By Canadian Press

World’s best women’s rugby squads primed to play in Vancouver

Sep 27, 2024 | 11:44 AM

VANCOUVER — Tyson Beukeboom doesn’t remember exactly where she was the moment her friends won Olympic silver at the Paris Games this summer.

All she remembers is what it felt like to watch the women’s rugby sevens squad climb onto the podium.

“I was enthralled,” said the captain of Canada’s women’s 15s team. “I hope the rest of Canada was as well.”

As the country’s most-capped women’s rugby player, Beukeboom has known many of the sevens players for a long time.

“I’ve been around for what seems like forever,” she said. “So even watching some of those young players come up and now they’re getting silver medals at the Olympics, it’s just insane. It’s just so much fun.”

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Now Beukeboom hopes some of the Olympic enthusiasm carries over as the third-ranked Canadians host the world’s best for WXV 1, starting this weekend.

The tournament will mark the first time international women’s 15s is played at Vancouver’s BC Place, and several teams — including Canada — feature players who saw action in Paris.

“We get to see some of those stars coming over, on more than one team,” said Beukeboom. “So I hope people are still excited from the silver medal and get out to come watch, and then hopefully we’re going to take this one home as well.”

Now in its second year, the WXV is a three-tiered tournament, with teams in the top division coming from the top three finishers in the Pacific Four Series (Canada. New Zealand and the United States) and Women’s Six Nations Championship (England, France and Ireland).

Each team plays a unique style, said England’s Zoe Aldcroft.

“We look at Canada, super fit. They can keep going and going and going. We look at New Zealand, they’re super flaring, like magical with how they play. And then you look at France who are super physical and you’ve got to really, really get up for having a hardcore arm wrestle with those guys,” she said.

“So there’s so many different styles. And that’s the exciting thing about rugby, because each game is completely different.”

Canada will kick off the tournament Sunday against No. 4 France. The day will also feature top-ranked England taking on the No. 8 Americans and No. 2 New Zealand facing 7th-ranked Ireland.

The second weekend of competition — taking place in Langley, B.C., on Oct. 5 and 6 — will see the U.S. battle France and Canada take on Ireland before England faces New Zealand.

The tournament’s final two days begin back in Vancouver on Oct. 11 with a matchup between the U.S. and Ireland. New Zealand will then challenge France on Oct. 12 before Canada faces England to cap the tournament later that night.

After winning the tournament last year and sitting atop the world standings, England comes in as favourites to capture another WXV title.

“I think we kind of relish in the pressure whenever it comes by,” Aldcroft said. “Obviously, we’ve had two real tough warm up games, and I think it’s really put us in the best place to attack this tournament. I think going into it, we’re excited more than anything.”

Ireland, meanwhile, are playing in the top tier for the first time after competing in the third division last year.

“WXV 3 gave us a massive opportunity to jell as a squad, get our systems up and running with our new coaching staff,” said Ireland captain Edel McMahon. “And we’ve been just building on confidence since then.”

This year’s iteration is all about the team’s progression, she added — and about getting to the level they want to be playing at heading into next year’s World Cup in England.

“We want to play the best of the world,” McMahon said. “We want to be up there with the best in the world so we’ve got to play them. And this is the right competition to help prepare us for that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press