Canada's Homan defeats American Peterson for 3rd straight win at women's curling worlds
Rachel Homan and her Ottawa-based rink defeated Tabitha Peterson of the United States 8-4 at the world women's curling championship. Canada improves to 4-1 in round-robin play.
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Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fiji names Salesi Rayasi for Wallabies and Scotland tests
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Former Super Rugby winger Salesi Rayasi has been named in Fiji's 32-man squad to play Australia and Scotland in rugby tests next month. The 28-year-old played six seasons in Super Rugby for the Wellington-based Hurricanes and now plays for Vannes in France's Top 14. He played for the New Zealand sevens team before switching nations to play for Fiji, following his father Felipe who played 13 test for Fiji in the 1990s. Australia's test against Fiji at Newcastle on July 6 will be the Wallabies' only warm-up for their three-test series against the British and Irish Lions. Fiji will then play Scotland in Suva on July 12. 'Both Australia and Scotland are established Tier One sides and we know the level we need to rise to,' Fiji head coach Mick Byrne said in naming his squad Wednesday. 'This squad reflects the depth and strength of Fiji rugby and we will give a performance that will make all Fijians proud.' The Fiji squad included 13 players who played for the Fijian Drua in Super Rugby this season and 10 players based in France. 'We've focused on combinations that give us both tactical adaptability and the trademark Fijian spirit,' Byrne said. 'We want to win but more importantly, we want to win playing our brand of rugby.' ___ Fiji squad: Forwards: Eroni Mawi, Luke Tagi, Haereiti Hetet, Mesake Doge, Peni Ravai, Tevita Ikanivere, Samuel Mativesi, Kavaia Tagivetaua, Isoa Nasilasila, Mesake Vocevoce, Temo Mayanavanua, Setareki Turagacoke, Viliame Mata, Elia Canakaivata, Lekima Tagitagivalu, Albert Tuisue, Etonia Waqa, Motikai Murray. Backs: Simione Kuruvoli, Philip Baselala, Sam Wye, Caleb Muntz, Isaia Armstrong-Ravula, Vilimoni Botitu, Josua Tuisova, Iosefo Masikau Baleiwairiki, Sireli Maqala, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Ponipate Loganimasi, Jiuta Wainiqolo, Selesitino Ravutaumada, Salesi Rayasi. ___ AP rugby:
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
No more second chances: Chiefs vs. Brumbies, Crusaders vs. Chiefs in the Super Rugby semis
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The Hamilton-based Chiefs are keenly aware there are no more second chances as they head in Saturday's Super Rugby semifinal against the last Australian hope, the ACT Brumbies. The Chiefs' top-seeding gave them a second chance when they were beaten 20-19 by the Blues in last weekend's qualifying playoffs, allowing them to advance to the semifinals as the top-ranked loser. The Auckland-based Blues, who were seeded sixth and had to beat the Chiefs to keep their title defense alive, scored and converted a try three minutes after the fulltime siren for a dramatic win in Hamilton. That carried them into another tough assignment, a semifinal against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday. The Chiefs had numerous chances to close out last weekend's match against the Blues. They led 19-6 in the second half and let three clear try-scoring chances slip through their fingers. 'You could say we were probably lucky to get that second chance,' Chiefs' fullback Shaun Stevenson said. 'The beauty of finishing first is that you do get a second life. 'We have to prove to ourselves that we were the best team in the comp consistently and do that for 80 minutes against the Brumbies this week.' The Brumbies will attempt to become the first Australian team in 20 attempts to win a playoff match in New Zealand. They progressed to the semifinals after a 35-28 win over the Wellington-based Hurricanes in Canberra last weekend. Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has named an unchanged match for Saturday's semifinal in Hamilton with playmaker Jack Debreczeni being retained on the bench. 'We're in a pretty good space in terms of our routine,' Larkham said. 'We've got a plan this week in terms of some of the stuff that we've been building on through the year and then some specific stuff for the Chiefs. 'We want to get the boys as fresh as possible by the end of the week and get them into the game with as much confidence as possible. Then, focus on the performance as opposed to the outcome.' Ioane fires pre-match shot Blues center Rieko Ioane once again has turned to social media to ramp up tension ahead of Friday's match in Christchurch. After beating the New South Wales Waratahs in the last round of the regular season to clinch the last place in the playoffs, Ioane posted 'you shouldn't have let us get one.' It was a reference American baseball and basketball teams which won playoff series from 3-0 down. This week, more theatrically, he posted 'should've killed me when you had the chance.' Still, the Blues have the toughest chance in the playoffs against the Crusaders who improved their post their post-season record at home to 30-0 when they beat the Queensland Reds last weekend. Blues coach Vern Cotter said his team is ready to test that record. 'Nothing lasts forever,' he said. 'They are a tough team. We know it is a tough team. One day they will lose down there in a playoff. It could be against us.' The Crusaders will be without All Blacks loosehead prop Tamaiti Williams who helped make their scrum such a dominant force against the Reds. 'That's how they accessed their game against the Reds. It was through their scrum and lineout and field position,' Cotter said. 'It could be 80 minutes, it could be longer. We're mentally preparing for a rugged sort of evening.' ___ AP rugby:
CBC
15 hours ago
- CBC
'An honour': Inside the PWHL's expansion draft with the 1st overall pick
