Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Fifteens and SVNS: Canada stun New Zealand with another ‘special’ upset

Canada celebrate on day two of the HSBC SVNS Grand Final at Stadium Civitas Metropolitano on 1 June, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. Photo credit: Mike Lee - KLC fotos for World Rugby

It’s been an unforgettable two weeks for Olivia Apps. After contributing to Canada’s history-making triumph in the Pacific Four Series, where they beat New Zealand for the first time in 15s, Apps has helped inspire the same upset on the SVNS Series.

ADVERTISEMENT

Poor discipline cost the Black Ferns a fortnight ago in Christchurch, and the visitors made the most of it as they recorded a stunning 22-19 win at Apollo Projects Stadium. History often repeats and it was a similar story in Madrid as the Canadians ran riot.

The Black Ferns Sevens were caught out after making some uncharacteristic mistakes, including some missed one-on-one tackles, and a yellow card to youngster Jorja Miller was another big moment just before the half.

Video Spacer

Chasing the Sun on RugbyPass TV | RPTV

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 1:30
Loaded: 33.07%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 1:30
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    Chasing the Sun on RugbyPass TV | RPTV

    Chasing the Sun, the extraordinary documentary that traces the Springboks’ road to victory at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, is coming to RugbyPass TV.

    Watch now

    Canada were already leading 14-nil when Miller was sent to the sin bin, and that penalty allowed the underdogs to kick for the corner. They ended up retaining their lineout and scoring through Piper Logan in the seventh minute.

    To the surprise of everyone at Civitas Metropolitano, SVNS League winners New Zealand trailed a frighteningly clinical Canadian outfit 21-nil at the break. At that moment, Olivia Apps thought quite triumphantly, “We did that.”

    “When it was still nil for them, I felt like, ‘woah’. I was thinking about the commentator, I was thinking about Rikki Swannell being like, ‘New Zealand hasn’t scored yet and it’s in the first half’, and I was like, you know what? We did that. Our defence did that, our pressure did that, so that’s something I’m really proud of,” Apps told RugbyPass

    “I already had the belief, but the stronger belief that we could do it.

    “We weren’t super happy with our performance against USA yesterday and knew that we had the ability to beat that team, so to be able to bounce back today and be able to do that, I’m just super proud of the group.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “We still have lots to improve on from the weekend, but just stoked.”

    Related

    With the SVNS Series’ Grand Final offering the top eight women’s side a chance to be crowned overall champions at the winner-takes-all event, Canada are now in a strong position to charge forward in the competition.

    Canada may have started their tournament with a disappointing 26-19 loss to rivals the USA but they made sure to put that behind them almost immediately in their next outing. Speedster Charity Williams scored inside the first minute against the Kiwis.

    Apps scored Canada’s second and then Piper Logan their third, but what was scary was their relentlessness to push for even more. Keyara Wardley crossed for Canada’s fourth try before the Black Ferns Sevens’ had even fired a shot on the scoreboard.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Down 26-nil, the New Zealanders started to chip away with tries to Stacey Waaka, Jorja Miller and Jazmin Felix-Hotham. But it was too late in the end with the clock favouring the Canadians who hung on for one of the most stunning upsets of the year.

    It’s quite an astonishing accomplishment when you consider their win over SVNS heavyweights Australia on home soil in Vancouver earlier this year. Historically, New Zealand and Australia are the two teams to beat on the women’s Series.

    “Yeah, it’s massive,” Apps explained.

    “To be able to back up what the fifteens team did a few weeks ago is really special and we knew this would be the last chance we’d get to beat New Zealand before the Olympic games so to be able to build that confidence and head into the weekend.

    “Still lots of fixes, lots of things to improve on, but I’m so proud of this group. That’s been our goal all season, so I’m just ready to go for the next one.

    “We’ve had to rebuild for the last three years since Tokyo, to think about 2024 and 2028 it’s really exciting because we have such a young group, so I’m just really proud that we were able to put in that performance today.”

