Article content continued

Harvey said it took time to reacquaint herself with sevens following the 15s World Cup. A renewed focus on fundamentals — tackling in the open field, for instance, and consistently making good decisions with the ball — won her a spot in the lineup for the final two events of the season.

“There’s lots of room for individual flair in sevens, but you have to respect your opposition, and the people around you need to know what you’re likely to do. I think in the past, Mags has at times probably tried a little too hard and tried to do too much with the ball,” Tait said.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

“She’s really stepped it up in this last half of the year, and looked after the ball better and played within the parameters we’re giving them as our plan for attack and defence.”

Aside from the addition of veteran forward Kelly Russell — Canada’s captain at the 15s World Cup — Tait’s Pan Am roster is unchanged from the final Sevens Series event, held in Amsterdam in May, when Canada went unbeaten in six matches.

In Toronto, they will likely lean heavily on Ghislaine Landry, the world’s top individual scorer this season. Karen Paquin and Brittany Benn, meanwhile, were named to the Pan Ams after transitioning from the 15s World Cup squad, like Harvey and Russell.

Harvey should spend ample time on the field, Tait said, as the wing or “finisher” along the outside. It will be another chance for her, and her teammates, to push for a spot on the inaugural Olympic team.

“A year from now, they will go to Rio to win, and anything short of a medal will be very, very disappointing. The colour of that medal might be determined in the next 12 months, in the build-up to Rio,” Spanton said.

“One of the toughest things John’s going to have to do is pick his final group to go to Rio next year. He’s going to have some girls with broken hearts that don’t make it.”