Canadian women's rugby sevens team forced to make changes ahead of New Jersey stop

Canada's Charity Williams (6) scores a try against Fiji during Vancouver Sevens women's rugby action, in Vancouver, on Sunday, March 8, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Injuries and club commitments have forced Canadian women rugby sevens coach Jocelyn Barrieau to make five changes to her roster ahead of this weekend’s HSBC SVNS stop in Harrison, N.J.

Captain Carissa Norsten, Keyara Wardley and Piper Logan are out injured, with Norsten sidelined by a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in Canada’s final game Sunday at the Vancouver Sevens.

“BC Place turf: 1. My ACL: 0,” Norsten said in a social media post.

Chloe Daniels and Claire Gallagher, meanwhile, have left the team to return to their clubs in England.

Joining the squad are Mahalia Robinson and Vanessa Chiappetta and newcomers Brogan Moir and Madison Donnelly.

The Canadian women finished fifth in Vancouver, bouncing back from Saturday losses to the U.S. (40-7), Australia (26-12) and Fiji (14-12) to defeat Japan (19-12) and Fiji (26-19) on Sunday

Canada stands fifth in the women’s overall standings after five events, with 60 points and an 11-14 record. New Zealand and Australia are 1-2, having contested all five finals to date with the Kiwis winning four and Australia prevailing in Cape Town.

The Canada women opened the season with a sixth-place finish in Dubai, before placing sixth in Cape Town, third in Singapore, fifth in Perth and fifth in Vancouver.

Canada opens Saturday against the third-ranked United States at Sports Illustrated Stadium before completing Pool B play against No. 2 Australia and No. 6 Japan. The top two teams will advance to the semifinals.

Canada has yet to beat Australia this season and has had up-and-down results against Japan and the U.S.

The New Jersey stop is the last of the regular season.

The eight core men’s and women’s teams will then be joined by the top four men’s and women’s teams from the second-tier SVNS 2 for the SVNS World Championship Series, spread over three events in Hong Kong (April 17-19), Valladolid, Spain (May 29-31) and Bordeaux, France (June 5-7).

The three-event series will crown a men’s and women’s champion.

The bottom four men’s and women’s sides over the Championship Series will be relegated, although the men’s and women’s side atop the standings after the New Jersey event will be exempt from relegation to HSBC SVNS 2.

“We think we’re well prepared for whose coming up,” Barrieau said of the SVNS 2 challengers. “However they will not be underestimated in any way, shape or form.”

The Canadian women are building towards next season when the three-event Championship Series will serve as a 2028 Olympic qualifier. The top four finishers will book their ticket to Los Angeles with the fifth-place team join them if the host U.S. finish in the top four.

Should Canada failed to qualify that way, it would get another shot via the regional Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens, whose winner will make the Olympic field. The Canadian women won Olympic bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and silver in 024 in Paris.

The Canadian men, relegated from the top tier in June 2024, currently sit sixth in the SVNS 2 standings with two tournaments remaining to crack the top four and make the Championship Series.

Canada Roster (with hometown and club affiliation)

Vanessa Chiappetta, Rigaud, Que., Westshore RFC; Breanne Nicholas Blenheim, Ont., Kent Havoc RFC; Savannah Bauder, North Vancouver, Capilano RFC; Charity Williams, Toronto, UBC; Florence Symonds, Vancouver, UBC; Carmen Izyk, High River, Alta., Queen’s University; Eden Kilgour, Barrie, Ont., University of Victoria; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Rugby Club Montreal; Madison Donnelly, Little Britain, Ont., Aurora Barbarians; Kennedi Stevenson, Glen Williams, Ont., Queen’s University; Larah Wright, Calgary, University of Victoria; Brogan Moir, Okotoks, Alta., Twin Cities Gemini (U.S.).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2026.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press