Canada’s women took it on the chin, literally, falling 38-0 to the hard-hitting reigning Olympic champions from New Zealand in quarter-final World Rugby Sevens Series action on Sunday in Langford, B.C.
New Zealand, which entered the weekend ranked 11th in the season standings and allowed only two tries on Saturday, scored 19 points in each half and put on a defensive clinic in a dominant display at a sunny Starlight Stadium.
The No. 8 Canadians, who finished pool play with a 2-1 record on Saturday, will play Fiji in a fifth-place semifinal at 4:06 p.m. ET while New Zealand battles France in a Cup semi at 4:50 p.m.
After New Zealand scored early against Canada, Portia Woodman extended the lead to 12-0 with 2:28 left in the first half, notching her 201st career try with teammate Sarah Hirini serving a penalty.
Hirini made it 19-0 before halftime.
Stacey Fluhler increased New Zealand’s advantage to 24-0 in the opening two minutes of the second half, with Risi Pouri-Lane and Tenika Willison also adding tries.
Canada earned a World Cup berth after going unbeaten at the Rugby Americas North Sevens Qualifiers.
The women opened the Sevens Series with two eighth-place finishes in back-to-back tournaments in Dubai late in 2021. In the new year, Canada picked up a sixth, then seventh-place finish in two tournaments in Spain.
In other quarter-final play Sunday, France downed Fiji 31-14, Ireland edged the United States 17-14 and world No. 1 Australia blanked Spain 43-0.
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