Stylish send-off for Canada

Image thanks to Jose Romelo Lagman

The Canada women's rugby team had a World Cup send-off to remember before preparing to head to the UK for the competition which kicks off next week.

Rugby Canada hosted a stylish send-off reception for the team in Toronto where a host of individual presentations were made to various players.

Several caps were awarded to players and Maria Gallo was honoured for reaching her 50th cap and Gillian Florence for her 60th, both fantastic feats for players in a side who don't play as regularly as some of the teams they will play at the World Cup.

Former national team players Colette McAuley and Sheila Turner helped present the latter awards to their ex- teammates.

From Toronto, the squad flew to London and then headed to Cardiff in Wales for a five-day pre-World Cup camp. On August 16th, the squad will bus back to England to Surrey Sports Park in Guildford where they will be staying and playing for the remainder of the tournament. They will be joined by the 11 other World Cup teams at the grounds, all of whom are staying in the same complex.

Canada are in Pool C alongside Scotland, Sweden and France and the team have been handed the honour of playing the opening match of the comeptition against Scotland on August 20th at 12pm.

They will have a short three-day turnaround before facing Sweden on August 24th at 2pm, and then finally showing down with France in a highly anticipated match on August 29th at 2.15pm.

Canada travelled to the World Cup without second-row Marie-Eve Brind'Amour-Carignan, who failed to recover from a back injury picked up in the warm-up game with the USA a few weeks ago. Her replacement is Ashley MacDonald.

SeeHEREfor a previewof pool C