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HSBC 2025 SVNS Vancouver Day 1 – Recap & Photos
Canada Women made a triumphant return to Vancouver after securing a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, thrilling fans with two dominant victories. Charity Williams wasted no time, scoring her 100th HSBC SVNS Series try in the opening moments against Brazil before quickly adding another to reach 101. The team carried that momentum forward, delivering a seven-try spectacle against Spain and securing the top spot in Pool A heading into day two.
Reflecting on her milestone, Williams shared, “That’s probably the milestone for me that I’m really proud of. I’m really proud of myself for being in the game for as long as I have. It was awesome to get the ball from our captain who has been wonderful and it felt good touch that one down for sure.
“It brings me back to the very beginning when I was 16 or 17 and I think I scored my first try in Brazil, it literally feels like a lifetime ago and I was like a baby then and I had no idea what was in store for me. To look back and see that I’ve been here for over a decade, I’m just really grateful.”
Meanwhile, Olympic champions New Zealand maintained their dominance in Pool B with two convincing wins. Michaela Blyde continued her record-breaking form, scoring five of the team’s 10 tries against Ireland. In doing so, she surpassed fellow New Zealander Portia Woodman-Wickliffe to set a new tournament record of 260 tries, helping propel the team into Saturday’s quarter-finals.
Over in Pool C, Japan closed out day one at the top after securing wins against Fiji and Great Britain. France, however, will need to regroup after suffering back-to-back losses. Their upcoming match against Japan is a must-win if they hope to keep their quarter-final dreams alive.
The biggest shock of the day came in the final moments, as Brazil pulled off a stunning upset over second-placed Australia, setting the stage for an electrifying showdown on day two.
Read the Day 1 Women’s Report.
One of the standout clashes of the men’s tournament saw South Africa edge out New Zealand 12-10 in a thrilling, end-to-end battle. They followed up with an impressive win over Ireland, securing their place at the top of Pool B at the end of day one.
In Pool A, Great Britain kicked off their campaign with a commanding 26-7 victory over France, but their path to the quarter-finals remains uncertain after a narrow loss to Argentina. The outcome will be decided on day two.
Over in Pool C, Spain continued their strong run in the series, notching victories over both the USA and Uruguay. They now share the top spot with Fiji, who also secured maximum points against the same opponents.
The pool stage resumes at 10:30 (GMT-8) on Saturday, leading into the quarter-finals in the afternoon. The action culminates on Sunday, with finals day kicking off at 10:50, and the men’s and women’s championship matches set for 17:05 and 17:41, respectively.
Following the format introduced in Perth, the women’s final will once again serve as the tournament’s grand finale, bringing HSBC SVNS Vancouver to an electrifying close.
This year’s Vancouver SVNS festival is bigger than ever, celebrating its 10th anniversary as the Canadian leg of the series. Alongside world-class rugby sevens action featuring 12 of the best men’s and women’s teams—packed with Olympic stars—fans can enjoy a variety of entertainment, including global food options, live music, interactive activities like a snowball obstacle course, and, for the first time in SVNS Series history, a competitive axe-throwing showdown featuring team captains.
Beyond BC Place, the excitement continues with seven rugby-themed light installations scattered across downtown Vancouver throughout the weekend, building on the success of a similar fan-favourite activation seen during Taylor Swift’s recent visit to the city.
Check out our favourite photos of the day below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
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WWE Monday Night Raw Keeps the Momentum Rolling in Ottawa
WWE Monday Night Raw rolled into Ottawa on August 24 with plenty of moving pieces and a clear focus on building toward the next major chapters for both the men’s and women’s divisions. From LA Knight’s confrontation with Roman Reigns to Stephanie Vaquer’s return, a World Heavyweight Championship tournament, and a heated Oba Femi-Bron Breakker contract signing, the episode packed a lot into three hours without losing sight of its bigger stories.
This was a busy, storyline-heavy episode built almost entirely around momentum heading toward Sunday Night’s Main Event on September 6. LA Knight opened the show by calling out World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns, only for Solo Sikoa to interrupt and thank Knight for backing him up the previous week, before the Usos showed up and set a tag match in motion for later in the night. That opening angle paid off with a hard-hitting brawl, and the show closed with Knight, Sikoa, and both Usos left laid out while returning duo Royce Keys and OTM stood tall over the wreckage.
