Canada rugby sevens women dominate Japan with four tries from Asia Hogan-Rochester
- The Canadian women's rugby sevens team defeated Japan 22-7 to finish fifth at the Cape Town Sevens.
- Asia Hogan-Rochester was a standout player, scoring four tries in the match.
- Canada's victory comes after an eighth-place finish in the previous tournament in Dubai, showcasing their improved form.
In South Africa, the Canadian women's rugby sevens team achieved a significant victory against Japan, finishing fifth at the Cape Town Sevens tournament on December 8, 2024. This match saw Asia Hogan-Rochester shine, scoring four tries, contributing significantly to Canada's win with a final score of 22-7. Coming from an eighth-place finish in the previous Dubai event, the Canadian team aimed to improve their standing and showcased their determination by defeating Britain 27-12 in the fifth-place semi-final earlier that day, with Hogan-Rochester scoring three tries in that match as well. The competition was intense, with the Canadian women capitalizing on several Japanese errors and maintaining an aggressive offensive strategy. After a slow start in the tournament, the Canadian team regained their form, and Norsten opened the scoring early on. The match against Japan saw the Canadians take advantage of an opponent’s foul, leading to Hogan-Rochester scoring her fifth try of the tournament just before halftime. This fortunate circumstance underscored Canada’s capability to exploit gaps in Japan’s defense effectively, resulting in a commanding early lead of 17-0. The tournament format underwent changes, moving to a structure with twelve teams divided into four pools. This format aims to provide teams with more recovery time after previous competitions, allowing for better preparation leading into the next event. The Cape Town Sevens serves as a part of the seven-stop 2025 HSBC SVNS season, where teams compete for top standings and qualification for the championship playoff in California. This win positions Canada potentially to regain their standing after finishing fifth in the previous season’s league. Looking ahead, the Canadian women’s rugby team is set to participate in several upcoming events, including tournaments in Perth, Vancouver, Hong Kong, and Singapore in early 2025. The pursuit of further improvement comes after they finished fifth overall last season and lost in the bronze-medal match to New Zealand. The team hopes to build on their recent success and continue scaling up their performance in the forthcoming challenges to qualify for the championship playoff set for May 2025.