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The Langford-based Canadian women’s rugby team continued its encouraging lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics by winning through to the final in the Sydney Sevens after doing the same last weekend in the New Zealand Sevens.

sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ went 3-0 in round-robin play before stunning host and 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist Australia 34-0 in the semifinals Saturday. The championship game is Sunday morning against the New Zealand Black Ferns. It is a foe the Canucks know well.

sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, which won the silver medal last weekend behind the host Kiwis at the New Zealand Sevens, beat Brazil 33-10, Fiji 20-14 and the U.S. 21-7 in the round-robin at Sydney.

The Canadian men, also based in Langford, could not replicate their undefeated run through the New Zealand Sevens.

They started in Sydney with a 28-19 win over Ireland before dropping 28-12 and and respective 26-14 decisions to Spain and England on Saturday. sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ plays France in the 9th/10th game Sunday morning.

Both the world No. 9 Canadian men’s and world No. 3 women’s national squads have qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so this World Series season is a big dress rehearsal for that.

Former University of Victoria Vikes great Nathan Hirayama and Harry Jones of North Vancouver are co-captaining the Canadian men’s squad in the back-to-back Antipodean set in New Zealand and Oz. Island veterans Connor Braid and Mike Fuailefau, both of Victoria, and Pat Kay of Duncan are also on the Canadian roster along with Isaac Kaay of the UVic Vikes. Of note, former UVic Vikes player Lucas Hammond is making his return from injury on sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ for the first time since 2018.

All-time World Series career points-leader Ghislaine Landry is captaining 2016 Rio Olympics bronze-medallist sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ in women’s. Also on the Canadian roster are three players from Island clubs — Caroline Crossley and Karen Paquin of Castaway Wanderers and Elissa Alarie of Westshore.

Sydney is the fifth World Series women’s tournament and fourth for the men.

The sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Sevens stops on the World Series are March 7-8 for the men at sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Place in Vancouver and May 2-3 for the women at Westhills Stadium in Langford.

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