Olympic-bound rugby 7s team named without Magali Harvey
Tested core heads to Rio minus its star player
By Callum Ng and Richard Zussman
It is a rugby sevens team projected to win an Olympic medal, and Friday the 12 players selected for Rio were announced, confirming the notable absence of star Magali Harvey.
The dynamic 25-year-old is one of Canada's most talented scorers. Harvey managed only nine tries in 11 matches this year, having missed three of five stops on the Women's Sevens Series due to injury.
Harvey's omission first surfaced in a Thursday report from the Journal de Quebec where her father Luc told the website, "try to convince me that Magali Harvey would be the 13th player in any country in the world," he said.
Harvey has excelled at the 15-a-side version of rugby, including being named 2014 world player of the year following a silver medal of the Rugby World Cup.
On Friday afternoon Harvey responded with a statement released through Rugby Canada.
"Today's Olympic Announcement came as a heartbreaking surprise for me. I am very disappointed to not have been selected in the pursuit of my Olympic dream.
"I felt I was ready in every aspect of the game but unfortunately that wasn't enough. Hard decisions had to be made and I respect that. That being said, I'm happy and proud of my teammates and congratulate them for their selection. It's been a big journey for all of us and hard decisions had to be made."
(To see Magali Harvey's full statement scroll to the bottom of the this article)
"The group selected was the most consistent performers in their positions. Selection starts with who is performing the best and we do a lot of analytics and metrics measuring how we play in competition and train every day," said head coach John Tait following the announcement of the team in Victoria.
However, the decision to leave Harvey off the team is not unprecedented. Back in January 2015, Tait omitted Harvey from the Canadian team that competed at the World Sevens Series in Sao Paulo, Brazil — only a few months after she was chosen as the world player of the year.
"It was a big slap in the face," Harvey told CBC Sports writer Tim Wharnsby in Decemeber. "But, in the end, it made me realize that you're only as good as your last game. It doesn't matter how well you played in your past.
"It gave me a perspective that I had to show up and give it my best. I couldn't rely on my past abilities. I needed to get better. I needed to get faster. I needed to get stronger."
Earned their place
The Canadians earned their place at the first-ever women's Olympic rugby tournament, to be held Aug. 6 to 8, by way of a second-overall finish in the 2014-15 Series. The team will be led by captain Jen Kish.
The Edmonton native is considered one of the top sevens players in the world.
"I feel like over the years we have been consistent in our performances and everyone keeps focusing on the rugby sevens team has a great chance of winning a gold medal and I think they are right," said Kish. "We know if we can all be the best team there and perform at the same time the gold medal will take care of itself."
While Harvey's absence is certainly a surprise in some circles, the Canadian team does include the tested core of Series points leader Ghislaine Landry, Bianca Farella, Karen Paquin, Kelly Russell, and Ashley Steacy.
"Our staff chose the best players that they feel that will help Canada win its first gold medal at the Olympic Games," said Kish about Harvey being left off the team. "It's definitely tough when selections comes out, it is tough to see the others who are part of the program not continue on with us to Rio. However, that's sport."
The women's rugby program has been centralized in Langford, B.C., since 2011, with 24 players training together every day in the build up for the medal push.
Sevens rugby is played on a full-sized pitch, and with so much space for so few players, a balanced and connected team is critical. The sport is also less physically demanding on the body, so a tournament can be played over a few days, rather than the fifteens events that span in some cases more than a month.
The team also includes 2014 Youth Olympians, Hannah Darling, 20, and Charity Williams, 19, who represent the two youngest players on the team.
"People are expecting us to go there and medal and we expect that of ourselves," added Tait. "When we are switched on and putting the team first we are pretty unbeatable."
The full list of Canada's women's rugby sevens team
- Britt Benn, Napanee, Ont.
- Hannah Darling, Warsaw, Ont.
- Bianca Farella, Montreal
- Jen Kish, Edmonton
- Ghislaine Landry, Toronto
- Megan Lukan, Barrie, Ont.
- Kayla Moleschi, Williams Lake, B.C.
- Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Que.
- Kelly Russell, Bolton, Ont.
- Ashley Steacy, Lethbridge, Alta.
- Natasha Watcham-Roy, Gatineau, Que.
- Charity Williams, Toronto
Magali Harvey's statement, released on her behalf by Rugby Canada
"Today's Olympic Announcement came as a heartbreaking surprise for me. I am very disappointed to not have been selected in the pursuit of my Olympic dream. I felt I was ready in every aspect of the game but unfortunately that wasn't enough. Hard decisions had to be made and I respect that.
That being said, I'm happy and proud of my teammates and congratulate them for their selection. It's been a big journey for all of us and hard decisions had to be made. I intend to return to training completely focused and to help my teammates as best I can in their preparation to compete August 6-8 at the Deodoro Stadium. I appreciate all of the support and kind words but I refuse to take away from the team by making it about myself. Let's all support our team in their quest for gold; I truly think they're incredible players that will win over the heart of the world. Go Canada go." - Magali Harvey