X-Women contribute to international rugby win

Two current and one former StFX X-Women rugby players competed for Canada at the recent IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup in Dubai. StFX fullback Magali Harvey was a member of the Canadian senior women’s sevens team who won the championship, as was former X-Women standout Ghislaine Landry. Winger Amanda Thornborough was a member of the Canadian development squad who placed second at the international event in their classification.

The Canadian win was a big one in an event that featured eight of the best women’s rugby sevens team in the world. It served as the first ever international meeting of the top squads as nations prepare for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. The Canadians went 5-0 in tournament play to seal the victory, including a 26-7 win over England in the championship game. They had advanced with a 36-0 shutout victory over the USA in the semi-finals.

In earlier tournament action, Canada earned wins over Brazil (31-0), Spain (19-14) and Australia (14-7). Ghislaine Landry scored in a try in every game for Canada, with the exception of the semi-finals.

On the development side of the tournament bracket, X-Woman Amanda Thornborough was a member of the Maple Leafs team that represented Canada. They went 3-2 in tournament action, their only losses coming from the Netherlands, including a 17-5 defeat in the championship game.

The Maples Leafs defeated France 12-0 in the semi-finals, and had round robin wins over Team Globaleye (46-0) and Team Iron Ladies (14-0), as well as a 21-0 loss to the Netherlands.

For more information, visit www.rugbycanada.ca for complete championship recaps.