Adia Pye, Maya Addai and Pamphinette Buisa in many ways represent the bookends of Island rugby.
When two-time Island high school basketball MVP Pye graduated from Claremont Secondary in 2023 as a dual threat in rugby and hoops, observers noted it was only a matter of time before the five-foot-four dynamo with the big game became a senior international. That moment will arrive next week when the Islander makes her senior national team debut at the 2024-25 World Series season-opening Dubai Sevens, graduating from the Canada Games, FISU World University Games and the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games in Trinidad and Tobago.
University of Victoria Vikes player Addai will also be making her senior international debut in Dubai.
The veteran Buisa, meanshile, turns 28 next month and is a graduate of the UVic Vikes who played in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and won gold in the 2019 Lima Pan Am Games. She also has nine caps for Canada in XVs and returns to the sevens roster after being left off for Canada’s run to the silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“The roster brings a mix of players with considerable experience on the Series and a group of incredibly talented, up and coming players, who could make their debut with Canada’s sevens team,” Canadian head coach Jocelyn Barrieau said in a statement.
Only four medallists from the Paris Olympics are being brought back for Dubai — Carissa Norsten from the UVic Vikes and Vikes alumnus Shalaya Valenzuela along with Piper Logan and Asia Hogan-Rochester.
It’s time to move on and look ahead to Los Angeles 2028 said new Canada head coach Barrieau, who has succeeded Jack Hanratty: “We are proud of our performance at the Paris Olympics, but to stay near the top, we need to solidify our foundations and keep the program successful over the next four years leading to the 2028 Olympic Games.”
The impact of U Sports is being felt as Pye led the UBC Thunderbirds to the national university XVs title this month with a victory in the championship game over Norsten, Addai and the UVic Vikes.
Canada will open pool play in the Dubai Sevens next Friday against Japan and Brazil before playing New Zealand next Saturday in a reprise of the gold-medal game in the Paris Olympics.
The team will stay together for the Cape Town Sevens on Dec. 7-8. The World Series will resume next year Down Under with the Perth Sevens on Jan. 24-26. The Canada Sevens will be held Feb. 21-23 at B.C. Place.
Men win RAN opener
The Canadian men began their climb back up the rugby sevens ladder Friday with a 29-0 victory over Guyana at the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens in Trinidad.
Relegated from the elite HSBC SVNS circuit in June, the Canadians need to win the RAN 7s in Arima, some 30 kilometres east of Port of Spain, to join World Rugby’s second-tier World Challenger Series.
The top four teams from the three-event Challenger Series will face off against the bottom four from the HSBC SVNS at the SVNS World Championships May 3-4 in Carson, California, in a promotion/relegation playoff.
“It’ll happen quick,” Canada coach Sean White said of the promotion push.
Captain Elias Hancock scored two tries and David Richard, Thomas Isherwood and Kyle Tremblay added singles for Canada, which led 17-0 at the half Friday. Isherwood also kicked two conversions.
The Canadians complete Pool A play today against Bermuda and Barbados.
— With files from The Canadian Press
