After an impressive performance in the men's invitational of the HSBC SVNS Vancouver this past weekend, the Rugby 7s Senior Men team will now be headed to South Africa for the first stop of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger, with 4 B.C. athletes joining the ranks of the national team.
Maple Ridge's Ethan Turner, Abbotsford's Noah Bain, White Rock's Kyle Tremblay and Bowen Island's Johnny Franklin were named to the roster Monday (Feb. 24). Team Canada announced 13 players in total.
The 27-year-old Noah Bain was a key part of Team Canada's winning record at HSBC SVNS Vancouver, scoring a try in their match against Japan and playing a physical game throughout the weekend.
Fellow Abbotsford athlete James Theil also had a few shining moments on the men's team, scoring two tries in their dominant win over Trinidad and Tobago on Feb. 22.
Team Canada finished atop the leaderboard of the men's invitational, and head coach Sean White said that he hopes to keep this winning streak going next weekend as the opening round of the HSBC Sevens Challenger series kicks off in Cape Town, South Africa.
"Having the opportunity to build cohesion as a team as well as fine-tune our processes on and off the field will allow us to hit the ground running in Cape Town," said White. "I was certainly pleased with our performances in Vancouver, and it made for very difficult selections which is what you always want as a coach."
All 13 players on the roster competed at the men香蕉视频直播檚 invitational at BC Place this past weekend alongside the 10th edition of HSBC SVNS Vancouver. Twelve of these players made it onto the scoresheet in Vancouver, with Ethan Hager and Jamie Armstrong (the 2024 Back of the Year at the Canadian University Men香蕉视频直播檚 Rugby Championship) leading the way on the team with four tries each through four games, a Rugby Canada release noted.
Players such as Alex Russell, Thomas Isherwood, Kal Sager and Elias Hancock will bring valuable experience to the squad, with up-and-coming players who impressed in Vancouver looking to make their mark and play a part in Canada香蕉视频直播檚 journey back to the HSBC SVNS series.
Two players, Morgan Di Nardo and Turner, made their debut for Canada last year at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, while Tremblay, who plays with Pacific Pride Development Academy, and Franklin debuted in November at the Rugby Americas North Sevens.
Brenden Black, who also had a confident showing in Vancouver as one of the team香蕉视频直播檚 strongest conversion kickers, was the youngest player to ever be capped in the MLR when he played his first professional game in 2023, while Abbotsford's Noah Bain also made the roster.
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger features teams from all over the world, with the top eight men's and women's teams after the opening round advancing to the second portion of the tournament in Poland in April. Cape Town, South Africa will host the opening rounds March 1-2 and March 7-8, with teams set to compete at Athlone Stadium. After the opening rounds, the top eight ranked men香蕉视频直播檚 teams will progress to the third round in Krakow, Poland in April.
If Canada is able to advance to the second round and finish in the top four men's spots, then they'll qualify for the HSBC SVNS championship in Los Angeles.
Team Canada begins the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger tournament with a match against Madagascar on Saturday, March 1, followed by a matchup with the Hong Kong China team later that same day.
A full schedule of the tournament can be found at .