Canada take Silver in Langford

Canada put in a commendable performance at the Langford 7s but couldn’t quite get the prize they so badly wanted, instead settling for Silver as they were beaten by New Zealand in a thrilling Cup Final. The pressure of being the host side appeared to take its toll at the final hurdle as the Canadian defense – which had until then been rock solid – let up just enough for New Zealand to find the gaps en route to three tries. Ghislaine Landry scored all seven of Canada’s points.

A bruising encounter with Australia paved the way to the final and it was a heroic tackle from captain Landry to hold the ball up in goal that turned the tide. From the ensuing scrum Canada went wide and an inch-perfect offload from Breanne Nicholas put Charity Williams away for a length-of-the-field score against the run of play. Earlier in the day Canada had no problem getting past England in the quarter final scoring seven tries in a 33-5 blowout.

The USA finished in 6th place, reflecting their overall standing on the HSBC Sevens Series table. While their offense was among the most potent in the tournament, their defense was not of the same standard and allowed Australia to pass through with relative ease in the Quarter Final. A pair of tries from Cheta Emba led the Women’s Eagles past England in their second match of the day, but Russia proved a step ahead in the 5th Place Final.

Brazil came away with one tournament win after defeating the Netherlands by four tries to one thanks in large part to a hat-trick by Beatriz ‘Futuro’ Muhlbauer. The win earned the team vital points and now leaves them four behind Spain for the 10th and final guaranteed spot on the 2017-18 circuit.

The Series now takes a three-week break before resuming in Clermont-Ferrand on June 24 for the final tournament of the 2016-17 season.

DAY TWO RESULTS

CUP QUARTER FINALS
Canada 33 – 5 England
Australia 22 – 10 USA
France 19 – 5 Ireland
New Zealand 24 – 0 Russia

TROPHY SEMI FINALS
Spain 31 – 0 Netherlands
Fiji 24 – 19 Brazil

5th PLACE SEMI FINALS
England 14 – 26 USA
Ireland 0 – 17 Russia

CUP SEMI FINALS
Canada 17 – 10 Australia
France 5 – 28 New Zealand

11 PLACE FINAL
Netherlands 7 – 28 Brazil

TROPHY FINAL
Spain 7 – 31 Fiji

7th PLACE FINAL
England 10 – 14 Ireland

5th PLACE FINAL
USA 21 – 26 Russia

BRONZE FINAL
Australia 26 – 12 France

CUP FINAL
Canada 7 – 17 New Zealand