X-Women rugby fullback Magali Harvey returned from Europe recently with the national senior women's sevens team after competing in two international tournaments. Harvey and her teammates placed third at the IRB (International Rugby Board) Marriott London Sevens tournament held May 12-13th in England, then followed up with a first place victory at the Amsterdam Sevens tournament May 19-20th in Holland. X-Women alumnus Ghislaine Landry is also a member of the national sevens squad.
In the 12-team London tournament, the Canadian team posted a 2-1 record in pool play, losing a close 15-14 game to the Netherlands, then handling Portugal 54-0 and Russia 29-0. After advancing to the semi-finals with a 17-0 shutout over South Africa, Canada came up against a strong England squad. Locked at 12-12 after regulation, England prevailed with a 15-12 win in sudden-death overtime. Canada went on to defeat Australia 19-14 to secure third place.
The following weekend in Amsterdam featured all 12 of the world’s top ranked women’s sevens teams. Canada defended their title from last year with a 26-19 win over the United States in the championship game, overcoming a 19-5 second half deficit for the win.
Day One action in pool play saw the Canadians post a 3-0 record with wins over Ireland (15-5), Spain (19-0) and France (33-0). They were then matched up against the two teams they had lost to in London, the Netherlands and England. Those two tough Day Two games saw the red and white take a 24-7 win over the Netherlands and a post a 12-12 tie with England, enough to advance Canada into the gold medal game.
Canada’s 26-19 victory over the US in the Amsterdam Sevens final can be viewed here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s-JUqVPqII
Rugby sevens is a fast-paced game with shorter halves as compared to its 15-aside counterpart. The sport will make its debut at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Magali Harvey, a native of Quebec City, recently completed her second season with the X-Women. She is a two-time CIS all-Canadian and AUS all-star, and was the 2010 AUS rookie of the year. Named a 2010 CIS tournament all-star, she played a key role on the X-Women squad that captured the 2010 CIS national championship title.
Ghislaine Landry hails from Toronto and played four seasons with the X-Women from 2006-10, shattering AUS scoring records and earning numerous accolades while playing for the blue and white. The two-time CIS player of the year and four-time CIS all-Canadian helped guide the X-Women to their first national title during her rookie season in 2006. She also won two CIS silver medals, was a three-time CIS tournament all-star and was the 2009 nominee for the CIS athlete of the year award. Landry remains the AUS all-time career leader in both points (352) and tries scored (70).