Concordia Stingers women’s rugby player Megan Allard is coming home with a gold medal after helping Team Canada capture the 2026 FISU World University Championship Rugby Sevens in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Canada capped an impressive tournament with a 20-0 shutout of France in Sunday’s gold-medal final, earning its fourth women’s FISU rugby sevens championship.
Allard was part of Canada’s 12-player roster for the tournament after earning her selection following a standout season with the Stingers. The Concordia back was named a second-team RSEQ all-star in 2025 and was recognized as the Women’s Rookie of the Year at the Concordia Athletics Awards Gala for the 2024-25 season.
Allard made her presence felt throughout Canada’s championship run. In the team’s second pool match against Australia, she contributed a conversion as Canada fell 17-14 in a tightly contested match.
Canada finished pool play with a 2-1 record before beginning its run through the knockout stage. The Canadians defeated host South Africa 24-14 in the quarterfinals before getting another opportunity against Australia in the semifinals.
This time, Canada came out on top, defeating Australia 19-14 to earn a spot in the gold-medal game.
In the final, Canada controlled the match from the opening whistle, taking a 15-0 lead into halftime before adding another try after the break. Ava van Santen scored all four of Canada's tries as the Canadian defence kept France off the scoreboard for the entire match.
The championship is Canada's fourth women's FISU rugby sevens title, joining previous victories in 2004, 2006 and 2014. The gold medal also comes two years after Canada earned silver at the 2024 championship in Aix-en-Provence, France.
For Allard, the championship caps a memorable stretch that has seen her make an impact at both the university and international levels.
After helping the Stingers establish themselves as one of the RSEQ's top women's rugby programs, Allard now adds a FISU World University Championship gold medal to her growing list of accomplishments.
