Captain Olivia Apps achieved a milestone of 300 points in HSBC SVNS competition, while Taylor Perry scored her debut try in World Rugby’s prestigious sevens series as Canada commenced their campaign at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens with a win and a loss on Friday.
Team Canada started with a 24-17 triumph against the 5th-ranked Japan but then fell 26-15 to the 2nd-ranked Australia. They will conclude their Pool C matches against the 12th-ranked Spain.
The Hong Kong event is taking place at the newly built Kai Tak Stadium.
The Canadian women’s team currently holds the sixth position in the overall standings after securing eighth place in Dubai, fifth in Cape Town, fourth in Perth, and seventh in Vancouver last month. New Zealand leads the standings, clinching victories in Cape Town and Vancouver, and finishing as the runner-up in Dubai and Perth, Australia.
The Hong Kong tournament marks Taylor Perry’s return to the sevens squad since winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics last summer. Perry has been playing 15s rugby in England with the Exeter Chiefs.
Apps, who entered the Hong Kong event with 296 points in HSBC SVNS play, is leading the team in the absence of the injured Piper Logan.
After Hong Kong, the series will move to Singapore for the next event on April 5-6. The top eight men’s and women’s teams will then compete in the world championship on May 3-4 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.
The final in California will also include a promotion/relegation playoff involving the top four men’s and women’s teams from the second-tier HSBC Sevens Challenger and the bottom four teams in the HSBC SVNS circuit.
The Canadian men’s team, relegated last June, is scheduled to participate in the last Challenger Series event on April 11-12 in Krakow, Poland.