Ashton Bell was anxious all day on Monday as she waited to learn her fate. Just two weeks ago, the 25-year-old defender was battling for the Walter Cup with the Ottawa Charge. She'd carved out a role on the team's top defensive pairing alongside veteran Jocelyne Larocque, and blocked more shots than any other player during the playoffs. But on Monday, she didn't know if she'd be returning to Ottawa or heading west to play for Seattle or Vancouver. She had been left unprotected by the Charge ahead of the PWHL's first expansion draft. She knew Vancouver had interest, after speaking with GM Cara Gardner Morey during an exclusive signing window prior to the draft. But exactly how things would play out was remained a mystery. "I didn't really know what to expect," Bell said in an interview with CBC Sports. "I knew that there was the possibility that I could get picked up by either team. When Vancouver got the first pick, I was just kind of like everyone else, sitting at home, just waiting to hear my name called." She didn't have to wait long. After winning a lottery, Gardner Morey had to choose between keeping the first pick or making the second and third picks instead. She opted to make the first pick, and used it to select Bell. "It was definitely very exciting for me and just such an honour," the player from Deloraine, Man. said about being chosen first. The PWHL's expansion process has triggered a reset across the league, with every team's roster shaken up and left with holes. Ottawa lost two key defenders back to back in Bell and Aneta Tejralová, who was selected by Seattle with the second pick. Players who were taken in the expansion draft now need to plan a move to the west coast. Bell has family in Vancouver, which will make her transition easier. Many already want to buy season tickets. She's also joining a team built strong from the net out by Gardner Morey, who coached Bell with the Canadian Under-18 team several years ago. "She is just the exact person you want on your team," Gardner Morey said. "Not only is she extremely talented on the back end — she's played both offence and defence in her career — but she's also one of those great teammates and great human beings that's just always showing gratitude and doing things the right way. Her work ethic is outstanding and, to me, that's the exact type of player we wanted to bring in." A strong defensive core Bell's teammates on the blue line will include Defender of the Year nominees Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques, who both just won the Walter Cup with the Minnesota Frost. Both signed with Vancouver before the expansion draft. Thompson and Bell won an Olympic gold medal together in 2022. Did the PWHL expansion draft go too far? 23 hours ago Duration 1:18 "Those two are unbelievable and showed that this season with Minnesota and brought home the Walter Cup," Bell said. "I've played alongside them with the national team and know them as people as well. They're just incredible players, and I'm so excited to get to share the blue line with them." Vancouver also drafted promising rookie defender Sydney Bard from the Boston Fleet, a player who Boston GM Danielle Marmer described as only showing a glimpse of what she can do in her one and only season in Boston. "I think you're going to see a lot of interchangeable positions where you might not know who's forward and who's the [defence] on the ice at certain times," Gardner Morey said. Change afoot When the expansion rules were announced during the playoffs, eyebrows went up across the league. Teams could only protect three players to start, with a fourth to be added after a team surrendered two players to expansion. It meant every team was going to have to give up good players. In Ottawa, Bell and her teammates had to focus on the playoffs. But in the back of their minds, they knew their team would look different next season. "There were lots of kind of rumbles in the locker room every now and then, just us trying to figure out all the rules and logistics of it all, and just bouncing questions off each other and what it could possibly look like," Bell said. After the Charge fell short to the Frost in four games, hard decisions had to be made. Ottawa Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld opted to protect forward Emily Clark, goaltender Gwyneth Philips and defender Ronja Savolainen to start. Hirshfeld said Savolainen's size and speed were factors in choosing to protect her. "It was her first year in this league, and we felt like she played incredibly well as she was adjusting to the league," he said. "We think at her age, her best days are ahead of her now that she's acclimatized to the PWHL for a year." After losing Maschmeyer to Vancouver and forward Danielle Serdachny to Seattle, Hirshfeld used his final protection slot on forward Gabbie Hughes. The tough-to-play against centre was part of Ottawa's best line in the playoffs between Clark and rookie Mannon McMahon. But it meant going into the expansion draft with three top defenders — Bell, Larocque and Tejralová — all at risk. Only one was left on Ottawa's roster when the dust settled. "I think incredibly highly of Ashton," Hirshfeld said. "I think Bellsy's been great for us for two years. I can't say enough about how she performed in the playoffs this year. She was on the top line with Jocelyne Larocque and I think they did an incredible job. But again, we made a decision. It's a very difficult decision." A new beginning Bell sympathized with the challenge GMs faced in the expansion process. With a pre-signing window and the draft, there were so many variables that were hard to predict. "Gabbie Hughes [is] an amazing hockey player, one of our best centres, so that was kind of a no-brainer for them," she said. "I respect their decisions, and obviously Clarky, Gwyn and Ronja, too. Just amazing people and incredible players as well, so I'm super happy for them that they get to stay in Ottawa and continue to build that franchise." WATCH | Vancouver Griffins were the city's 1st women's pro hockey team: Long before PWHL expansion, the Vancouver Griffins were the city's 1st women's pro hockey team 2 days ago Duration 2:12 Vancouver Griffins owner Diane Nelson reflects on starting Vancouver's first pro women's hockey team and the challenges that came with it. A day after the draft, Bell was still processing the reality that she will be leaving her teammates and the fans in Ottawa. But she also looks forward to being a part of what Gardner Morey is building in Vancouver. "Leaving them behind is obviously sad," she said. "I'm still kind of processing all of that. But just the excitement of starting and being a part of a new franchise out west and being able to grow women's hockey out there is really exciting for me."
