Rugby sevens continues to grow its sport in Canada and is now providing university women’s teams the opportunity to compete in a new pilot project.
Starting in January, the Canada West women’s rugby series will provide student athletes the chance to pursue the popular game — a big hit at the Summer Olympics in Rio where Canada claimed a bronze medal, led by players based in Langford.
Canada West, B2Ten and Rugby Canada have teamed up to introduce the three-year project which will include a three-tournament series involving six programs — the University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Calgary, University of the Fraser Valley, University of Lethbridge and University of Victoria.
“The launch of the Canada West women’s rugby sevens series is a fantastic initiative that will see tremendous growth of female sevens players,” said Rugby Canada CEO Allen Vansen. “The competition will provide a new pathway to our national sevens programs and will act as a great development tool for players.”
UVic athletic director and Canada West vice-president of planning and research, Clint Hamilton, loves the idea, which provides new athletic opportunities for student-athletes as they pursue academic and sports excellence.
“Canada West appreciates the partnership with Rugby Canada and B2Ten. Together we are committed to growing women’s rugby sevens in a way that aligns university sport with the development of our national team program and helps motivate our top student-athletes to stay in Canada, while pursuing their post-secondary and international goals,” he said.
The project includes joint funding from Rugby Canada and B2Ten, the latter of which is a registered Canadian Amateur Athletic Association that contributes to amateur sport by providing training and preparation services to elite amateur athletes. The group also invests in the development of coaches and service providers and develops the legacy of enhanced sport, play and well being.
The new series launches Jan. 21-22 in Edmonton before moving on to UVic , Feb. 4-5, and UBC, Feb. 18-19. The series champion will be crowned following the final tournament as determined by cumulative points.
It’s a great opportunity for athletes to develop, said Ghislaine Landry, a member of Canada’s sevens team.
“I think it’s huge,” she said. “The impact of the Olympics was incredible, we came home to a lot of buzz about rugby sevens. This is something that athletes can now look to be a part of — to have Canadian athletes stay in Canada to play rugby at a level that will get them closer to the national program.”
Vikes women’s coach Brittany Waters is also delighted with the prospects.
“When I stepped in as head coach two years ago I saw that potential here and one of my main recruiting messages was that if your goal is to play for the sevens national team this is a great place to be,” she said. “You will get a lot of visibility and a lot of support that you wouldn’t necessarily get at other schools.
“Last year we had two girls called up from our program to the carding program and I think a lot of that had to do with them being around the team and to be able to participate with the national team either in practice or at tournaments. It’s an easy transition from our team to that program.”
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