Olivia DeMerchant (born February 16, 1991) is a Canadian

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. She has represented at the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

and

2021 Rugby World Cup The 2021 Rugby World Cup was the ninth staging of the women's Rugby World Cup, as organised by World Rugby. It was held from 8 October to 12 November 2022 in Auckland and Whangārei, New Zealand. It was originally scheduled to be held in 2021, ...

's.

Rugby career

In 2011, DeMerchant played for the Canadian women's under-20 team. She represented at the

2014 Women's Rugby World Cup The 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup was the seventh edition of the Women's Rugby World Cup, and the sixth held in Europe. The World Cup Final took place on 17 August. All of the pool games for the World Cup took place at the Centre National du R ...

. DeMerchant played four seasons for

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Franc ...

where she studied. She subsequently returned, after playing with the Saracens Ladies in 2016–2018, and is currently playing her final year of eligibility in the 2018 season. DeMerchant was selected in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's squad for the

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. In 2023, she scored a try against the

Black Ferns The New Zealand women's rugby union team, called the Black Ferns, represents New Zealand in women's international rugby union, which is regarded as the country's national sport. The team has won six out of nine Women's Rugby World Cup tournamen ...

in her sides 21–52 defeat at the

Pacific Four Series The Pacific Four Series is an international rugby union competition that is sanctioned by World Rugby. It is contested between four women's national teams — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. It began in 2021 and was initiall ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. The match earned her her 55th

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

and she now sits third all-time for Canada alongside

Maria Gallo Dr. Maria Eugenia Gallo (born 21 September 1977) is a Canadian rugby player with 55 caps including the 2002 and 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup. A multi-talented athlete, Gallo was also a member of Canada's National Bobsleigh Team for two years (2 ...

Canadian Football

Demerchant began playing women's tackle football with the Capital Area Lady Gladiators of the

Maritime Women's Football League The Maritime Women's Football League (MWFL) is a Canadian football league in eastern Canada. It was Canada's first all-female full-contact football competition when it began operating in 2004. Since it was established, the League has grown from two ...

in 2015. She dominated on both offense and defense from the running back and defensive end positions. She earned a Maritime Women's Football League Offensive All-Star award and 2015 Offense Player of the Year with the Lady Gladiators.

Awards and recognition

* 2019, Rugby Canada Player of the Year (15s). * 2019, Rugby Canada

Gillian Florence Gillian Florence is a Canadian rugby union player who has participated in five world cups (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010). Starting out as a prop on the national team, she became one of Canada's top flankers. Florence first started playin ...

Award.

References

External links

Rugby Canada Player Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:DeMerchant, Olivia 1991 births Living people Canadian female rugby union players Canada women's international rugby union players