Wardley propels Canada to victory over Spain in women's rugby 7s opener in B.C.

Keyara Wardley scored two tries to lead Canada to a 19-10 victory over Spain in women's rugby sevens action before a loud home crowd on Saturday in rainy Langford, B.C.

Fellow Olympian Bianca Farella had the other try for the eighth-ranked Canadians, who have won four of the past six meetings against No. 9 Spain.

Canada, which plays Mexico at 5 p.m. ET for the first time this season in World Rugby Sevens Series and top-ranked Australia at 9 p.m., is fresh off earning a World Cup berth after going unbeaten at the Rugby Americas North Sevens Qualifiers.

The Canadian women opened the Sevens Series with two eighth-place finishes in back-to-back tournaments in Dubai late in 2021. In the new year, Canada picked up a sixth, then seventh-place finish in two tournaments in Spain.

Australia handled Canada 52-0 in Dubai last December and a month later breezed to a 33-10 win in the quarter-finals of a tourney in Malaga.

"It's about getting the experience and seeing exactly where we are against some of the top teams. In our group, we've got Australia — Australia's the best team in the world right now," interim coach Jack Hanratty told CBC Sports before this weekend's event. "Those are exactly the teams that we want to put ourselves against to see exactly where we are on the world stage."