Saturday, May 11, 2019 [This is the COMMUNITY/SHORTER VERSION – posted May 13]
~ Mary P Brooke, Editor ~ West Shore Voice News
Day 1 of the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens tournament was a celebration of the newly expanded and renovated stadium as much as it was the opportunity to experience the high-energy sport that is Women’s Sevens.
Kickoff at 10:22 am between New Zealand and Russia got the day of 18 games rolling.
At 11:28 am the Canada Women’s Sevens team spilled onto the field to huge home town cheers, up against Brazil. A huge roar at 11:30 am as Canada’s Team Captain Ghislaine Landry pulled off a successful try early in the match. More cheers for the power-runner Charity Williams scoring a try. That followed the final try of the game for Canada by Karen Paquin. Final score 8-7 Canada over Brazil.
This being Mother’s Day weekend, there were lots of young children in tow with their parents, grandparents and families. Warm weather made the outdoor experience in the new bleachers all that more pleasant. The stadium now seats over 6,000, with an expansion coming to 10,000 seats after the hydro pole (the one painted with purple on its lower portion) can be relocated in the future.
During pause points in the game, Rugby Canada promoted rugby for youth with a pre-taped video on the large screen. One child after another says “I like rugby”, with one in particular chanting out “I like rugby because I play with my friends”.
Canada played Ireland in game 10, bringing the the crowd to their feet as things got rolling. The first try came through for Ireland. There was strong athletic performance out there by the Canadian team, including one player just now literally head over heels onto the turf. Team captain Landry moved the fall up and across the field with a try coming for Canada with big cheers from the home crowd. Another try came through by Landry but she missed the conversion after becoming a bit winded following a high jump and falling to her knees mid-field before bringing the ball home. That was quickly followed with a successful try by Julia Greenshields. Landry showed a slight limp, but with Karen Paquin pulling off another try and Landry the conversion, there was a final win for Canada 22-5.
Langford does know how to bring out an enthusiastic crowd. Fans waved signs, enjoyed refreshments, took pictures, and shared family-time moments especially when Canada was scoring big.
Sponsors being thanked on the loudspeaker through the game include the Government of Canada, Keycorp Developments, City of Langford, Alpine Group, Butchart Gardens, Victoria Shamrocks, Shawnigan Lake School, Boston Pizza, YM-YWCA Langford, and Club Phoenix Fitness.
Just ahead of 5 pm, there was a cheering crowd for Canada as they made their first try in the first minute of the 16th game of the day — Canada vs Australia. Tries for Canada were gained by Julia Greenshields and Bianca Farella and conversion by #9 Ghislaine Landry but the final score was Australia 29-14 over Canada. Afterward, the Canadian team expressed disappointment at not winning this their last game of Day 1.
And the fans start pouring out of the stadium, as the 50/50 ticket winner was announced as winning $1,802.
The 18th and final match of the day saw USA up against France — two strong teams. First try by USA in front of a thinning crowd. Another USA try, pushing the score quickly up to 12-0. A bit of Dire Straits old rock ‘n roll music was played loud, to help pump people up. Win for USA 12-0.
Ticket sales started with tournament weekend passes then opened up to single-day tickets about a month ago. Overall tournament attendance looks like it will be 6,500.
On Sunday the gates open at 8:45 am. First game at 9:18 am. National Anthems 4:14 pm. Medal Presentations 4:40 pm.
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Earlier play-by-play version of this article available by request: news@westshorevoicenews.com