Canadian rugby sevens women down Fiji to advance to semifinals in Hong Kong

HONG KONG - Carissa Norsten scored two tries to help Canada defeat Fiji 26-17 in Cup quarterfinal play Saturday at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.

The Canadian women, who came to Hong Kong standing sixth in the overall standings after four events, will face No. 1 New Zealand in Sunday's semifinal at the new Kai Tak Stadium.

Fancy Bermudez and, Carmen Izyk also scored tries for Canada, which led No. 8 Fiji 14-12 at the half. Olivia Apps, Breanne Nicholas and Taylor Perry kicked conversions.

Canada moved into the knockout rounds after finishing second in Pool C.

Canada opened with a 24-17 victory over No. 5 Japan, dropped a 26-15 decision to No. 2 Australia and downed No. 12 Spain 29-10.

Australia, which topped the pool at 3-0-0, faces No. 3 France on the other women's semifinal.

The men's semifinals pit No. 6 Australia against No. 1 Argentina and No. 3 Fiji against No. 5 France.

The Canadian women finished eighth in Dubai, fifth in Cape Town, fourth in Perth and seventh last month in Vancouver. New Zealand won in Cape Town and Vancouver and finished runner-up to Australia in Dubai and Perth, Australia.

Following Hong Kong, the circuit shifts to Singapore for the penultimate event of the season April 5-6. The top eight men's and women's teams will then compete in the May 3-4 season-ending world championship at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

The California finale will also feature a promotion/relegation playoff involving the top four men's and women's teams from the second-tier HSBC Sevens Challenger and the bottom four teams on the HSBC SVNS circuit.

The Canadian men, relegated last June, are set to take part in the final Challenger Series event April 11-12 in Krakow, Poland.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2025.