UNews - Rugby World Cup

Olympic prize in sight

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:07:06 +0000

As one of the most decorated female rugby athletes in the brief history of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), Ashley Steacy (neé Patzer, she recently married fellow Pronghorn athlete and CIS champion, track athlete Sean Steacy) is just starting to make her mark on the world women's rugby scene.

The two-time CIS Player of the year and three-time CIS Champion has become a permanent fixture with both the Senior National full squad and Sevens teams with one goal in mind: representing Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"Thinking about the possibility of going to the Olympics is pretty surreal," says Steacy. "It's a very recent goal of mine and is still pretty far in the future, but I'm trying not to think too much about the end goal, and instead focus on the smaller steps leading up to it."

A relatively unknown local Lethbridge product, Steacy burst onto the university scene in the fall of 2005, being named both the Canada West and CIS rookie of the year, and serving notice to Rugby Canada that she was an athlete worth watching. She's thankful to have been able to use CIS sport as a springboard for success.

Ashley Steacy is a fixture with the Canadian National Senior Women's Rugby program.

Despite taking time off to focus on her national team commitments and to play in New Zealand, Steacy will graduate this fall with a bachelor of arts in kinesiology.

"I love being in an environment that continually pushes me to be better and learn new things," says Steacy. "Being able to compete in my sport while receiving an education has meant the world to me. I wouldn't change or trade any part of my CIS experience.

Steacy made her national team debut on the Sevens side in February 2006 and the full squad in October 2007.

The offensive dynamo had her world coming out party at the 2009 Sevens World Cup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Steacy finished fourth in tournament scoring with a team best 38 points. In the six-game event, she scored four tries and made nine converts, the second most in the tournament.

Last fall, despite breaking her hand only eight weeks prior, she suited up for the national senior team at the Women's Rugby World Cup in England. The team finished a disappointing fifth in the tournament but Steacy, as one of the youngest players on the team, is expected to be one of a handful of players that will make up the core group going forward.

Starting in January 2012 the national program will be centralizing for five months, with all the carded athletes moving to Victoria, B.C. During this time they will be training together five days a week and attend four tournaments, including a newly created Canadian event. Vegas Sevens and Hong Kong Sevens are two of the other tournaments on the schedule.

After five seasons in the CIS, Steacy amassed an impressive resumé that included numerous individual accolades, but her most cherished memories are the team successes she achieved with the Horns.

"The CIS has given me the opportunity to learn and grow not only as an athlete but as a person as well," says Steacy. "I've learned many life lessons over my 5 years here. Playing at a high level in my sport has definitely been the highlight of my university experience."

UPDATE: Steacy, along with current Pronghorn standout Kayla Moleschi (Canada West Rookie of the Year) played for the Canadian Sevens side that won the first ever IRB Women's Sevens Challenge Cup. The Canadians defeated England 26-7 to capture the title at the eight-team tournament Saturday,Dec. 3 propelling Canada to the top of the world women's sevens rankings. Two other Pronghorns, Kelsey Willoughby (2010 Canada West Player of the Year) and Brittany Orr played for the Maple Leaf side that also competed in the tournament.

Horns standing out internationally

trevor.kenney — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:15:23 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby players continue to make their mark internationally.

Current Horns Kelsey Willoughby and Laura Murphy-Burke recently helped lead the Canadian U-20 national side to a title at the 2010 North American Caribbean Rugby Association regional tournament.

Murphy-Burke drilled one of two Canadian penalty kicks that stood up to be the difference in a 6-3 tournament-deciding victory over the United States. The Canadian side went through the tournament with an undefeated record.

The Senior Women's National Team boasts three former Horns on the roster in Ashley Patzer, Paige Knauf and Ashley MacDonald. That squad opened the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup in London over the weekend and rolled to a 37-10 trouncing of Scotland.

Both Knauf and Patzer have been put on the active roster for the Canadians' second game, Tuesday against Sweden.

The Women's Rugby World Cup runs Aug. 20 to Sept. 5. Canada enters the event as the fourth-rated squad in the world and is playing in a preliminary pool with Scotland, third-rated France and Sweden.

Meanwhile, the Horns begin defense of both their conference and national titles when the Canada West season kicks off, Sept. 24 in Victoria. Fall training camp for the Horns opens on Wednesday, Sept 1.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge plays host to the Canada West Championships Oct. 22-24 at the Community Sports Stadium.

MacDonald to join national squad

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:24:28 +0000

A third former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby player has been named to the roster of Canada's Women's Rugby World Cup roster.

Former Pronghorn Ashley MacDonald has been called up from the non-traveling reserve roster as an injury replacement and will join Ashley Patzer and Paige Knauf (nee Burdett) on the Canadian squad that will participate in the Women's Rugby World Cup, Aug. 20 to Sept. 5 in England.

MacDonald suffered a broken leg in the dying minutes of the 2009 CIS Championship game, and endured a long road to recovery. She worked extremely hard to be fit for the summer rugby season and had a very strong showing at the Can-Am series in Vancouver earlier this summer, narrowly missing the Canadian roster. A recent injury to Marie-Eve Brindamour-Carignan prompted the Canadian squad to activate MacDonald off the reserve roster.

MacDonald began her university career in her home province with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Prince Edward Island. While there, MacDonald was a CIS All-Canadian before transferring to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for her final two seasons. During her two years as a Horn, Ashley was a member of two conference and national champions, earning Canada West All-Star and CIS All-Canadian accolades during both seasons.

The 2010 edition will be the sixth Women's Rugby World Cup.

There are three pools of 12 teams scheduled to compete, each seeded according to the 2006 WRWC results. After the pool phase, teams will be re-seeded based on the position they finished in their respective pools.

Two venues will host the 2010 WRWC in London. Most of the matches will be played at the Surrey Sports Park. The Twickenham Stoop, home of the NEC Harlequins, will host the semifinals and finals.

Canada will play the opening match of the 2010 WRWC when they kickoff against Scotland, Friday, Aug. 20 at 5 a.m. (MST).

Patzer, Knauf named to World Cup squad

trevor.kenney — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:41:21 +0000

A pair of former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby players will represent Canada at the Women's Rugby World Cup in August.

Reigning CIS Player of the Year Ashley Patzer, a mainstay in the national program, is joined by Paige Knauf (nee: Burdett) on the World Cup squad that will travel to London, Eng.

The duo, along with another former Pronghorn, Ashley MacDonald, used one last opportunity to impress national team brass in June when they competed at a Can-Am Series event in Vancouver. While Patzer and Knauf earned roster spots, MacDonald was named to the non-traveling reserve squad.

The 2010 edition will be the sixth Women's Rugby World Cup.

Two venues will host the 2010 WRWC in London. Most of the matches will be played at the Surrey Sports Park. The Twickenham Stoop, home of the NEC Harlequins, will host the semifinals and finals.

Canada will play the opening match of the 2010 WRWC when they kickoff against Scotland, Friday, Aug. 20 at 5 a.m. (MST).

For more on Patzer, Knauf and MacDonald, visit the Horns website.

UNews - Rugby World Cup

Olympic prize in sight

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Horns standing out internationally

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MacDonald to join national squad

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