Canadian head coach, Quentin Fyffe is happy with the performances of his team in 2007.


Fyffe, who was appointed in April, saw his team in action for the first time in August as they beat the USA twice, by 18-5 and 46-7 in the Can-Am Series in Blaine, Minnesota and was impressed with the standard of play and quality of players.


In November, Canada traveled to the United Kingdom to compete against Scotland and Wales and claimed victory in both games, beating Scotland by a score of 45-3 prior to defeating Wales 25-3.

“In each game we played this year, we were able to field different starting teams and take a look at different combinations, without dropping our level of play,” said Fyffe.
“There is healthy competition for every spot on this team. There are also a number of players who are still very much in the picture but didn’t get an opportunity to play, who are also pushing the program along.”

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Meanwhile the Canadian National Senior Women's Sevens squad, in its inaugural year, undertook a busy schedule in 2007, playing in five tournaments including the USA Sevens in San Diego (which they won), the Amsterdam Sevens, the Hong Kong Sevens and the Bahamas NAWIRA Sevens (also won) competitions.

“For a programme that has been in existence for just 12 months now, taking part in as many tournaments as we did and always having good performances against teams and unions who have fairly well-established sevens programmes, shows tremendous promise and potential,”

said Sevens head coach Natascha Wesch.


Throughout the year Wesch and her staff were able to work with more than fifty athletes to help them to develop their knowledge of the sevens game and all areas of performance from tactical, technical to physical and mental. The benefits of training and coaching such a large number of players in 2007 are clear as Canada sets its sites on qualifying this year for the 2009 IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens with what will undoubtedly be the strongest squad to date.


Finally, the Canada Under 19 Women’s Team, led by Head Coach John Coumbe-Lilley, started and ended their 2007 season with tours to the United Kingdom.


In April, the touring Canadian squad took on the USA, England and Wales, all in the UK.

“Bouncing back from two defeats against England to win against Wales on the final day of our Easter tour was our biggest on-field success of 2007,”

said Coumbe-Lilley.


More recently, the squad went undefeated in England , beating Hertfordshire 41-5 and Berkshire/Buckinghamshire by an identical core before ending the tour with a 24-5 victory against Surrey/Sussex.


Source: Women's Rugby Review