Press Release from Rugby Canada
Canada Women’s 7s head coach John Tait has named his roster for the upcoming Dubai Sevens, the first leg in this season’s Women’s Sevens World Series.
With the top four teams at the end of this season qualifying automatically for the 2016 Summer Olympics, it is extremely important for Canada to get off to a good start in Dubai.
Based on the 12 players heading to Dubai, it looks as though Tait is looking to secure points early on.
“This season is all about qualifying,” said Tait. “We want to win an event and a series, but we’re focussing on getting the points needed to be top four at the end of the season.”
“This core group has been together for a few seasons now and we’ve added some quality youth and talent along the way, making our program more competitive than any previous year.”
While Tait made a habit of integrating some youth into his squads during last year’s WSWS, he has chosen a very experienced team to kick off the 2014-15 campaign.
In all five rounds last season there was at least one teenager named to Canada’s roster, while five players made their national team debuts. The youngest players heading to Dubai next week are 22-year-olds Bianca Farella and Julia Greenshields, both of which have plenty of experience with Canada’s Sevens Team.
The team will be led once again by Captain Jen Kish, who missed the 2013 Dubai Sevens with a hamstring injury.
Canada Sevens veterans Ghislaine Landry, Mandy Marchak, Kelly Russell and Ashley Steacy will help provide Kish with more experience on the field as the five women have spent the better part of the last decade playing together.
After being named IRB Women’s Player of the Year, Magali Harvey is hoping to translate her fifteens success onto the sevens pitch while Elissa Alarie and Karen Paquin will be eager to return to the international stage after finishing second at the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Arielle Dubisette-Borrice makes the team after playing in three of five events last year while Kayla Moleschi will look to build off a promising 13-14 season in which she scored nine tries, fourth most amongst Canadians.
The team departs for Dubai next Tuesday and will have nine days in the city before the tournament begins December 4.
Canada has finished third in the WSWS standings two years in a row and has placed inside the top four in seven straight tournaments.
They will be grouped with Brazil, Fiji and England in Pool C.
