Thomas Skrlj/COC

July 23, 2024

Resilient. Determined. Persevering. These are just a few of the words players on Team Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team used to describe the group of athletes heading to Paris.

Their path to Paris 2024 has not been easy, with a slower progression towards full momentum since the last Olympic Games. Their trust in the process, their coaches and each other has seen them improve from ninth in the SVNS Series last year to fifth this year.

Team captain Olivia Apps said this challenging journey strengthened the bond between the team.

“I think a big part of our team culture is the challenges we face together. The last two seasons have been very tough in terms of our performances and finding consistency in our squad. There have been injuries and a lot of different obstacles. But the fact that we have come through that together and at the end of the day, spending time with each other off the pitch and talking about rugby and wanting to get better builds confidence.”

Apps is one of only three players returning from the Tokyo 2020 squad. The other two are Keyara Wardley and Charity Williams, the latter being the only player on the team for what will be Paris 2024’s third Olympic Games. In that sense, Williams is the only player who has experienced the “normal” Games, with the ability to interact with fans in the stands and other athletes in the Village, so the team will look to her for experience.

“From that perspective, I think it’s going to be tough trying to get by, just because we’re in Tokyo and we’re not allowed to interact with other people and there’s no fans,” Wardley said. “We’ve worked so hard to get here, so we want to enjoy this process as much as we can. But we also need to know when to focus, and I think the athletes coming back can definitely lead the way.”

Apps takes over the captaincy from Ghislaine Landry, one of the world’s top scorers and a key figure in the rise of women’s rugby in Canada and the Olympic debut of women’s rugby sevens at Rio 2016.

“Ghislaine was a leader who really led by example. I think there’s no denying the fact that her presence on the pitch, that she was the captain of the team and the leader in that sense,” Apps said.

“I think I had to find my own leadership flow. I’m very outgoing, I’m an extrovert, I love connecting with my teammates. I think that’s where I’m different from Ghislaine and probably why I connect with my teammates in a different way. But then I also learned from her that there are moments to speak up, to take the mic and give it to others and create space for others to lead. One thing I learned from her is that sometimes the best leadership is just being!”

The practice is joined by team leader co-captain Chloe Daniels, who likely prefers a leadership style closer to Landry’s.

“I think I’m a pretty calm and collected person on and off the field. So in a very exciting and intense atmosphere, I’m hoping that I can bring that calmness to the team and help us focus and really get back to basics and ready to play our game.”

Qualifying for Paris 2024 was extra special for Team Canada because they did it on their home turf. The team qualified for the 2023 Rugby Americas North Sevens regional qualifying event in Langford, B.C. last August, going undefeated and defeating Mexico 53-0 in the final.

The 2024 HSBC SVNS season opened in December 2023 and Canada got off to a strong start with a fourth-place performance in Dubai, beating Ireland in the quarter-finals and facing New Zealand in a close semi-final.

Canada played in the third-place play-off at three more stops during the season, winning the bronze medal in front of a home crowd in Vancouver. They finished fourth in Los Angeles and finished the season ranked fifth in the world rankings after a strong performance at the 2024 HSBC SVNS Grand Final in Madrid, where Canada finished fourth and beat New Zealand in pool play for the first time since 2016.

At Tokyo 2020, Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team failed to advance from the group stage. For Paris, there is a real desire to show the world that Canada is a contender once again.

“I would say Team Canada (playing style) is very aggressive and physical. I personally think we have some of the best athletes in the world when it comes to rugby. I think we have a good balance of aggression, speed and skill,” Apps said. “A lot of people say that Canadians, because rugby is not really a Canadian sport, don’t have the rugby IQ or the rugby knowledge. But I actually think our team is one of the smartest teams and our aggression and defensive presence definitely comes through. And I think we attack like we have incredible speed.”

“Every country’s style of rugby is very different and we have to adapt our defensive system or how we attack against them,” he adds.

In the Olympic tournament, Canada was selected to Group A along with New Zealand, Fiji and People’s Republic of China.

“New Zealand and Fiji have a similar style of play,” Daniels says. “They’ve been playing rugby for a long time. China aren’t a team we’ve seen a lot of, but they’re fast. They move the ball fast. So those are all things we’re aware of and prepared for. But I think it also comes down to doing what we’ve done this season and not making too many changes, being prepared.”

It’s time to settle down and trust each other; trust the resilience, determination, and perseverance of the team.

The most important thing to remember for practices is: “We are not seven individuals – we play as a team. We are always trying to get better. We are always trying to raise the standards. And we think about the legacy that we have with this jersey.”

The women’s rugby sevens will be played at the Stade de France from July 28-30.