Two members of the Fergus Highland Rugby Club competed recently in the Las Vegas Sevens Invitational tournament held at Sam Boyd Stadium.
The tournament is considered one of the premier amateur rugby events in the United States, featuring more than 15 countries with athletes participating at a national level in sevens rugby (seven players per side, instead of the usual 15, and shorter matches).
In the women’s final round, the battle came down to two Canadian teams: the Maple Leaf Reds, featuring Brittany Benn of Highland Rugby Club, and the Maple Leaf Blacks, including Benn’s Highland teammate Caitlin McNally.
The Reds dominated the possession game and starved their fellow Canadians of offensive opportunities.
The Reds were also dominant at the contact area and both Bianca Farella, of Quebec, and Benn were standouts in the final, helping to defeat the Maple Leaf Blacks 24-0.
The win marks the third consecutive year Canada has won the Las Vegas sevens event.
Benn, originally from Napanee, just finished her final year with the Guelph Gryphons, and has been playing with Fergus Highland Rugby Club for three years.
She was named Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) rugby player of the year in 2012. She was also her division’s most valuable player and all-Star 2012, as well as a CIS all-star and CIS all-Canadian.
Highland teammate McNally is a graduate of John F. Ross Secondary School who plays full back and has just finished her fourth year with the Guelph Gryphons. She has been with Highland for four years and was named a division all-star and CIS all-star.
As the Highland Rugby Club celebrates the international achievements of Benn and McNally, the club is also anticipating the success of Highland teammates Morganne Linthwaite, Jane Kirby, Caitlin Beaton and Megan Lowry, who have been invited to attend the Canada Camp in British Columbia this summer to train for the World Cup of Rugby in 2014.
For more information on Fergus Highland Rugby visit www.highlandrugby.com.
