UNDEFEATED DAY ONE SEES CANADA INTO HSBC USA SEVENS CUP QUARTER-FINALS

Rugby Canada – Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team defeats Russia, Argentina and France at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas; Will face France tomorrow in Cup QF at 11:44am ET/8:44am PT 

 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Canada is off to a flying start at the HSBC USA Sevens in Las Vegas after going 3-0 on Day 1 at Sam Boyd Stadium.Canada, who are looking for its second straight cup title after victory in Sydney last month, defeated Russia, Argentina and France in a dominating first day.

John Tait’s side will play its cup quarterfinal at 11:44am ET/8:44am PT Saturday morning.

What head coach John Tait said:

“The French game was a really good battle there at the end. You need that on Day 1 to get ready for Day 2. The first two games we got up early so didn’t really feel it until the third game. We need to be a little bit more accurate with our passing. On a narrow pitch like that, you’ve got to have your depth and be tighter otherwise you’ll run into the sidelines. We’ve had a day on it now so hopefully be able to make the adjustments tomorrow.”

CANADA 34-7 RUSSIA

Britt Benn had a hat-trick while Ghislaine Landry scored twice as Canada rolled to victory in their opening game in Las Vegas. It was Kayla Moleschi who got Canada on the board less than a minute in before Benn and then Landry quickly extended Canada’s lead to 17-0 only four minutes in.

Benn got her second try of the game just before the break before Elena Zdrokoa got Russia’s lone try to cut the deficit to 22-7 at the break. Canada didn’t take their foot off the gas in the second half as Landry, through her now world famous chip and chase, and Benn sealed a comfortable 34-7 win for Canada.

CANADA 38-7 ARGENTINA

Canada got a hat-trick from Bianca Farella as they cruised to victory over Argentina. Natasha Watcham-Roy got Canada rolling inside a minute before Breanne Nicholas and Farella extended the lead to 21-7 at the break.

Charity Williams added a fourth try for Canada before Farella scored twice in the final few minutes to secure a comfortable 38-7 win.

CANADA 21-7

Canada made it a perfect first day after a comfortable win over France. Tries Hannah Darling and Ghislaine Landry gave Canada a 14-7 lead at the break with Fanny Horta grabbing France’s lone try.

Kayla Moleschi had the only score of the second half as Canada cruised to a 21-7 victory.

Canada’s HSBC USA Sevens Roster (Name, club, hometown):

Britt Benn – Guelph Redcoats (Napanee, ON)

Caroline Crossley – Castaway Wanderers (Victoria, BC)

Hannah Darling – Peterborough Pagans (Warsaw, ON)

Bianca Farella – Town of Mont Royal (Montreal, QC)

Sara Kaljuvee – Toronto Scottish (Ajax, ON)

Jen Kish – Edmonton Rockers (Edmonton, AB) 

Ghislaine Landry (captain) – Toronto Scottish (Toronto, ON) 

Megan Lukan – Unattached (Barrie, ON)

Kayla Moleschi – Williams Lake Rustlers (Williams Lake, BC)

Breanne Nicholas – London St. Georges (Blenheim, ON)

Natasha Watcham-Roy – Hull Volant (Gatineau, QC)

Charity Williams – Markham Irish (Toronto, ON)

Coaching Staff:

Meaghan Howat – Manager

John Tait – Head Coach

Sandro Fiorino – Assistant Coach

Morgan Williams – Assistant Coach

Canada’s Las Vegas Sevens Day 1 Schedule (Friday, March 3^rd):

Canada 34-7 Russia 

Canada 38-7 Argentina

Canada 21-7 France

About Rugby Canada

Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of rugby union in Canada.  Rugby Union 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.

Rugby Canada has also put a renewed emphasis on developing its junior programs 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.  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.