Canadian women start 3-0, will face Russia in Cup quarterfinals

GLENDALE, Colo. – Canada will face Russia in the Cup quarterfinals of the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series season opener after going 3-0 on Saturday.

The Canadians opened Day 1 of the U.S. stop with a 26-7 win over Fiji, then doubled up Ireland 24-12 before ending the day with a 24-10 victory over France.

Canadian captain Ghislaine Landry became the first ever women’s player to hit 1,000 career points with a try against France.

The U.S. stop is the first of six on the circuit, which this season comes with the promise of Olympic qualification for the top four finishers.

Australia won the 2017-18 title with Canada finishing a disappointing fourth after an injury-plagued campaign. The Canadian women were third in four of the five previous seasons, with a second-place finish in 2014-15.

The top four in the final World Series standings will join host Japan at the 2020 Olympics. Six more countries will join them via regional qualifying tournaments in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America from June to December 2019.