HONG KONG — Captain Olivia Apps reached the 300-point plateau in HSBC SVNS play while Taylor Perry scored her first try in World Rugby's elite sevens series as Canada advanced to the Cup quarterfinals at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens on Friday.
Canada opened with a 24-17 victory over No. 5 Japan before dropping a 26-15 decision to No. 2 Australia. It finished second in Pool C after downing No. 12 Spain 29-10.
Australia topped the pool at 3-0-0 after staving off Japan to win 14-10.
The Hong Kong event is being held at the new Kai Tak Stadium.
Apps reached the milestone with a try against Japan. Canada also got two tries from Fancy Bermudez and one from Sabrina Poulin.
Perry scored her try against Australia. Bermudez, Apps, Breanne Nicholas, Carmen Izyk and Carissa Norsten accounted for the tries against Spain.
The Canadian women stand sixth in the overall standings after finishing eighth in Dubai, fifth in Cape Town, fourth in Perth and seventh last month in Vancouver. New Zealand tops the table, winning in Cape Town and Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»and finishing runner-up to Australia in Dubai and Perth, Australia.
Hong Kong marks Perry's first action for the sevens side since winning silver at last summer's Paris Olympics. Perry has been playing 15s rugby in England with the Exeter Chiefs.
Apps, who arrived in Hong Kong on 296 points in HSBC SVNS play, is captaining the side in the absence of the injured Piper Logan.
Following Hong Kong, the circuit shifts to Singapore for the penultimate event of the season April 5-6. The top eight men's and women's teams will then compete in the May 3-4 season-ending world championship at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.
The California finale will also feature a promotion/relegation playoff involving the top four men's and women's teams from the second-tier HSBC Sevens Challenger and the bottom four teams on the HSBC SVNS circuit.
The Canadian men, relegated last June, are set to take part in the final Challenger Series event April 11-12 in Krakow, Poland.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025
The Canadian Press
