Canadian women’s rugby is riding the crest of a wave in both 7s and 15s with Olivia Apps at the heart of both projects.

Where some countries are taking the view that separating the two formats of the game is the way forward, Canada have taken the opposite approach.

Apps is one of five members of the Canadian 7s team that won Olympic silver in Paris this summer who is also competing at WXV 1 on home soil in Vancouver.

She also helped them to victory in the PAC-4 Series earlier this year, which featured a first-ever win over the Black Ferns to take the title.

Now up to second in the world, Canada underlined their credentials with a hugely impressive 46-24 win over France in their first game of the tournament and will look to kick on against Ireland – who are also flying high after taking down New Zealand.

For Apps, this purple patch in both formats of the game has been a long time coming and is the result of a huge amount of work off the pitch.

She said: “It’s been an incredible year for Canadian women’s rugby. A lot has been going on behind the scenes for a lot of years and that is finally coming to the forefront. That is our development pathways and the coaches we’ve got in place and the culture within Rugby Canada that we have been trying to work towards since Covid.

“We’re really building towards a more positive and safer team culture across the board. That’s really showcased in the way that we play. Across 15s and 7s, the athletes who are playing in both, I think that has really elevated our performance. That culture across Rugby Canada with all the teams has become healthier with more of a unity mindset.”

As captain of the 7s team, Apps played a key role in Paris this summer as Canada shocked hosts France and then heavyweights Australia on their way to the final, giving New Zealand a scare before having to settle for silver.

It is in that format that she has the most experience, but Apps is starting to find her feet in 15s as well, having first spent time in the Canadian set-up as an injury replacement during the last World Cup.

Switching back and forth between the two formats is not easy, but Apps believes it has helped her develop her game in both.

She explained: “I’m really grateful to be doing it with a lot of teammates as well that are bouncing between. It makes it a lot easier, carrying the mental load and the stress which comes with competition and going back and forth.

“Our PAC-4 and then going into our final Olympic prep was a challenging transition. But playing rugby and just being able to travel the world with this team and how close we have all gotten has made it a lot easier and more enjoyable.

“When I first started playing 15s and went back to 7s, I thought 7s is so simple. 15s is chaos, especially playing scrum-half. It’s a completely different game experience. It’s a different mindset, it’s a different sport.

“In 7s, you have to adjust to the fact it’s simple, in a lot of ways the physicality is a lot different. But it’s been really great to bring some of that tactical side to 7s and also some of that more physical, 1v1 mindset into 15s. You can really see it in our 15s game and also in our 7s game.”

The overlap between 15s and 7s is definitely working for Canada, with this competition on home soil coming at the perfect time.

So ahead of an intriguing clash against Ireland, Apps is keen to make the most of playing in familiar conditions.

She added: “We’ve had the momentum of the Olympics and the last year with the PAC-4 win. Women’s rugby has great momentum in Canada right now, so it’s great timing for us to be able to host this tournament and showcase both sides of rugby. In 7s we have our home tournament in Vancouver so to have 15s here is huge as well.”