Team against 5th seeded Ireland on Saturday; Watch LIVE on www.rugbycanada.ca 

DUBLIN, IRELAND – Canada’s senior women’s head coach Francois Ratier has named his starting team for Saturday’s November Tour opener against Ireland.

The squad will be captained by a returning Kelly Russell, who is also joined by fellow Rio 2016 bronze medallist Karen Paquin in the starting lineup. Magali Harvey and Elissa Alarie also make their return to the fifteens program having not featured since the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup in France.

Canada’s front row is made up of Carolyn McEwen, Laura Russell and DaLeaka Menin while Latoya Blackwood and Kayla Mack form a formidable pairing at lock. Jacey Grusnick and Paquin bolster the flanks with Russell at No. 8.

Chelsea Guthrie starts at scrum-half with Emily Belchos at fly-half. Harvey and Alarie will line up on the wings with Andrea Burk and Alex Tessier at centre. Julianne Zussman starts at fullback. Canada comes into the game as the third ranked country in the world after a sublime Women’s Rugby Super Series (WRSS) in July where they completed a perfect 3-0 record with convincing wins over England, France and hosts USA.

Ireland is ranked fifth in the world. The two sides have met twice, each claiming a win. Canada stormed to a 57-0 win in the 2002 Women’s Rugby World Cup while Ireland nudged to a 15-8 victory in 2006. Saturday’s game can be seen LIVE on Irish Rugby’s Youtube page. Kickoff is 9am ET/6am PT.

Canada’s Roster vs. Ireland:

1. Carolyn McEwen (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club), Vancouver, BC

2. Laura Russell (Toronto Nomads) Bolton, ON

3. DaLeaka Menin (Calgary Hornets) Vulcan, AB

4. Latoya Blackwood (Westshore) Montreal, QC

5. Kayla Mack (Wild Oats) Saskatoon, SK

6. Jacey Grusnick (Aurora Barbarians) Alliston, ON

7. Karen Paquin (Club de Rugby Quebec) Quebec City, QC

8. Kelly Russell, Captain (Toronto Nomads) Bolton, ON

9. Chelsea Guthrie (Stratchona Druids) Edmonton, AB

10. Emily Belchos (Westshore) Barrie, ON

11. Magali Harvey (Club de Rugby Quebec) Quebec City, QC 

12. Andrea Burk (Capilano RFC) North Vancouver, BC

13. Alex Tessier (Montreal Barbarians) Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC

14. Elissa Alarie (Westshore) Trois-Rivieres, QC

15. Julianne Zussman (Castaway Wanderers) Montreal, QC

16. Gillian Boag (Capilano/UBC) Calgary, AB

17. Olivia DeMerchant (Woodstock Wildmen) Mapledale, NB

18. Demi Stamatakis (SFU) Vancouver, BC

19. Tyson Beukeboom (Aurora Barbarians) Uxbridge, ON

20. Barbara Mervin (Westshore) Peterborough, ON

21. Brianna Miller (SABRFC), Pointe-Claire, QC

22. Mackenzie Higgs (Aurora Barbarians) Aurora, ON

23. Brittany Waters (Meralomas/Castaway Wanderers) Vancouver, BC

Unavailable due to injury:

Daria Keane (Guelph Redcoats) Sarnia, ON

Mandy Marchak (Capilano) Winnipeg, MB

Cindy Nelles (Oakville Crusaders / Belleville Bulldogs) Belleville, ON

Kristy Sargent (Lep Tigers) Edmonton, AB

Amanda Thornborough (Westshore) Brandon, MB

Canada’s Senior Women’s Schedule:

Canada vs. Ireland — Nov. 19 — UCD Bowl, Ireland

Canada vs. New Zealand  — Nov. 23 — Donnybrook Stadium, Ireland

Canada vs. England — Nov. 26 — Twickenham, England

About Rugby Canada

Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of rugby union in Canada. Rugby Football has a long history in Canada dating back to its initial appearance in the 1860s. Since 1974, Rugby Canada has been a permanent fixture on the global rugby scene, including trips to each of the eight Men’s Rugby  World Cups and seven Women’s Rugby World Cups. As a regular on the Men’s and Women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, Canada continues to climb the world rankings and challenge the dominant rugby nations in both versions of the game. Canada’s Women’s Rugby Sevens Team also made history in 2016, capturing the first-ever Bronze Medal at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

To support the growth of rugby at the grass-roots level and to ensure there are elite programs for prospering young rugby players to become involved with, Rugby Canada has put an emphasis on developing its junior programs.  Our goal is to develop and train competitive teams for the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Ireland, the 2018 Sevens World Cup in San Francisco, the 2019 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Japan and 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

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Website: www.rugbycanada.ca 

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Bryan Kelly  I  Manager, Communications and Media Relations  I  Rugby Canada  I  3024 Glen Lake Road  I Langford, British Columbia, Canada V9B 4B4  I  Tel. 250.418.8998 ext. 314  I  Fax 250.386.3810  I Cell. 250.216.5272 | bkelly@rugbycanada.ca I www.rugbycanada.ca