Sport Photos
HSBC 2025 SVNS Vancouver Day 3 – Recap & Photos
Fans at BC Place witnessed two electrifying and hard-fought men’s semi-finals. In the first matchup, Argentina narrowly defeated Spain in a tense battle, with Marcos Moneta scoring the game’s only try in the ninth minute. Spain, reduced to six players, struggled to recover, allowing Argentina to secure their place in Sunday’s final.
South Africa clinched their spot in the final after a thrilling contest against Fiji, packed with non-stop action. Fiji looked to have sealed the victory with a full-length team effort grounded by Jeremaia Matana. However, despite being a player down, the Blitzboks staged a dramatic comeback with a last-minute try from Selvyn Davids, earning them a place in the final showdown against Argentina.
Having reached numerous finals before, Argentina and South Africa took to the field for their last duel of the tournament, with referee Tevita Rokovereni officiating his first final. Argentina started strong, with Luciano Gonzalez scoring twice in quick succession and Tobias Wade adding a third try. Though South Africa responded with two tries of their own, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide. Argentina held their defensive line, securing their second consecutive gold of the Series and their fourth overall in Vancouver.
Winning Captain Santiago Mare shared his thoughts after the celebrations: “We are very happy and really proud of the team for all the effort they put in. To be here, to be in a position to be in another final and win in a very tough game again against a great rival like South Africa, we are very happy and very proud.”
“We did the small things well, we have a very good defence and that was what we did well on the field and it was our difference. Our pressure and our patience showed we trusted in our system.”
Read the Day 3 Women’s Report.
The women’s semi-finals delivered unforgettable moments, including Japan’s historic first-ever Cup semi-final appearance against Fiji. Though they couldn’t advance further, the Sakura Sevens put up a brave fight against the dominant Fijians, who scored four tries to book their third Cup final spot.
Meanwhile, the Black Ferns Sevens and Australia faced off once again, with New Zealand emerging victorious in a six-try spectacle. Stacey Waaka’s hat trick helped secure their fourth consecutive final appearance in this Series and their 50th overall.
The grand finale saw Fiji take on New Zealand, marking their first-ever encounter in a Cup final on the SVNS Series. Chasing their first win against the Black Ferns Sevens—who have never lost at BC Place—Fiji faced a formidable challenge.
New Zealand wasted no time, as Risi Pouri-Lane scored the opening try in the first minute. By halftime, the Olympic Champions had surged ahead 22-0. Fiji responded in the eleventh minute with a try from Sesenieli Donu, but New Zealand maintained their dominance, closing out the match 41-7 and claiming their 39th title.
New Zealand’s Captain Sarah Hirini reflected on their achievement: “It’s amazing, we love coming here, we love the Canadian people and we’re really proud to get another win here.
“We played well as a team, we were pushed in some games but I think we just stuck to what we know and stuck to our plan. I’m just really proud of the efforts of the girls.”
Elsewhere, Spain’s men secured their second consecutive bronze medal in the Series with a 22-7 victory over Fiji, while Australia’s women ended Japan’s historic run with a 26-12 triumph.
BC Place kept the energy alive throughout the weekend. Though Canada couldn’t claim the title, they ended on a high note with a victory over the USA, backed by the roar of the home crowd. Reflecting on the weekend, Canada’s Olivia Apps shared: “It was a really fun weekend. We were disappointed we couldn’t get the result that we wanted but I think that that last game showcased a lot of this group’s talent and really what we’re capable of.
“We’re looking forward to building to Hong Kong and Singapore and we really hope we can come back and win Vancouver next year!”
Check out our favourite photos of the day below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Sport Photos
NSL Vancouver Rise Boost Playoff Hopes with Victory Over Calgary Wild
Vancouver Rise FC have ended their season on a high note and improved their chances of
reaching the playoffs after defeating Calgary Wild FC 3-2 at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC. The Rise delivered under pressure thanks to a beautiful goal from Mia Pante as well as a much-needed second-half strike from Jessica DeFilippo.
The Rise marked the scoresheet twice in the first half, leading the Wild 2 to nil at the 35-minute mark after Alex Lamontagne connected with Pante who cleared the goalkeeper and calmly hit the back of the net.
Calgary responded before halftime, however, as Josie Aulicino found the net with a strike from outside the penalty area, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and keeping halting what at times looked like a runaway train.
Calgary largely dominated the second half, forcing Vancouver onto their back feet. Vancouver was pinned in their own zone, unwillingly defending their lead as Calgary took shot after shot on goal. A quiet crowd got to their feet for their Captain Shannon Woeller who made her first appearance of the season in the 88-minute mark, leaving the bench to steady the team in the final few minutes.
Despite the early charge, Vancouver managed to record the win and take the points, if in a
somewhat anxiety-filled final 45. The three points keep the Rise in the playoff conversation, with the final result to be decided Monday as Halifax faces off against AFC Toronto.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
VANCOUVER RISE FC v CALGARY WILD FC
All Photo Credit: Jason Martin
Sport Photos
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