PARIS – First-time Olympian Krissy Scurfield of Canada’s women's rugby sevens team was taken out of Sunday’s (July 28) match against New Zealand with an apparent injury.
The 21-year-old from Canmore was substituted out in the second half when she signalled by hand to the sidelines after a scrum half and was replaced by Carissa Norsten.
Canada lost 33-7 against the defending gold medallist New Zealand squad.
Scurfield appeared to sustain an injury on a non-contact play. Usually an explosive sprinter, she got the ball with approximately five minutes left and was set to make a power move, but she quickly dropped to the ground for a scrum half. When she got up she was favouring the left side of her torso.
Rugby Canada did not report any significant injuries on Sunday. If there are injuries, the national organization will report them before Canada's next game on Monday (July 29) 8 a.m. MST against China.
Scurfield appeared to have suffered two injuries in the game against New Zealand. The first was a bloody nose in the opening seconds of the first half. However, she returned later in the half.
Earlier in the day, the Canmore-raised athlete made her Olympic debut with Canada at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics Games when the team won 17-14 against Fiji.
Canada’s try scorers against Fiji were Charity Williams, Florence Symonds and Keyara Wardley.
Scurfield didn’t score in the match, but the hard-hitting, ultra-quick winger made a difference by sacrificing her body with big hits and doing the little things.
One of Scurfield’s best moments came after Canada’s first try when the speed demon charged in following the drop kick and jumped on the ball, stealing it away from Fiji in a flash. Moments later, the ball soared in Williams’ hands and the Rio 2016 bronze medallist touched it down.
Canada has four points and is in third place, behind China, in their pool. The top two teams in each pool and the best two teams placed third in their pools qualify to the quarterfinals.
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Women’s Rugby Sevens schedule, available to view on CBC Gem, all times MST
Sunday (July 28)
*Canada defeats Fiji 17-14.
*New Zealand defeats Canada 33-7.
Monday (July 29)
Canada vs. China at 8 a.m.
Quarterfinals start at 1 p.m.
Tuesday (July 30)
Semifinals start at 7:30 a.m.
Bronze medal match at 11 a.m.
Gold medal match at 11:45 a.m.
