It was a cup half full for Canadian rugby on a charged Sunday at Starlight Stadium in Langford. The national women’s sevens team qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games by winning their North American and Caribbean qualifying tournament while it was a dream deferred for the Canadian men.
The Canadian women cruised to Paris by going 5-0 in the qualifier and outscoring the opposition 288-7, capping it with a 41-7 win over St. Lucia in the semifinals and 53-0 victory over Mexico in the final before 3,881 boisterous fans.
“I don’t know how to top this feeling. It feels incredible after all the work we’ve put in,” said Canadian captain Olivia Apps, who provides the emotional resonance for this group.
Since it was pretty much a foregone conclusion Canada would earn the Olympic berth, because the American women are pre-qualified for the Paris Olympics by placing third in this season’s World Series standings, the Canadians worried about their own performance against the regional minnow opponents.
“It still hits you [when you’ve officially qualified for the Games],” said Apps.
The flair with the way Canada did it, with smart and sharp rugby, was as the story of the weekend.
“This feels pretty special. We displayed an impressive style of play,” said Canadian head coach Jack Hanratty.
“This was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my life. This tournament was all about getting the ticket to Paris. But we want to perform when we get there. We haven’t peaked yet. We want to compete against the best teams in the world.”
The Canadian men, meanwhile, were beaten 24-14 in the men’s final as the Americans stamped their passage to the Olympics next summer. The swift American star Perry Baker, on his way to a try against Canada, looked to the raucous Canadian crowd and put his finger to his lips in the international symbol for “hush” as he raced past the grandstand to score a try. He might as well have kept running to Paris because that’s where the Americans are headed.
Canada, as regional runner-up, won a berth into the at-large last-chance world qualifier for the 12th and final men’s spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“It’s tough to reflect at this moment. But we will build off this and get back into the Paris Olympics tournament next year,” said Canadian player Lachlan Kratz of Victoria, who put in an outstanding turn on the weekend.
“What’s done is done. It’s time to move forward. It’s not over. We are a resilient team. This will do nothing but motivate us.”
Those thoughts were echoed by Canadian captain Phil Berna: “It’s a tough one. We didn’t go down without a fight. It’s going to be a dogfight in the final Olympic qualifier, against all the second-place regional teams, but we will build for that.”
Canada went 3-1 in the North American and Caribbean tournament and led 7-5 in the final before Baker ended the first half with his breathless try for the U.S. to bring down the piercing noise level in Starlight Stadium.
“This is fuel for next year [last-chance Olympic qualifier] and will push the team,” said Canadian head coach Sean White of Victoria.
“We will take care of that challenge at that time.”
The Americans, meanwhile, were absorbing the fact their side is headed to Paris and the Olympics.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” said U.S. captain Kevon Williams.
“We’ve sacrificed a lot to represent our country. It’s a dream come true.”
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