    Catch all of the SVNS Madrid action live and free on RugbyPass TV. To watch the Grand Final, register HERE.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    LIVE

    Vancouver SVNS | Day 2

    Boks Office | Episode 35 | Six Nations Round 2 Review

    O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 3 | France Week

    Second round of the Men's Six Nations | Whistle Watch

    Harlequins vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

    Yokohama Canon Eagles vs Saitama Wildknights | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

    Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

    The Dupont Ploy: How France went from underdogs to Olympic gods | The Report

    Former rugby player is truly an NFL superstar | Walk the Talk | Jordan Mailata

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    1 Comment
    B
    Brian 265 days ago

    I am pleased about the progress of Canada and their recent success. What concerns me slightly is the the PWR league in England has become the breeding ground for other countries’ players with nearly half of Canada’s team playing there. Long term sustainability of good international teams depends on developing their own leagues and systems. They cannot rely upon England forever.

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    J
    JW 1 hour ago
    Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

    Players like Prendergast and Finn Smith already have a few seasons at top club level under their belt and are now test players, at an age when NZ players make their debuts in SR.

    That’s just a difference in standards. You’re confusing SR for being their local domestic comps, where it’s more accurately comparable to Champions Cup, apart from that teams are happy to throw games as it’s in a bit of a limbo in terms of importance atm.


    All these kids have been playing for a comparable NPC team for years now. Sam is no where near ready for tests but he has a great temperament, much like Sextons, that makes it a good choice to speed up his development. He wasn’t even a comparable Super Rugby starter before playing for Ireland, so not a great comparison.


    Fin would be much better example, but then England don’t have 3 world class Test tens in front of him (not that I’d put Beauden their but obviously in terms of young NZ players chances, he is). Would he otherwise have debuted at the same age as Fergus Burke (injury and leaving withstanding), around 24, a couple of years later? England also aren’t as pedantic to who they give jerseys to, in NZ a test jersey is very hard earned for the most part.


    In general I think the effects are as you say, but the only difference is the money involved, as you yourself said, their paths are just as all over the show being loaned out playing for clubs etc. My solution to that, and what you perceive as the problem, would be to introduce university football that utilitizes the large investment they have into high performance sport.

    90 Go to comments
    J
    Jennifer Ross 4 hours ago
    One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

    The topic of recovery services and the efficacy of Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech warrants a closer examination. Recovery services are a critical component of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as they provide the means to restore systems, data, and operations in the event of a breach or other disruptive incident. Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech is a leading provider in this space, offering a suite of advanced recovery solutions designed to ensure business continuity and mitigate the potentially devastating impacts of cyber attacks. At the core of their offerings is a robust, AI-driven platform that continuously monitors systems, detects anomalies, and triggers rapid, automated recovery procedures. This allows organizations to bounce back quickly, often with minimal downtime or data loss. Wizard Hilton's approach also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing and simulation, putting recovery protocols through their paces to validate effectiveness and uncover potential weaknesses. Additionally, their team of seasoned cybersecurity experts provides hands-on guidance, tailoring solutions to the unique needs of each client. By combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry expertise, Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech has established itself as a trusted partner in the realm of recovery services, empowering organizations to safeguard their most valuable digital assets and ensure business resilience in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Contact: for assistance.

    Regards.

    28 Go to comments
    J
    Jennifer Ross 4 hours ago
    One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

    The topic of recovery services and the efficacy of Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech warrants a closer examination. Recovery services are a critical component of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as they provide the means to restore systems, data, and operations in the event of a breach or other disruptive incident. Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech is a leading provider in this space, offering a suite of advanced recovery solutions designed to ensure business continuity and mitigate the potentially devastating impacts of cyber attacks. At the core of their offerings is a robust, AI-driven platform that continuously monitors systems, detects anomalies, and triggers rapid, automated recovery procedures. This allows organizations to bounce back quickly, often with minimal downtime or data loss. Wizard Hilton’s approach also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing and simulation, putting recovery protocols through their paces to validate effectiveness and uncover potential weaknesses. Additionally, their team of seasoned cybersecurity experts provides hands-on guidance, tailoring solutions to the unique needs of each client. By combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry expertise, Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech has established itself as a trusted partner in the realm of recovery services, empowering organizations to safeguard their most valuable digital assets and ensure business resilience in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Contact: for assistance,

     Email : wizardhiltoncybertech ( @ ) gmail (. ) com  OR  support ( @ ) wizardhiltoncybertech (.) com

    WhatsApp number +13024457895

    28 Go to comments
    TRENDING
    TRENDING The England tactic enraging rugby fans online after Scotland match The England tactic enraging fans online after Scotland match
    Search