Canadian women's rugby 7s in search of respect on home soil
Canucks look to regain mojo after 11th-place finish at latest World Series stop in Japan
World class rugby over a beautiful spring weekend on Vancouver Island. What's not to love? From a Canadian perspective, there's actually quite a lot.
Without being overly dramatic, Canada's women's sevens team has lost its mojo of late and it needs to be found quickly. With home advantage in Langford, B.C., there's no time like the present.
A failure to medal at the Commonwealth Games in April was followed by a wretched 11th-place finish later, in the same month, in Kitakyushu, Japan. It is not the kind of form we have come to expect from the Canadians, and it is certainly not what the players expect of themselves.
Team Canada needs to make a statement. It needs to remind its followers and its opponents that its no slouch. Reputations take years to build but can be dismantled very quickly when performances fail to match expectations.
Moving on from Kish
The retirement of Jen Kish has clearly taken its toll. Canada has lost not only arguably its finest player but its leader as well. Kish's captaincy propelled the team to a Pan Am Gold medal in 2015 and onto the Olympic podium a year later.
Like all good captains, Kish led by example. She was brave, uncompromising and passionate. An athlete of that calibre will always inspire teammates and command respect from opponents in the psychological battle that accompanies the physical one.
But Kish is gone and Canada must move on. That's the cold reality facing head coach John Tait. He doesn't need to be reminded that he can't simply replace a player of Kish's ability, but it is his responsibility to drive the team forward with a positive mentality.
Next generation
He hopes Kish's legacy will inspire a new generation. A deeper pool of talent will always raise the standard of competition for places, but young players take time to develop. Tait knows he can't rush players into the program if they don't possess the mental and physical attributes to succeed, but one player who might is Pam Buisa.
The 21-year-old from Gatineau, Que., is the only new face on the Canadian roster this weekend. Buisa enjoyed a standout student career at the University of Victoria and was part of the Canadian team that captured a silver medal at the Youth Olympics in China four years ago.
Settling into a senior team can be a daunting challenge for any young player, so it makes sense for Tait to introduce Buisa at the Langford Sevens. The home of Rugby Canada is a familiar environment and reunites Buisa with Hannah Darling and Charity Williams – both of whom were medal winning teammates at Nanjing 2014.
While the legacy planning is an ongoing business, Team Canada must also focus on the here and now. The return of Ghislaine Landry is a critical factor. She was badly missed in Kitakyushu where the team failed to reach the Cup quarter-finals for the first time.
The last time we saw Landry, she was emotionally drained after missing out on a medal on the Gold Coast. But like Kish, she's a tough competitor who is extremely proud to lead her country. Landry's physical injuries have healed and one hopes the mental exhaustion is also behind her.
Continuing rivalry
While Canada aims to rebound, the season-long battle for global supremacy rumbles on to Westhills Stadium. Australia and New Zealand lead the Women's Sevens Series standings and the rivalry is guaranteed to continue on Canadian soil.
The Australians, bristling with talent and speed, are the only nation to medal on all three Series stops. The brilliant Emma Tonegato will no doubt catch the eye again as the Aussies aim to extend their points advantage over the Black Ferns.
But New Zealand will have other ideas and with good reason. Confidence within their camp will be sky-high coming off back-to-back wins at the Commonwealth Games and Japan. The Black Ferns are strengthened by the return of Ruby Tui after illness and watch out for the power and pace of Portia Woodman – a try-scoring machine.
I'd also recommend keeping tabs on Russia and France. Both teams have medalled in the Sevens Series this season and while they remain some distance behind Australia and New Zealand, they're demonstrating that women's rugby in Europe is healthy and showing steady improvement.
But this is Canada's rugby party and the hosts want something to celebrate. In plain English, Canada must perform on home turf. Anything less than a semifinal appearance and the opportunity to play for a medal is unacceptable.
Canada needs to win back the respect of its opponents and the hearts of its fans and a successful weekend in Langford will achieve both.
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