CAPILANO Rugby Club's Mandy Marchak helped Canada's national women's rugby sevens team to a pair of top-3 international results this month, including a gold-medal win at last weekend's Amsterdam Sevens tournament.
The run started with a third place finish at the IRB Challenge Cup as the team defeated Australia in the bronze medal game May 13 in London, England. The Canadian squad trailed 70 after the first half against Australia, the reigning world champions, but Marchak kickstarted a comeback in the second half, scoring Canada's first try of the game. Ghislaine Landry scored the team's second try and Kayla Moleschi clinched the exciting win with a try in the dying seconds, giving Canada a 19-14 win.
The win offered some consolation for the Canadians after a heartbreaking loss in the tournament semifinals. Playing the home team and reigning Challenge Cup champions, Canada had a chance to defeat England when Jennifer Kish scored a try with 12 seconds left in the game to tie the score at 12. Ashley Steacy, however, missed the drop-goal convert from a difficult angle and the game went into sudden death overtime.
The teams exchanged chances in overtime with England finally scoring the decisive points when Emily Scarratt emerged from a scrum near the Canadian goal line to score the game-winning try.
One week later Canada was back on the pitch in Amsterdam and this time they would not be denied, defending their 2011 tournament win with a victory over the United States in the final. The win was a major accomplishment for the Canadian squad as the tournament was the first event ever to boast the top-12 ranked teams in the world in one competition.
Canada went on an impressive undefeated run in pool play, scoring four straight wins before ending with a rematch against England. The teams again tied 12-12 but this time there was no need for overtime as a tie was all the Canadians needed to make the final.
In the championship game the United States, coming off of upset victories over Australia and England, scored off of the opening kickoff and went on to build a 14-5 lead by halftime, increasing their advantage in the second half to 19-5 with only nine minutes to play.
With a loss looming Marchak again stepped up for Canada, scoring a pair of tries to pull Canada within two in the dying seconds. With time about to expire Steacy made up for her miss in England with a game winning try in Amsterdam, giving Canada a 26-19 championship victory.
Rugby sevens - a freeflowing, scaled down version of the traditional 15-a-side game - will make its Olympic debut at the 2016 Summer Games.
