At first glance, rugby is not the likeliest of sports for Ghislaine Landry to excel in.

At five-foot-four, she’s one of the smallest players on Canada’s Rio-bound rugby sevens team. And her size differential to many top international players was put in stark relief as she stood beside England’s team captain — barely reaching her shoulders — before their world sevens series matchup this past weekend in France.

But the 28-year-old from Toronto, who led Canada to victory in the last international tournament before the Olympics, showed just why she should never be underestimated.

In Canada’s 31-10 semifinal against England, Landry scored three tries, including two that involved running nearly the entire length of the field dodging English defenders along the way.

Then, in their 29-19 victory in the final against Australia, the No. 1-ranked team, she used her speed to score and her playmaking abilities to help set up her teammates.

“She did an amazing job,” head coach John Tait said. “The on-field stuff was obvious, she scored some pretty fantastic tries, but also her leadership off the field, she took over as captain (when Jen Kish was injured) and did a great job making sure the girls were ready and focussed.”

Even better news for Canadians, two months away from the Olympic debut of rugby sevens, is that, as great as Landry’s play was, she wasn’t the only Canadian standout.

Kelly Russell was named player of the final for creating turnovers; Brittany Benn was a tenacious tackler, sporting stitches under her left eye as extra proof; Karen Paquin had one of the best defensive tournaments she has ever played; and Magali Harvey, who missed much of the season with an injury, was back to her try-scoring ways.

In short, it was a great team performance when it really counted, and that’s something this team has struggled with of late.

Since the women’s world sevens series started in 2012, the Canadians have become one of the best teams in the world at this action-packed and fast-paced version of rugby. But this season, they seemed to lose a step.

They missed the podium entirely in three of the five series events, whereas in the previous two seasons they only missed the podium once.

“We’ve played a lot of good rugby over the season but we haven’t really put together a full tournament performance,” Landry said. “For us (the Clermont-Ferrand win) was proof that we can play six games and a 20-minute final because it’s been a while since we’ve done that.

“This season was a bit of a rocky road.”

Injuries played a big a role in that. The Canadians went to the season opener in Dubai with half their regular squad unable to suit up. As the season progressed, some players returned to the pitch while others stepped off with new injuries.

As Tait struggled to fill roster holes with less-experienced players, the Canadians were faced with an ever-more competitive international field as teams around the world increased their efforts and resources to prepare for the Olympics.

Rugby sevens has now developed into its own, unpredictable and athletically driven game, rather than simply being an offshoot of the traditional 15-a-side game.

In France, the Canadians showed their team depth has grown to the point that they can win even without two of their strongest veteran players — Kish and Ashley Steacy, who has been out all season with an injury.

Kish, the team’s captain and a vital playmaker, was taken out of this tournament after a neck-crunching tackle in the game against Russia.

“To have Kish go out on day one was a blow but to have everybody step up was super-positive,” Landry said. “When she went out there wasn’t a doubt that we could get the job done. That’s important to the team.”

Kish’s injury isn’t serious and she will be back playing after the team’s break this week, Tait said.

With her performance in France, Landry was the top HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series point scorer for the second year in a row. She was also the only Canadian named to the 2015-2016 season dream team, along with England’s Emily Scarrat, New Zealand’s Portia Woodman and Sarah Goss and Australia’s Shannon Parry, Charolotte Caslick and Emma Tonegato.

Not bad for someone who was told from her early rugby playing days in high school right through to her first national teams that she wasn’t built for the sport.

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“I’ve been told that I’m too small to play rugby, basically since I first started playing rugby,” Landry said.

She never listened to any of them.

“I was thinking about my parents last night and I think a lot of my confidence and belief in myself comes from them. They’ve never, ever doubted that I could do it and that’s something that started when I was really young and that’s stayed with me.”

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