Latoya Blackwood
Date of birth (1985-08-19) August 19, 1985
Place of birthMontreal, Quebec
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight77 kg (170 lb)
UniversityUniversity of Western Ontario
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
– Ste Anne de Bellevue RFC ()
– Western Mustangs ()
– Concordia Stingers ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2013-2018  Canada 31
Correct as of 2016-12-01
Medal record
Women's rugby union
Representing  Canada
World Cup
Silver medal – second place2014 FranceTeam competition

Latoya Blackwood (born August 19, 1985) is a Canadian rugby union player. She represented Canada at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup and 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup.[1][2] She made her debut at the 2013 Nations Cup and retired in 2018.[3]

Early life and university

Blackwood lived in Brampton, Ontario during her early life and was a basketball player.[4] She discovered rugby in high school and in her last year, she played on the boy's rugby team. Afterwards she soon joined a club in Brampton. Blackwood also played in university for the Western Mustangs from 2004 to 2009.[5][6] Later, she also studied at Concordia University from 2011 to 2016, where she finished up her final year of eligibility with the Concordia Stingers.[7]

Club and provincial rugby

From 2011 to 2015, Blackwood played for the Saint Anne de Bellevue RFC and during this time, in 2012 she was selected to the Rugby Quebec provincial team.[8]

In preparation for the 2017 World Cup, Blackwood trained with the Stade Toulousain women's rugby team where she was after a one year contract starting in September 2015.[9][10] When she returned to Canada, Blackwood moved to Victoria and started playing for the Westshore RFC.

International rugby

Blackwood was a staple of the Rugby Canada women's team from August 2013 to March 2018. An enforcer on the field, coach Francois Ratier nicked named her "The Sheriff" in the lockerroom.[11] Her favorite moments include her first cap at the 2013 Nations Cup where Team Canada defeated England for the first time in the program's history, defeating France in the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup semi-finals, and the match versus Wales in the 2017 World Cup (in which she set up one of the top tries from the tournament by running the ball half way up the field[12]).[13]

Often selected as a lock, but sometimes played as a flanker, Blackwood's international test match experiences include the 2013 November tour to France and England,[14][15] the 2014 tour to Australia,[16][17] the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Super Series in Alberta (during this tournament, she was considered Canada's standout player at openside flank),[18] 2016 Super Series in Salt Lake City,[19] the 2016 UK tour,[20] the 2017 Can-Am Series,[21] and the 2017 World Cup.

Blackwood was selected for 2017 NZ Summer Series but suffered a leg injury during a club game and considering retirement, but healed in time for the 2017 World Cup.[4][22]

Awards and honours

  • 2011 - Concordia University Stingers, RSEQ Rugby All-Star[23]
  • 2011-2012 - Concordia University Stingers, Fittest Female Athlete[24][25]
  • 2013 - Scrum Queen's Test Match Team (15s) (bench)[26]
  • 2016 - Scrum Queen's XV Squad of the Year[27]
  • 2019 - Scrum Queen's Team of the Decade (replacement)[28]

Post-international rugby career

When Blackwood announced her retirement in March 2018, she already started her career as a public service employee of the British Columbia's provincial government.[3][6] She continues to be involved with rugby as a referee and hopes to be an official at a World Cup tournament.[29]

References

  1. ↑ Ben Kerr, lastwordonsports.com (30 June 2014). "Canada's Roster Announced for Women's Rugby World Cup". Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Bryan Kelly, Rugby Canada Communications (BC Rugby.com) (31 July 2014). "Canada roster announced for Women's World Cup opener vs France". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Latoya Blackwood has confirmed her retirement from international rugby". 23 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Blackwood part of backbone for Canada at Rugby World Cup - TSN.ca". TSN. The Canadian Press. 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  5. ↑ "LaToya Blackwood - Women's Rugby". Western Mustangs Sports. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  6. 1 2 "Latoya Blackwood". LinkedIn.com. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Stingers.ca | Rugby (W) Roster". stingers.ca. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  8. ↑ Bennet, Lee (2012-07-03). "ONTARIO TAKES 2012 NWL CHAMPIONSHIP as reported by Rugby Canada". YSCRugby | Women's Rugby News. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  9. ↑ "News in brief: New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Australia". Scrum Queens. 2015-08-27. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  10. ↑ "Top 8: Blagnac go top". Scrum Queens. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  11. ↑ "Forward Latoya Blackwood part of the backbone for Canada at Rugby World Cup". GuelphToday.com. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  12. ↑ world.rugby. "10 of the greatest women's Rugby World Cup tries ｜ Rugby World Cup 2021". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  13. ↑ "Latoya Blackwood has confirmed her retirement from international rugby". Rugby Canada. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  14. ↑ "Canada name touring squad". Scrum Queens. 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  15. ↑ "England & Canada name teams". Scrum Queens. 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  16. ↑ "Canada impress in win over Australia". Scrum Queens. 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  17. ↑ "Ferns see off Canada in Tauranga rain". Scrum Queens. 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  18. ↑ "Winning starts for England and Ferns". Scrum Queens. 2015-06-28. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  19. ↑ "Canada win 2016 Super Series". Scrum Queens. 2016-07-10. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  20. ↑ "Teams confirmed for key test games". Scrum Queens. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  21. ↑ "Canada set the pace in CanAm". Scrum Queens. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  22. ↑ "North Vancouver's Andrea Burk returns to Canada lineup for Women's Rugby World Cup opener vs. Hong Kong". theprovince. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  23. ↑ "Stingers.ca | Concordia Rugby All-Stars". stingers.ca. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  24. ↑ "Concordia fittest athletes". Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  25. ↑ "Top athletes honoured at Stingers banquet". stingers.ca. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  26. ↑ "Scrumqueens 2013 Awards: Part 2". 27 December 2013.
  27. ↑ "Scrumqueens Awards 2016: Part 4. Squads". Scrum Queens. 2017-01-05. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  28. ↑ "Scrumqueens.com - XV Team of the Decade". Scrum Queens. 2019-09-30. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  29. ↑ "BC Rugby Officials in Action Around the Province and Around the World – BC Rugby". Retrieved 2021-02-18.
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