A new-look Canadian women’s rugby sevens side kicks off the revamped HSBC SVNS season on Saturday at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai.

Canada has been drawn in Pool B with Britain, Australia and Japan at the weekend tournament, the first of nine events on the elite HSBC SVNS circuit. After Dubai, the Canadian women head straight to South Africa for the Dec. 6-7 stop in Cape Town.

With a large number of Canadian women playing their club rugby in England and France, Canada coach Jocelyn Barrieau expects to field a varied roster throughout the season with the likes of 15s captain Sophie de Goede, World Rugby’s Women’s Player of the year, and former sevens skipper Olivia Apps, both with England’s Saracens, among those expected to slot in at later events.

The Dubai-Cape Town squad features seven

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