The Dubai Sevens will see Olympic Bronze Medalist and Toronto native Ghislaine Landry captain the Canadian senior women’s team for the first time. With Jen Kish out with an injury, Landry will be taking the leadership role for the time being.
Though a great honour, the captaincy is simply a symbol for Landry, as the speedy sevens star is known to be a leader, on the field with her speed and try scoring abilities, as well as off the field with her preparedness and experience.
Landry understands how important the mental aspect of the game is in sevens and that is another reason why her leadership skills shine through.
“I think a big strength of mine is a calm head on the field,” Landry told the National Post. “I think we’re all very physically talented and that’s what got us here, but I’m learning that the mind is such a crucial part, especially in sevens.”
Canada will look to build off their Olympic bronze medal in Rio and will look to Ghislaine for inspiration. She led the Canadian women, on the score sheet with 41 points in Brazil.
Born and raised in Toronto, Ghislaine began playing rugby at the age of 14 at Lawrence Park Collegiate and later joined the Toronto Scottish. After playing in Ontario’s provincial program, she went on to see plenty of success at the university level. She played for St. Francis Xavier where she won the CIS Rookie of the year, two back-to-back CIS player of the year awards, as well as the CIS title. Landry graduated from St. Francis Xavier in 2010 with a degree in Human Kinetics.
Making her debut for Canada in 2011, Landry had a breakthrough performance at the 2013 Women’s Sevens World Cup when the Canadian women went on to finish as Silver Medal winners. Her performance in the 2013 tournament helped her gain national recognition and the Canadian Olympic Committee named her Athlete of the Week, as a result.
Landry finished the 2014-15, and 2015-16 World Rugby Women’s Sevens tournaments with 297 and 158 points, respectively – good enough for first in the points race, in both seasons. Her performance in the 2015-16 season led to being awarded a spot on the World Rugby Dream Team. She is currently second overall in WSWS scoring with 475 points.
Canada’s roster is loaded with Ontario talent, both experienced and new to the Sevens Series scene.
Canada’s Roster for the Dubai Sevens (Name, club, hometown):
Britt Benn, Guelph Redcoats (Napanee, ON)
Hannah Darling, Peterborough Pagans (Warsaw, ON)
Bianca Farella, Town of Mount Royal RCF (Montreal, QC)
Sara Kaljuvee, Toronto Scottish (Ajax, ON)
Julia Greenshields, Sarnia Saints (Sarnia, ON)
Ghislaine Landry, Toronto Scottish (Toronto, ON)
Megan Lukan, Unattached (Barrie, ON)
Kayla Moleschi, Williams Lake Rustlers (Williams Lake, BC)
Breanne Nicholas, London St. Georges RFC (Blenheim, ON)
Ashley Steacy, Lethbridge Rugby Club (Lethbridge,AB)
Natasha Watcham-Roy, Hull Volant (Gatineau,QC)
Charity Williams, Markham Irish (Toronto,ON)
Canada's Coaching Staff:
Meaghan Howat – Manager
John Tait – Head Coach
Sandro Fiorino – Assistant Coach
Morgan Williams – Assistant Coach
Canada’s Dubai Sevens Schedule:
Day 1 – December 1
Canada vs Brazil at 3:22 am ET / 12:22 am PT
Canada vs Spain at 6:18 am ET / 3:18 am PT
Canada vs England at 9:15 am ET / 6:15 am PT
Day 2 – December 2
TBD
About Rugby Ontario:
Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to promote, govern, and develop rugby at all levels in a safe, affordable and enjoyable environment within the province of Ontario.
For more information, visit https://www.rugbyontario.com/
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For more information, please contact:
Kevin Baxter
Communications Coordinator
Rugby Ontario
Office: 647-560-4790 x 106
kbaxter@rugbyontario.com
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