Team Canada Wins TekSavvy Kent Cup Over USA

Rugby Canada in Chatham - TekSavvy Kent Cup Champions - Photo by Ian Kennedy

Team Canada controlled the play from start to finish in the TekSavvy Kent Cup in Chatham Friday night defeating the United States by a final score of 35-17.

Canada’s Jen Kish opened the scoring for her team in the first minutes of the game, and cheered on by an announced crowd of 915 at the Chatham-Kent Community Athletic Complex on the back campus of CKSS, Canada didn’t look back. Canada’s win over the USA followed a 46-8 win by England over South Africa. Both games played in Chatham were a part of the Nations Cup.

Canada vs. USA - TekSavvy Kent Cup - Photo by Ian Kennedy

According to Team Canada Captain Kelly Russell, the Chatham crowd was more than they expected, keeping the Canadian squad going throughout the match,

“We heard the crowd through the whole game, it was a nice welcome,” said Russell. “From the moment we got into town Chatham’s been great. You could really feel the support in town, and from all across Ontario and Canada.”

Canada entered the game as the 6th ranked womens rugby team in the world, while the USA were ranked 5th. The tight rankings, and obvious rivalry were something Team Canada was looking forward to,

“It’s a great match against the USA,” siad Russell. “We look forward to playing them. It’s always a physical match and that’s what you play rugby for.”

The event, put on by the local Kent Havoc Rugby club, as well as other Chatham-Kent organizations was successful on all fronts with quality rugby on the field, and a large crowd in the stands. In their first game of the Nations Cup at Appleby College in Oakville, Canda crushed the 10th ranked South Africa 52-17. Canada will now wait to play England on Tuesday in their final round robin game.

CKSN will publish a complete photo gallery from the TekSavvy Kent Cup tomorrow including photos from both games.