Canadian women's rugby 7s team bolstered by return of Olivia Apps ahead of tournament in Australia

The Canadian women's rugby sevens team was scheduled to leave late Friday for Australia and the HSBC SVNS Perth, bolstered by the return of veteran Olivia Apps and fellow Olympian Florence Symonds.

Coach Jocelyn Barrieau, who had seven new faces in her squad for the first two stops of the HSBC SVNS season, has included newcomers Olivia Sarabura and Larah Wright in her 14-player travelling roster as well as 15s veteran Gabrielle Senft.

For Barrieau, roster selection is a juggling act — trying to integrate new players while bearing in mind the club commitments of their players — at the start of a new quadrennial.

"At the end of the day, we want the best players to be able to play. And players now from Canada are getting noticed," she said. "And they're getting offered contracts to go play professionally. We want to encourage that balance and that ability to do both."

"It's definitely a puzzle," she added. "But it's a wonderful puzzle."

The Canadian women have been drawn in Pool B alongside Britain, Fiji and the U.S. for the Perth event, which runs Jan. 24-26 at HBF Park.

Canada stands seventh in the overall standings after finishing eighth in the season-opening tournament in Dubai and fifth in Cape Town. The Canadian women went 1-4-0 in Dubai and 3-1-0 in Cape Town.

The U.S. stands fourth overall while Britain is fifth and Fiji 11th.

Apps, the sevens squad's former captain, returns from 15s duty with Canada at the WXV tournament in Vancouver. Symonds spent the fall with the University of British Columbia, helping the Thunderbirds win their first-ever U Sports rugby 15s championship in November.

Apps will serve as vice-captain with Piper Logan continuing as skipper.

Sarabura, named MVP of the sevens nationals last year, was