1) Biography
Olivia Johanna Mary Apps, born on 1 December 1998 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has become one of the standout figures in Canadian rugby. A dynamic scrum-half, she represents Canada in both the 15-a-side and sevens formats while also playing professionally for Saracens.
Apps has built her reputation through leadership as much as performance. After becoming captain of the Canada Women’s Sevens team in 2021, she helped guide the squad through some of its biggest moments, including qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics and an unforgettable Olympic campaign in Paris.
Her international career has continued to gather momentum. She made her test debut for Canada’s fifteens side against New Zealand in July 2023, competed at the 2025 Rugby World Cup, and later joined Saracens, where she quickly made a major impact by helping the club reach the Premiership Women’s Rugby playoffs before being named PWR Player of the Season.
2) List of Teams Played For
- Canada Sevens (2018–present)
- Canada Women’s National Team (2023–present)
- Saracens (2025–present)
3) Rugby World Cups Played
Olivia Apps has represented Canada at the following Rugby World Cup tournaments:
- 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens (Cape Town)
- 2025 Rugby World Cup – Canada reached the final and won the silver medal after facing England in front of a record crowd of 82,000 spectators at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
4) Key Career Moments
Apps was part of Canada’s squad at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where the team finished fourth.
She was named as an alternate for Canada’s delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games team in 2021 before taking on an even bigger leadership role later that year when she became captain of the national women’s sevens team.
In 2022, she competed at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, with Canada finishing sixth overall.
On 8 July 2023, Apps earned her first cap for Canada’s fifteens team against New Zealand in Ottawa. Just weeks later, she captained the Canadian Women’s Sevens side as they secured qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The Paris Olympics marked a career highlight. As captain, she led Canada to a remarkable silver medal, with the team producing a memorable comeback from 12 points down to defeat Australia in the semi-final before finishing runners-up to New Zealand in the gold medal match.
Her outstanding performances were recognised when she was named to the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Dream Team of the Year in November 2024.
In 2025, Apps represented Canada at the Pacific Four Series before helping her country reach another World Cup final and claim a second major international silver medal.
Following the World Cup, she signed for Saracens, joining several fellow Canadians. She helped the club secure a Premiership Women’s Rugby playoff place and was honoured as PWR Player of the Season.
5) Personal Life
Olivia Apps is the daughter of Alfred Apps and Danielle French. She was raised in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, where she first discovered rugby while in Grade 10 in Lindsay.
At the age of seven, she was diagnosed with alopecia universalis. Despite that challenge, she took up competitive rugby at 15 and has gone on to become one of Canada’s most influential rugby players and an inspirational leader on the international stage.