Team Canada and Williams Lake’s Kayla Moleschi had mixed results in their first two women’s rugby sevens games at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
After winning a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Canadians’ quest for another medal started off to a roaring start Thursday morning in Japan (Wednesday, July 28 at 5:30 p.m. PST) as the Canadians blanked Brazil 33-0 in the opening match of the group play stage for both teams.
Things went quite differently for Canada on Thursday evening (12:30 a.m. Thursday, July 29 PST), when they dropped their second match to Fiji, 26-12.
In their first match, veteran captain Ghislaine Landry led a balanced scoring attack for the Canadians, making four out of five conversion attempts and adding a try for 13 points.
“I’m pretty happy with that first performance,” Landry said. “It’s been such a build up … We’re just so happy to be on the field playing together.”
Olympic rookie Keyara Wardley, who came in as a substitute for the second half, added 10 points on a pair of tries, while Charity Williams and Karen Paquin had at try each.
In Canada’s second game, Fiji was dominant against a Canadian squad that looked flat-footed in the first half. The Fijians led 21-0 at the break.
READ MORE: Moleschi, Canada, set for Olympic rugby opener versus Brazil Wednesday
The second half was a more balanced contest, but the damage was done and Canada fell 1-1, with Moleschi adding a try in the contest for Canada.
Moleschi and the Canadians will wrap up their group play schedule versus France on Friday morning in Japan (Thursday, July 29 at 5:30 p.m. PST). The French side beat both Fiji and Brazil in its first two games.
The City of Williams Lake, meanwhile, will once again be broadcasting the game live on the big screen at the Gibraltar Room for anyone interested in showing their support.
- With files from the Canadian Press
greg.sabatino@wltribune.com
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