Leaving their sport in a better place: Team Canada rugby players reflect on impact of their historic Paris 2024 silver medal

At Paris 2024, Team Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team surprised everyone with their electric run through the Olympic tournament to claim the silver medal—Canada’s best ever Olympic performance in rugby.

The team that had been ranked ninth in the world just a year earlier surprised everyone—except for themselves, that is.

While the Olympic final was a pivotal moment in each player’s life, the quarterfinal match against France stands out for numerous players as the defining moment of the Games.

At Tokyo 2020, France steamrolled Canada to a score of 31-0, eliminating the Canadians from medal contention.

At Paris 2024, the Canadians walked into the Stade de France, surrounded by 70,000 French fans cheering for their opponents, and stunned the building with a final score of 19-14 for the Canadians.

“It was the biggest highlight for me,” said Team Canada captain Olivia Apps, reflecting on the Games a year later. “We silenced this home stadium. My family that was there, they were surrounded by French fans. And for us, just celebrating that we were in the top four…being that underdog team…it was a really emotional moment.”

Teammate Taylor Perry agrees, the quarterfinal against France will be a memory she returns to over and over.

“When that final whistle went, it was our team together, just in complete disbelief,” said Perry.

Immediately after saying it, Perry retracts the word “disbelief.” Because belief—in each other, in their team, in their support staff—was something that Team Canada had heaps of at the Games.

“We knew we could do it. We had everything we needed. But still, to actually do it…the odds were a bit against us.”

READ: Canada upsets France to reach women’s rugby sevens semifinal

The win against France wouldn’t be the last upset victory for the Canadians though. They advanced from the quarterfinals to play rugby powerhouse nation Australia in the semifinals.

Once again, the Canadians proved that you can’t count them out, defeating the strong Aussie squad by a score of 21-12. This victory guaranteed that the Canadians would secure the nation’s best-ever Olympic result in rugby sevens, no matter what happened in the final.

So what exactly goes through a player’s head while walking into the biggest match of their life?

“I could feel my heartbeat in my fingertips,” said Perry. 

Apps has a slightly more lighthearted recollection: “I was kind of just like ‘YOLO!’, she said with a chuckle. 

“I was honestly thinking—we went further than anybody thought we could, and also we can walk away as Olympic champions. So for me, I just felt really relaxed and really calm because, in some ways, the outcome for me didn’t matter. I really wanted to just be in the zone and just play a game of rugby.”

New Zealand, on the other hand, entered as the favourites. There’s a certain beauty to being the underdog, to having already defied expectations to even reach the final.

“I kept thinking, man, for the opponents, they have a lot on the line. They’re expected to win, and they’re feeling pressure. And I don’t feel pressure. I just feel excited to play this Olympic final. What a gift that is,” Apps recalled.

“I was just super stoked to go out there and play one last game with that team that I knew probably wouldn’t be able to play together again after that.”

While the Canadians put up a hard fought battle in the final, they ultimately fell to the defending Olympic champions, 19-12. 

But the day was undoubtedly a win for Canadian women’s rugby. The players have seen a surge in interest in the sport, especially from young girls, in the wake of their achievement.

“I just finished my ninth season with the national team, and it’s really cool to see the growth of the sport in the country since I started playing,” said Apps. “I think what [playing for Team Canada] means to me is being able to grow the sport and continue pushing young girls to play sports.”

“When you first start playing, you’re playing for yourself, to get to the next level. And then it turns into ‘I’m playing for my teammates, because I believe in what we’re doing,’” said Perry. “And then I feel as my career goes on, it’s turned into playing for the next generation as well, and leaving the sport in a better place.”