Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team Finds Redemption In Cape Town
By Priscilla Jepchumba
Canada’s Women’s Sevens team showcased remarkable resilience and tactical growth during the 2025 HSBC SVNS series stop in Cape Town, ultimately securing a fifth-place finish after a challenging eighth in Dubai. Asia Hogan-Rochester emerged as a standout player, dazzling fans by scoring four tries across two matches on the final day of competition.
In a fiercely contested semi-final for fifth place, Canada faced off against Great Britain. The match began with Carmen Izyk executing a brilliant fake pass that cleverly split the defense, allowing for an early score. Hogan-Rochester quickly followed suit, netting two tries in rapid succession to complete a stunning hat-trick, leading Canada to a decisive 27-12 victory.
The final encounter against Japan presented a formidable challenge, particularly as Japan had previously defeated Canada twice in Dubai. However, Carissa Norsten seized the moment by scoring the opening try. Hogan-Rochester once again capitalized on a Japanese yellow card, adding another try to solidify Canada’s position. The match concluded with an impressive performance from Maya Addai, who capped off the victory with her first-ever try in the SVNS series, sealing the game at 22-7.
"The growth of this team was remarkable over these two weeks," said head coach Jocelyn Barrieau. "They showed a lot of pride in possession and had some top-shelf world-class moments."
While Canada celebrated its achievements, other teams also made their mark in Cape Town. New Zealand cruised to victory over the U.S. with a confident 26-12 win, bouncing back from their previous loss to Australia in Dubai. Australia continued to demonstrate their strength, once again proving formidable as semifinalists in Cape Town after their earlier triumph in Dubai.
In the men’s events, South Africa rejoiced in a hard-fought home victory, overcoming a determined challenge from France to secure their first Cape Town title since 2015 with a 26-14 win. France maintained their impressive performance following their Olympic gold earlier this year, edging out Fiji with a narrow 19-17 victory in the semifinals.
In a surprising turn of events, the U.S. women triumphed over Australia, who had previously won in Dubai, with a score of 24-19 before ultimately succumbing to New Zealand later on. Meanwhile, Japan's women delivered a mixed performance but demonstrated moments of strength despite their loss to Canada.
Canada’s experience in Cape Town serves as a promising indicator of their potential as they set their sights on the upcoming tournament in Perth next January. With Hogan-Rochester’s commanding leadership and Coach Barrieau’s emphasis on teamwork, the team is poised to reach new heights, striving to compete alongside elite squads such as New Zealand and Australia.