The goal for Canada on Day 3 at Paris 2024 was to reach the quarterfinals in women’s rugby sevens. The team did that and so much more.
In front of nearly 70,000 energetic fans at the Stade de France, Canada prevailed over France 19-14 in Monday’s quarterfinal match. That sends Canada into a semifinal against Australia on Tuesday (7 am PT/10 am ET), followed by a medal match later in the day.
READ: Team Canada’s women’s rugby players put their trust in one another at Paris 2024
Canada weathered early pressure from France and scored the match’s first try on an amazing solo run by Piper Logan at 3:15 of the first half.
The home side broke through with their own try on the final play of the first half, then added another just after halftime. But midway through the second half, it was Logan piercing the French defence again to record her third try of these Games.
All four tries were converted, leaving the score at 14-14 in the waning minutes of the match. The Canadians kept applying pressure, until Chloe Daniels snuck around on the blind side to score the decisive try with under a minute remaining.
The crowd was left in stunned silence.
“This crowd is incredible to play in front of, whether they were with us or against us,” said Logan. “It was really incredible to play tonight.
“I feel very happy and privileged to be here. To win a medal would mean everything. We’ve been waiting for this one for quite a while.”
Logan, 23, is in her first Olympic Games and hopes the team’s progress will inspire more girls to play rugby.
“I am small, not like some of these big strong girls, but I think I can show that this is really a sport for everyone,” she said. “I am very proud [of her performance against France] but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. It is very exciting.”
It’s quite a turnaround from Tokyo 2020 when France dominated Canada 31-0, eliminating them from medal contention. But Canada does have podium pedigree in women’s rugby sevens, having won bronze in the sport’s Olympic debut at Rio 2016.
The only remaining player from that squad is Charity Williams, who played a massive role in Canada’s 26-17 win over China earlier on Day 3. She used her explosive speed to score a pair of tries, exuberantly somersaulting over the goal line both times.
“Every game to us is a finals,” she said after the China match. “An opportunity to prove ourselves and just to do what we’ve been doing every single day in training for the last three and a half years.”
Now, Canada is one win away from competing in the actual gold medal final. Standing in their way is the formidable Australian team that dismantled Ireland 40-7 in their quarterfinal match.
But as Williams said prior to the upset over France: “We love a little adversity and I think, you know, the underdogs come out on top sometimes.”
