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By Josh Wegman
Three Ottawa natives are in the running to play at the Aug. 1-17 Women’s Rugby World Cup, as Julianne Zussman, Natasha Watcham-Roy and Asya Bartley compete in the final selections for spots on Team Canada.
Zussman, the longest-serving national team member of the trio, led Canada to a massive 51-3 exhibition game victory over the USA Eagles, scoring three tries.
“It was a classic example of the forwards winning the game and the backs deciding by how much,” highlights the 27-year-old former Ottawa Irish player. “Extremely physical play in the front helped us and we were able to use our speed and agility in the back.”
In recent years, Zussman has spent a lot of her time playing sevens rugby. The seven-a-side version of the game will make its Olympic debut in 2016. The Ashbury College grad helped Canada qualify for the 2013 Rugby Sevens World Cup with a dominant performance at the 2012 regional qualifying event in Ottawa, although she wasn’t part of the team’s runner-up performance in Russia.
With the biggest event of 2014 being the 15-a-side Women’s Rugby World Cup in France, Zussman has turned her attention back to the traditional 15s game.
“Sevens is a game of one-on-one, so a large focus on the game plan is how to dominate the person in front of you,” notes the former McGill University Martlets star who’s known for her versatility and all-around athletic ability – strong attributes in the 7s game. “Fifteens is more a chess match with game plans and grinding out wins.”
Gee-Gee grad steps up
Watcham-Roy also carries experience in both forms of the game, having competed at the FISU World Student Games sevens tournament last summer, earning a bronze medal.
“I really like both,” says the former University of Ottawa Gee-Gees captain. “Sevens is more of a speed and skill game. Fifteens demands more contact and it’s a big adjustment because it’s way more physical. People smash each other more.”
Watcham-Roy says that the experience of training with the team alone has been highly beneficial for her development, regardless of whether or not she ends up making the final cut for the World Cup team.
“Being challenged by all my teammates every day has made me a better player as well as a better person,” signals the recent uOttawa health sciences grad. “Being out on the field every day, being at the gym – you understand what it takes to be at a higher level. It really challenges you to be the best rugby player you want to be in all aspects – physically and mentally.”
It’s been quite a jump up from Canadian university play to Team Canada, she adds.
“When you come to the national level, everybody is just as skilled as everyone else. You’re competing with people who are as strong and fast as you, and they challenge you every day in practice,” explains Watcham-Roy, whose brother played on Canada’s under-20 men’s rugby team. “In CIS, people are still developing, so there’s a different type of intensity and talent from a physical standpoint.”
Quick leap to national level
Bartley is another local player who lists international experience on her resumé, having first joined Canada’s junior national team program at age 16.
The Bell High School grad began her athletic career as a basketball player and credits some of her skills on the field from her days on the court, especially in terms of transition from offence to defence – a crucial aspect in both sports.
“It all happened so quickly, so surreal to me,” says Bartley, a prop who just joined Team Canada in mid-April. “I’m so proud and amazed how a group of girls could come together and play for their country – it’s been a great experience. It feels like hard work has finally paid off.”
The progress didn’t come overnight. It’s been a long path, which included two Canadian university championships as a member of the St. Francis-Xavier X-Women.
“When I first played, I was just trying to run through people,” recalls the Barrhaven Scottish product. “They taught me how to read the field, think ahead, and read plays of what opponents were trying to do.”
Canadians draw tough World Cup group
The Canadian women, who finished sixth at the 2010 World Cup, will be in a strong pool for the 2014 edition alongside England (the 2010 runners-up), Spain and Samoa.
But the team is readying itself for the challenge and will be well-prepared come August, Zussman pledges.
“If we can focus on the process, then the outcome will take care of itself,” reasons the veteran who’s now been based at the national team’s Langford, B.C. home for several years.