MONTREAL – Julianne Zussman, a product of the McGill University women's rugby program who played a decade for the Canadian national team, is among nine laureates selected for induction to the Rugby Canada Hall of Fame.
 
A former player, coach and now a referee, Zussman has excelled at every level of her rugby career. As a member of the McGill Martlets, she merited RSEQ rookie-of-the-year honours in 2004 and achieved all-conference status in 2005. The 5-foot-6 fullback was part of Rugby Quebec's provincial team and played with the national program from 2007 to 2017.
 
At the grassroots level, Zussman's career as a player began at her high school, Ashbury College. Aside from her university career, she went on to play for four different rugby clubs across Canada including the Ottawa Irish, Town of Mount Royal RFC, Velox RFC and Castaway Wanderers RFC.
 
As an international rugby player, Zussman earned a total of 44 caps over the span of her career, scoring a total of 18 tries. She earned her first cap against Scotland in 2007 and played for Canada at the 2010, 2014 and 2017 Rugby World Cups, claiming a silver medal in 2014. At the conclusion of the 2017 Rugby World Cup, she was selected to the World Rugby Dream Team and was named the 2017 recipient of Rugby Canada's Gillian Florence Award, a peer selected honour given to the player who "best represents the qualities of Canadian rugby".
 
Zussman also represented Canada on the rugby sevens pitch, playing in 11 international tournaments.
 
Since retiring as a player, she made significant strides in her career as an international match official. In 2019, she became the first capped Canadian rugby women to referee at the international level, making her debut on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Since then, she has officiated several international sevens tournaments and 15s fixtures, including the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the Women's Six Nations, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the 2021 Rugby World Cup (played in 2022).
 
Off the field, Zussman has spent time as a coach and volunteer with both the University of Victoria and the Dawson College women's rugby teams.
 
Joining Zussman in the Class of 2023 will be match official Sherry Trumbull, players Andrea Burk, Jen Kish, Mark Cardinal, Mike James and Steve Gray, along with builders Keith Wilkinson and Rick Bourne.
 
"This year's class of inductees to the Rugby Canada Hall of Fame showcases nine outstanding women and men who have brought honour and fame, on and off the field, to the history of rugby in Canada," said Mike Luke, chair of Rugby Canada's Hall of Fame project Team, in a press release. "Their skills as former international rugby players and match officials, administrators and leaders in the game, has made them great contributors to Canada's place in the world of rugby."
 
Inductees will be celebrated at the 2024 HSBC Vancouver Sevens on Saturday February 24, 2024. Tickets for the HSBC Vancouver Sevens can be purchased at www.vansevens.com.
 
PROFILES OF THE OTHER INDUCTEES
https://rugby.ca/en/news/2023/12/rugby-canada-announces-hall-of-fame-class-of-2023
 
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (cell)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca