When it comes to performing at the highest level of sport, even the best teams in the world are always striving for more consistency.
Canada’s national women’s sevens team, on the other hand, would probably give almost anything for just the opposite.
Rightly considered a threat to win every tournament they enter, Canada’s consistency has come in the form of five straight 3rd-place finishes on the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series. Basically, Canada have figured out how to regularly beat every team on the circuit, but for the top two teams in the world, Australia and New Zealand.
Canada Women’s 7s Preview: Atlanta
The Canadians will get another opportunity to break that pattern when the third round of the 2014-15 series n Atlanta gets going this weekend. The pool draw certainly looks favourable: Canada will face off against Brazil, China, and England, meaning they should have little problem claiming one of the top two spots in Pool C and advancing to the Cup rounds once again.
That in mind, Day 1 will largely be about maintaining good habits and trying to build momentum. Inaccuracy plagued the Canadians on the last leg of the series in Sao Paulo, and though travel delays and the Brazilian heat played a part, in general the team must continue to tighten up–particularly on defense—if they are ever to knock off the Aussies and Kiwis with regularity.
Series veterans such as Jen Kish, Ashley Steacy, and Ghislaine Landry will be expected to set the standard in this regard when they take up their usual positions; all three were predictably excellent in Sao Paulo, but had their stumbles when the heat was literally and figuratively cranked up.
No doubt head coach John Tait will also look to find some game time for series debutantes Brittany Benn and Natasha Watcham-Roy, both of whom featured last month at the Las Vegas Invitational on one of two “Maple Leafs” developmental sides.
This youth infusion is in keeping with Rugby Canada’s concerted effort to build depth leading into—what else—the Rio Olympics, and Tait has made a point of regularly selecting youngsters or sevens newcomers. With Canada’s fixtures in Atlanta setting up as relatively soft in the morning before ramping up later in the day, it will be interesting to see how the coach handles his bench; will he play his veterans early on while saving the young legs for later, or instead trust that his team can bank the “easy” points regardless of who is on the pitch?
Whatever happens with the personnel decisions, a big task for Canada will be keeping their focus throughout Day 1, and that mission will start against Brazil, a team which still mainly occupies the lower rungs of the tournament. The Brazilians have yet to beat Canada in five attempts, but are likely more of a threat than that record would suggest; they have run close with strong teams like Russia and England, and claimed a Bowl victory in Dubai a few months ago. Still this is an eminently winnable game, and Canada will need to be sharp in order to cash in on the opportunity.
After that Canada will take on China, a team which should pose little threat: in their two previous encounters, Canada have come out on top by a combined score of 69-0. That said, China earned core status this year when the WSWS expanded to 11 core teams, and showed a knack for scoring tries last month in Sao Paulo. Again, there’s little danger here of a Canadian loss, but the game will be a good test of Canada’s commitment to their structure, especially if the score does get out of hand.
Capping off the Day 1 slate will be something of a rivalry game against England; despite a nearly even split of the head-to-head pool games over the years, Canada have regularly derailed England’s playoff aspirations, taking five wins from six knockout games since the Series started in 2012-13. Add that bit of spice to the fact that top spot in Pool C will likely be at stake in this game, and motivation should be little trouble for these two skilled sides.
Will this weekend be Canada’s long-awaited breakthrough for a first Cup victory? The question is most certainly getting stale, but unfortunately that will continue to be the story until Canada bury it with a massive, two-day performance.
Such is life for a team which has put themselves in the picture among the world’s best.
Canada’s Schedule for Atlanta Sevens, Day 1:
Day One – March 14, 2015
Canada vs Brazil at 12:44 pm ET / 9:44 am PT
Canada vs China at 3:28 pm ET / 12:28 pm PT
Canada vs England at 6:12 pm ET / 3:12 pm PT
Canada’s Roster for Atlanta : (Club) Hometown, Province
Elissa Alarie – (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Rugby Club) Trois-Rivieres, QC
Brittany Benn – (Guelph Redcoats) Napanee, ON
Bianca Farella – (Town of Mount Royal RFC) Montreal, QC
Julia Greenshields – (Sarnia Saints) Sarnia, ON
Jennifer Kish – (Edmonton Rockers RFC) Edmonton, AB
Ghislaine Landry – (Toronto Scottish RFC) Toronto, ON
Mandy Marchak – (Capilano RFC) Winnipeg, MB
Kayla Moleschi – (Williams Lake Rustlers) Williams Lake, BC
Karen Paquin – (Club de Rugby Quebec) Quebec City, QC
Kelly Russell – (Toronto Nomads) Bolton, ON
Ashley Steacy – (Lethbridge Rugby Club) Lethbridge, AB
Natasha Watcham-Roy – (University of Ottawa) Gatineau, QC
