APPS AMPED FOR AUSTRALIA

Langford, B.C. – Canada’s Women’s Seven’s Head Coach John Tait has selected 19-year-old Olivia Apps in his squad for the upcoming leg of the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Seven’s Series in Sydney, Australia.

The Lindsay, Ontario prodigy is set to make her debut for the national team in what has been a rapid rise to the premier stage of women’s seven’s rugby.

The exciting playmaker has come through the ranks, impressing with her speed and skillset, and is delighted to have the opportunity to earn her first cap.

“I’m really excited, I don’t think it has hit me yet. Playing for the Senior Women’s National Team is something that I’ve really wanted to accomplish and I’m grateful for the opportunity and excited to play with these girls,” said Apps at the Home of Canadian Rugby in Langford.

Apps was introduced to rugby at a young age and started playing the game in 10^th grade. Her talents and natural feel for the game were quickly noticed as she progressed to provincial rugby, but says she owes a lot to her former High School Coach and hometown.

“I really want to thank my high school coach, Kirk Wilson, without him I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far. I also want to thank my hometown of Lindsay, Ontario, they’ve helped me throughout my whole rugby journey,” added Apps.

After playing provincial rugby and travelling to a couple of national tournaments, Apps had her first taste of international rugby, playing for Canada at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa in 2015, where they won the silver medal. Identified as one of the next generation of Canadian sevens stars, Apps joined the National Sevens Program on Vancouver Island and has been training with the squad for the past few months.

“To have some of the older girls that I’ve looked up to for so long here and to actually be able to train and play with them is a true honour; I’m really excited,” added Apps.

The team recently departed for Sydney, Australia where temperatures are expected to rise to 30+ degrees and Apps cannot wait to get on the field.

“Everyone is really excited to get out of the rain and to be able to pass a dry ball around for a change. It’s been a couple of cold weeks in Langford so we’re looking forward to being in the heat and enjoying the weather,” said Apps before departing Canada.

After finishing 4th in the series opener in Dubai the team is looking to improve in the weeks to come and hopefully bring home gold at the end of the season.

“We’re always going for gold so winning at the World Series as well as the World Cup is a realistic goal for us, but a lot of hard work still lies ahead of us,” she added.

For Apps personally, the main objective is to keep knocking on the door and hopefully getting selected for the intense schedule that lies ahead.

“I want to get as much rugby in as possible with my team mates and help the team be the best we can be. Obviously, improving my skills individually is also important, but helping my team win gold would be the biggest thing.”

Coming from a big rugby community, Apps wants to keep growing the game and keep inspiring girls to take up rugby.

“Hopefully I can inspire more girls to play rugby and have the women’s program grow, both in my hometown of Lindsay, Ontario and around the country.”

The Sydney Sevens will be streamed LIVE on CBC Sports at www.cbcsports.ca or on their mobile app "CBC Sports" on iOs and Android

Canada’s Sydney Sevens Roster (Name - Club, Hometown):

Olivia Apps – Aurora Barbarians (Lindsay, ON)

Britt Benn – Guelph Redcoats (Napanee, ON)

Caroline Crossley – Castaway Wanderers (Victoria, BC)

Hannah Darling – Peterborough Pagans (Warsaw, ON)

Julia Greenshields – Sarnia Saints (Sarnia, ON)

Jen Kish – Edmonton Rockers (Edmonton, ON)

Tausani Levale – Abbotsford Griffins (Abbotsford, BC)

Ghislaine Landry – Toronto Scottish (Toronto, ON)

Megan Lukan – Unattached (Barrie, ON)

Kayla Moleschi – Williams Lake Rustlers (Williams Lake, BC)

Breanne Nicholas – London St. Georges RFC (Blenheim, ON)

Natasha Watcham-Roy – Hull Volant (Gatineau, QC)

Canada's Sydney Sevens Day 1 Schedule (Thursday, January 25):

Canada vs Fiji at 6:22 pm ET / 3:22 pm PT

Canada vs Ireland at 9:06 pm ET / 6:06 pm PT

Canada vs Russia at 11:28 pm ET / 8:28 pm PT

Canada's Sydney Sevens Day 2 Schedule (Friday, January 26):

TBD

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