University of Ottawa Gee-Gees product Natasha Watcham-Roy started 5 of 6 games for Canada in the season-opening World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series stop in Dubai.
The Rio 2016 bronze medallist and Team Canada wound up placing 6th, with wins over Brazil, Spain, England and South Africa, and losses to Russia and Fiji.
Ottawa native Julianne Zussman and Team Canada went 1-2 in November test matches against some of the world’s women’s rugby superpowers in Dublin and London.
Zussman, a silver medallist at the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup, scored two tries in Canada’s opening 48-7 victory over host Ireland prior to 20-10 and 39-6 defeats to New Zealand and England.
Ottawa’s Eric Howard dressed for the Canadian men’s team in a 52-21 loss to Ireland in a friendly match in front of 52,000 fans in Dublin.
A Try 4 Gold event to identify athletes – not necessarily rugby players – with the natural abilities to compete against the world’s best in rugby sevens will be held at the University of Ottawa on Dec. 10.