Monday, April 22, 2019 ~ VICTORIA.
~ by Mary P Brooke, West Shore Voice News
A small but enthusiastic crowd of die-hard rugby supporters milled about at the Arrivals gate at Victoria International Airport this Easter Monday afternoon, then burst into cheers and applause as the Canada Women’s Sevens team spilled through the arrival doors, returning from their trip to Japan.
Canada’s top women rugby players won gold at the Kitakyushu Sevens, April 21. The final game was topped off by a winning play by HSBC Player of the Finals, Ghislaine Landry. This cup win in Japan marks Canada’s first since 2017 in Sydney.
The final score in Saturday’s game was a tight 7-5 win against England. It was a hard-fought battle that included a series of errors in the first half giving possession to England. Some strong defensive covers by Canada but England managed to break through and get on the board in the first half.
In the second, Canada came smashing ahead but the English line remained strong and made some big try-saving stops. On the final play of the match, Kaili Lukan found herself with ball in hand on the far wing. A skip pass looked like it might have been knocked on by Britt Benn but there was no call. Ghislaine Landry scooped it up and darted in for a try under the sticks. With that move, Landry showed why she’s the all-time leading scorer, including making the conversion to give Canada the win.
Team Captain Ghislaine Landry felt good about the team’s success in Japan and gave a bit of analysis in an interview today at the airport with West Shore Voice News:
How did you do that final set of moves against England with such composure? “At that point I knew that if we kept the ball we could score. If we could get that five points we could get the seven. We worked almost the full way down the field which is great composure by the girls and obviously to keep the ball for that long. If it’s an opportunity we’re going to try and take it. We didn’t give up til the end.”
What sort of training prepared you for this level of performance? “The girls work so hard. We’re training all year round. A 14-minute game turns into a 16-minute game. To be able to keep that composure physically but also mentally is definitely part of the work we’re doing. And I think it shows in the world series that we can finish those games off.”
What sort of training do you do at the home base training centre in Langford? (Al Charron Rugby Canada National Training Centre): “We’re always training at almost a higher level than the game itself. So you’re prepared for it. The game should never feel too uncomfortable. Sevens is such a tough game. You’re going to push yourself to your limit no matter how fit you are it’s going to hurt. So we try to simulate that in training so it’s not an unfamiliar feeling. We do speed condition, strength training, we want to hit all those aspects of the physical training. So your body’s ready. Your body is your armor in rugby.”
What outcome are you hoping for in the games May 11th & 12th in Langford? “We’ll keep building off of this weekend. We came home with a gold medal but there’s still stuff we can better at. We’re going to look at that and come back even stronger for Langford.”
With the top four teams automatically qualifying for the 2020 Olympics at the end of the season, now second-ranked Canada could secure their ticket to Tokyo 2020 on home soil next month at the HSBC Canada Women Sevens at Westhills Stadium in Langford on May 11 and 12th.
Canada Women’s Sevens are sitting second overall. “We have to top-4 qualify, and we’re second right now,” said Landry as a matter-of-fact assessment.
“We have two tournament stops to go. Points are cumulative,” the team captain explained. ” It also depends on other teams, but we sitting in a good position. We’ll go for as many points as we can get. Ideally 20 for the win. We’ll keep building off this (last) performance. When we focus on that, good things can happen,” said Landry.
While waiting for the Canada Women’s Sevens to arrive at the airport, Gareth Rees,
Rugby Canada’s Director, Commercial and Program Relations, talked about the team’s success.
“They worked hard, it paid off,” said Rees. “With Karen Paquin back, she made a difference because she allowed everyone else to do their jobs.” And of course he noted team captain Landry’s “last second heroics against England”. What was the key to Canada’s powerhouse performance in Japan? “They pressed on the opposition,” said Rees.
After the big welcome, Head Coach John Tait said the team will recover for a couple of days and the review what unfolded in Japan. “We’ll see what we can tidy up a little better.”
Tait says the Westhills Stadium field is narrower. “There’s more contact in Langford than at other stadiums. So we’ll have to make sure we’ll be physically prepared to meet that challenge. Bringing in Karen Paquin — a senior player — helped with composure and the belief that even when mistakes happen we can recover from them and still get results,” the coach said. “We’ve got good leadership in the team.”
“Today there were lots of families and partners here. For our ladies that’s a big part of what motivates them. It reinvigorates them and reminds them why they do it.” said Tait.
Canada Roster:
- Britt Benn, Guelph Redcoats (Napanee, ON)
- Kayla Moleschi, Williams Lake Rustlers (Williams Lake, BC)
- Caroline Crossley, Castaway Wanderers (Victoria, BC)
- Breanne Nicholas, London St. Georges RFC (Blenheim, ON)
- Julia Greenshields, Sarnia Saints (Sarnia, ON)
- Charity Williams, Markham Irish (Toronto, ON)
- Karen Paquin, Castaway Wanderers / CRQ (Quebec City, QC)
- Bianca Farella, Town of Mount Royal RCF (Montreal, QC)
- Ghislaine Landry, Toronto Scottish (Toronto, ON) – Captain
- Kaili Lukan, Unattached (Barrie, ON)
- Emma Chown, Aurora Barbarians (Barrie, ON)
- Keyara Wardley, Okotoks Lions (Vulcan, AB)
- Olivia Apps, Lindsay RFC (Lindsay, ON)