Kaljuvee, Lesco & Robb participate in Rugby Canada U20 camp

Three members of the CIS champion X-Women rugby team participated in a recent Rugby Canada training for the national U20 team in Toronto. Center Sara Kaljuvee from Ajax, Ont and winger Danielle Robb from Millbay, B.C. wrapped up their second season with the X-Women this past fall, while freshman center Natalie Lesco also attended the training camp. A release from Rugby Canada follows.

U20 CAMP WRAPS UP IN TORONTO
Submitted by Robert Murray - Rugby Canada Contributer
 
After two hard fought days at Fletchers Field in Toronto, Sandro Fiorino and his coaching staff completed their first Under 20 Women's National team evaluation camp.
 
The camp featured forty of the top rugby players in Canada in preparation for the Under 20 Nations Cup taking place from July 8-21 in the United Kingdom. Last year, Canada finished third at the tournament.
 
"I was impressed with the level of play that received from the players that attend the camp. It was obvious that the hard work that the players have put in the weight room, track and rugby field has paid off," noted head coach Fiorino. He also praised the efforts of Jen Boyd and Dan Valley in helping to lead the squad in improving key areas of their game.
 
The camp featured several highly regarded players including Sara Kaljuvee of the 2012 CIS Champion St. Francis Xavier X-Women. "One very important thing I took away from this camp was the significance of communication. Communication was one of the major reasons how we as a group came together and achieved cohesion while playing together in the final game," she noted after the camp.
 
The camp featured a final "Red vs. Blue" game, which provided Fiorino and his staff with plenty of insight into the ability of the different athletes attending the camp. "One key area to note is that several players have been asked to play a new position and they all have embraced the challenge," he commented. Fiorino noted that while this plan was still a work in progress, the different athletes needed time to grow into their new roles.
 
Throughout the camp Fiorino was impressed with the ball movement from sideline to sideline but noted that the team still has lots of work ahead of them. For Kaljuvee, she took several key points away from the camp. "This camp made me more aware of how vital conditioning is," she noted, adding, "conditioning separates those who want it more."
 
For camp invitees like Kaljuvee, the two-day event helped her gauge how other women across Canada were training in preparation for the camp and summer ahead. Kaljuvee mentioned that the roster representing Canada in July would not have an easy path to success. She noted that she expected the team, regardless of composition, to improve upon last year's result and challenge for gold this time around.
 
Now that the camp is over for the athletes, the difficult part lies in the hands of Fiorino and his coaching staff. They'll have to trim the roster down from forty to twenty-six in time for the Under 20 Nations Cup.
 
"We will review player's physical testing results, Skill assessments and their performance in the scrimmage. Our goal are to have players on this team that will be able to grow in the Rugby Canada High Performance Culture."
 
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