In the ring, the standout was Stephanie Vaquer‘s return match against Roxanne Perez, which saw Judgment Day interference from Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez met by a counter from Becky Lynch. Vaquer sealed the win by dodging a moonsault and connecting with a butterfly backbreaker into a lungblower combo, and the post-match staredown with Lynch added a nice extra layer of tension. It fed directly into the next chapter of her title chase, with Vaquer told backstage that she’ll get her shot at Liv Morgan‘s Women’s World Championship on the September 7 RAW.
The tournament for a World Heavyweight Championship shot also moved forward, with Penta defeating LA Parka and Rey Fenix defeating Dragon Lee to set up a Penta-vs-Fenix final. The Penta/Parka match got a nice reaction, as Parka survived a Penta Driver and answered with a top-rope Spanish Fly before Penta eventually got the win.
The other big story beat was the contract signing for Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker. Breakker accused Femi of taking the spot he used to hold and vowed to make him live in his shadow, while Femi shot back that Breakker could’ve been the future of WWE in a different era, just not while he’s around. The segment boiled over into a physical confrontation, with Breakker jumping Femi before Austin Theory got involved, and Femi eventually powering back to put Theory through a table.
Overall, this felt like a well-paced go-home-style episode even though the pay-per-view is still two weeks out: hot angles up top and at the close, a satisfying tournament advancement, and a women’s division storyline that’s clearly building toward something bigger
Check out our favourite photos of both Monday Night Raw and Smackdown below or head to our Facebook page for the full galleries: Raw – Smackdown
WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW
All Photo Credit: Kieran Delport
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NSL Vancouver Rise FC Stun Halifax Tides FC With Last-Minute Winner
Drama took over Swangard Stadium on Saturday night as Vancouver Rise FC rallied from a 1-0 deficit to beat Halifax Tides FC 2-1, with Jessica De Filippo scoring the winner deep into stoppage time.
Rise nearly opened the scoring inside the first two minutes. De Filippo found herself at the edge of the six-yard box, but her first-time effort sailed over the bar.
Vancouver continued to create chances. Ten minutes later, Anna Bout slipped Anaïs Oularbi through on the left, with Oularbi cutting the ball back for De Filippo. Her sliding attempt just missed the pass.
Halifax had a chance of its own moments later, but Rise goalkeeper Morgan McAslan came up with one of the saves of the night. She stopped Julia Benati’s point-blank effort before quickly smothering the rebound.
The Tides eventually broke through in the 18th minute. Benati sent Rhodes in behind the Vancouver defence, and Rhodes finished past McAslan to give Halifax the lead.
Rise pushed for an equalizer before halftime. Bout tried her luck from distance in the 30th minute, but her shot skipped wide of the far post.
Vancouver‘s pressure picked up as the half progressed, with crosses repeatedly sent into the Halifax box. Just before halftime, Myla Ewasiuk met an Oularbi free kick with a header, but Tides goalkeeper Anika Tóth was ready for it.
Rise came out of the break with renewed pressure, bringing Latifah Abdu into the match to add another attacking option. Her impact was almost immediate.
Camila Reyes found Abdu behind the Halifax defence, sending the forward in alone against Tóth. Abdu slipped as she took her shot, though, leaving Tóth with an easy clearance.
The equalizer finally arrived in the 56th minute. Bout delivered a cross into the box, and De Filippo rose to meet it, powering her header past Tóth to make it 1-1.
Vancouver kept coming in search of the winner.
Josie Longhurst nearly put Rise ahead in the 74th minute when she popped the ball up just outside the box and launched an ambitious volley. She got plenty of power behind it, but the effort went just wide.
Abdu came even closer seven minutes later. After turning two defenders, she unleashed a volley that forced Tóth into a fingertip save.
De Filippo then came within inches of a second goal when her header was deflected onto the post and out.
With the match moving into stoppage time, the pressure from Rise finally paid off.
Abdu found space on the left and floated a cross toward the penalty spot. De Filippo brought the ball under control before firing it into the net, sending Swangard Stadium into a frenzy and completing the comeback.
The win gives Rise another dramatic result at home as the club continues its push through the season.
Vancouver Rise FC will return to action on Saturday, August 22, against Ottawa Rapid FC in Ontario. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT. The team then returns to Swangard Stadium on Saturday, August 29, to host Calgary Wild FC at 3 p.m. PT.
Tickets are available through Vancouver Rise FC.
Check out our favourite photos of the match below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
NSL VANCOUVER RISE FC v HALIFAX TIDES FC
All Photo Credit: Jason Martin