The Canadian women's rugby sevens team was scheduled to leave late Friday for Australia and the HSBC SVNS Perth, bolstered by the return of veteran Olivia Apps and fellow Olympian Florence Symonds.
Coach Jocelyn Barrieau, who had seven new faces in her squad for the first two stops of the HSBC SVNS season, has included newcomers Olivia Sarabura and Larah Wright in her 14-player travelling roster as well as 15s veteran Gabrielle Senft.
For Barrieau, roster selection is a juggling act 鈥� trying to integrate new players while bearing in mind the club commitments of their players 鈥� at the start of a new quadrennial.
"At the end of the day, we want the best players to be able to play. And players now from Canada are getting noticed," she said. "And they're getting offered contracts to go play professionally. We want to encourage that balance and that ability to do both."
"It's definitely a puzzle," she added. "But it's a wonderful puzzle."
The Canadian women have been drawn in Pool B alongside Britain, Fiji and the U.S. for the Perth event, which runs Jan. 24-26 at HBF Park.
Canada stands seventh in the overall standings after finishing eighth in the season-opening tournament in Dubai and fifth in Cape Town. The Canadian women went 1-4-0 in Dubai and 3-1-0 in Cape Town.
The U.S. stands fourth overall while Britain is fifth and Fiji 11th.
Apps, the sevens squad's former captain, returns from 15s duty with Canada at the WXV tournament in Vancouver. Symonds spent the fall with the University of British Columbia, helping the Thunderbirds win their first-ever U Sports rugby 15s championship in November.
Apps will serve as vice-captain with Piper Logan continuing as skipper.
Sarabura, named MVP of the sevens nationals last year, was also a member of UBC's victorious U Sports team while Wright, who helped Canada win silver at the 2024 FISU World University Championship last June, was with the runner-up University of Victoria.
"They're two players who have a very bright future," said Barrieau. "And now is a great time to get them into a Canadian jersey and see how far they can get in this pathway."
Leaving early allows the Canadians close to two weeks training Down Under. The sevens program is no longer centralized so the team will be reuniting for the trip.
After Perth, the teams head to Vancouver for the fourth stop of the season Feb. 21-23 at B.C. Place Stadium. The circuit then moves to Hong Kong and Singapore before wrapping up May 3-4 in Carson, Calif.
The Singapore event will crown the SVNS season winners before the top eight men's and women's teams take part in the winner-takes-all world championship at California's Dignity Health Sports Park.
New Zealand currently leads the women's standings after winning in Cape Town and finishing runner-up to Australia in Dubai. The Australians, who finished fourth in Cape Town, are second ahead of France, which finished third at both events.
The Olympic silver medallist Canadian women finished fifth in the standings last season before losing 26-14 to New Zealand in June in Madrid in the third-place game. Australia won the women's title, defeating France 26-7.
Fiji leads the current men's standings, ahead of Spain, France and South Africa.
Canada's men dropped off the circuit last June after being beaten 22-14 by Spain in a relegation decider in Madrid. They are looking to climb back to the sevens' top tier via World Rugby's second-tier Challenger Series.
Olympic women's champion New Zealand was drawn in Pool A in Perth with Japan, Ireland and Brazil. Host Australia is in Pool C with France, China and Spain.
Canada Women's Sevens Roster
Breanne Nicholas, Blenheim, Ont., Kent Havoc RFC; Florence Symonds, Vancouver, UBC; Carmen Izyk, High River, Alta., Rugby Club Toulon Provence Mediterranee (France); Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Piper Logan (capt.), Calgary, UBC; Camille Arvin-Berod, Saint-Denis-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Lons Section Paloise (France); Carissa Norsten, Waldheim, Sask., University of Victoria; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Savannah Bauder. North Vancouver, UBC; Olivia Sarabura, Guelph, Ont., UBC; Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Larah Wright, Calgary, University of Victoria; Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
