There is only one chance left, in terms of actual game situations, to get it right before the five-ring circus plays out in Rio.
The Langford-based Canadian women鈥檚 rugby team is in France this week for the final World Series tournament of the season, which takes place in Clermont-Ferrand.
The next official games after that will be at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where women鈥檚 rugby will be the first event contested after the opening ceremonies.
Before that, however, it will be back to Westhills Stadium and Goudy Field in Langford for an intensive two-month, pre-Olympic training camp.
sa国际传媒 qualified for the Rio Olympics last year based on its No. 2 world ranking. Currently ranked No. 4, the Canadians will be looking for a good showing in France this week 鈥� not only to build momentum for the Olympics, but also to move up the world rankings to get a more favourable draw for Rio.
sa国际传媒, which peculiarly under-performs before large Island crowds at its annual home-field sa国际传媒 Sevens World Series stop at Westhills Stadium, is paying the price for that misstep last month. It tumbled to world No. 4 with 54 points, behind No. 3 England on 60, No. 2 New Zealand on 64 and leading Australia on 76.
A top-six finish in France is all the Aussies need to finish atop the World Series standings and earn top seeding for the Rio Olympics.
sa国际传媒 welcomes back this week to the roster from long-term injury Magali Harvey, one of its most marketable players, but who hasn鈥檛 played in five months. Also returning from a long stretch off due to injury is Natasha Watcham-Roy, who hasn鈥檛 played since helping sa国际传媒 win gold last summer in Toronto at the Pan American Games.
Completing the roster in France will be Charity Williams, Hannah Darling, Kelly Russell, Britt Benn, Bianca Farella, Ghislaine Landry, Megan Lukan, Kayla Moleschi, Karen Paquin and captain Jen Kish.
Moleschi, from Williams Lake, is the lone sa国际传媒 player on this roster, although all the players live and train in Greater Victoria.
sa国际传媒 opens pool play Saturday in Clermont-Ferrand against Japan before taking on Russia and then closing with an intriguing and difficult match-up against New Zealand. The last of these matches will be the first World Series pool-round game between sa国际传媒 and the Kiwis since 2012, but it is also a potential medal-round preview of Rio.
Meanwhile, the Langford-based Canadian men鈥檚 sevens team continues its crucial training bloc at Westhills Stadium and Goudy Field in preparation for the last-chance Olympic qualifier June 18-19 at Stade Louis II in Monaco. The 16-team qualifier will decide the 12th and final berth into the Rio Olympics. It is expected to come down to world No. 9 Samoa, No. 13 sa国际传媒 or No. 14 Russia.
In men鈥檚 XVs, world No. 18 sa国际传媒 opens training camp on Saturday at Shawnigan Lake School running through June 5. There are 35 players invited, with a team of 28 to be named for a Test series next month against world No. 10 Japan at sa国际传媒 Place on June 11, against No. 19 Russia at Calgary Rugby Park on June 18 and versus No. 14 Italy at BMO Field in Toronto on June 26.
