The Canadian women’s rugby sevens team, led by Asia Hogan-Rochester’s two tries and two conversions, faced a 50-14 defeat against New Zealand in the third-place match at the HSBC SVNS World Championship Series event on Sunday. Despite winning four consecutive games, Canada suffered a 14-12 loss to the United States in the semifinals earlier in the day.
Canada secured a spot in the semis with a dominant 40-5 victory over Japan in the quarterfinals on Saturday, with Hogan-Rochester and Florence Symonds scoring tries against the United States. Hogan-Rochester also notched a conversion during the match.
In the tournament final, Australia emerged victorious by beating the United States 27-14. During the game against New Zealand, Canada trailed 17-7 at halftime, with Hogan-Rochester scoring the opening points just three minutes into the match. However, New Zealand’s Kelsey Teneti’s three first-half tries contributed to their halftime lead, with Teneti finishing the game with five tries.
Canadian coach Jocelyn Barrieau expressed pride in the team’s performance at the world championships despite falling short of the final. Canada’s undefeated pool stage included wins over Spain, Great Britain, and France. The Canadian team, silver medalists at the 2024 Olympics, finished fourth at the season-opening world championship leg in Hong Kong in April.
The world champions will be determined at the final leg of the series scheduled for June 5-7 in Bordeaux, France.