TORONTO - Caitlin Sears went to New Zealand for a postgraduate degree. She returns as a member of the Canadian rugby league team.

Having injured a knee in her final year playing rugby union at the University of Lethbridge, rugby wasn’t really part of her plans when she moved to the Southern Hemisphere in 2023.

“I kind of thought I had closed that chapter in my life,” Sears recalled. “But then realized I needed to make some (new) friends. How do you make friends? Through sport.

“And then it’s a pretty quick turn of events to then be able to represent your country and basically travel the world and play the sport you love, which is pretty amazing.”

Sears and the Canada Ravens continue their World Cup qualifying journey Tuesday when they take on Fiji at a four-team tournament in Brampton,

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