BC Rugby is delighted to announce the BC Bears U18 Boys and U18 Girls 7s Squads travelling to compete at the 2024 Global Youth Sevens tournament in Auckland, New Zealand on December 13-15.
Formerly known as the World School Sevens, the Global Youth Sevens is an international 7s Rugby tournament for U18 Girls and Boys teams that originated in Auckland, New Zealand in 2016.
The BC Bears U18 Boys and Girls 7s Teams will compete at this year’s Auckland event, giving BC’s best youth 7s athletes an exciting opportunity to showcase their talents and compete at a high-level event on the global stage against other top nations and representative sides.
Find out how to watch the Bears in action here.
Attracting teams from all over the world, the Global Youth Sevens is a truly international, cultural festival of 7s Rugby. Participants not only get to experience a high level of competition on the field, but also soak in a week of amazing culture and hospitality off it.
Representing the Province of British Columbia, our BC Bears 7s teams will depart from Vancouver International Airport in early December in order to acclimatise in New Zealand, before returning to Canada on December 17 shortly after the tournament’s conclusion.
“I’m very excited to showcase a new group of athletes to the level of play and culture that this tournament will provide. We have a group of incredible athletes who have been working hard for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to them getting the chance to express themselves and learn as much as possible.” BC Bears Girls 7s Lead Darcy Patterson
“I’m incredibly proud to be bringing a talented group of athletes to New Zealand and providing them with an opportunity to further develop their Rugby careers. We have a talented group that has been working hard across multiple sessions, and I’m excited to see them get the opportunity to test themselves against world-class competition.” BC Bears U18 Boys 7s Head Coach Jake Thiel
BC BEARS U18 7s SQUADS FOR GLOBAL YOUTH SEVENS
BC Rugby is delighted to announce the athletes heading to New Zealand who will represent the BC Bears!
The BC Bears U18 Girls 7s Team is as follows:
- Ayana Titifanua – Langley RFC – Richmond
- Elyse Koleba – Yeti Rugby Club/TORA – Vernon
- Belle Rousseau – James Bay AA – Victoria
- Rafi Barrack – Cowichan RFC – Duncan
- Tayla Kempf – DW Poppy Secondary School – Langley
- Ayva Kennedy – Langley RFC – Langley
- Louisa Imolele – Yeti Rugby Club/TORA – Salmon Arm
- Emilie Sinclair – Langley RFC – Coquitlam
- Emery Britton – Yeti Rugby Club/TORA – Vernon
- Asia Olynyk – James Bay AA – Victoria
- Makella Smortchevsky – Capilano RFC – North Vancouver
- Cypress Des Ormeaux Schmidt – Abbotsford RFC – Abbotsford
- Marin O’Regan – James Bay AA – Victoria
BC Bears U18 Girls 7s Support Staff: Darcy Patterson, Lucie Romeo, Adryon Hutton
The BC Bears U18 Boys 7s Team is as follows:
- Alex Muir – University College Dublin – Victoria
- Liam Turnbull – UBCOB Ravens – Vancouver
- Sam Blundell – Pacific Pride/Brentwood College – Nanaimo
- Michael Oughtred – Castaway Wanderers – Victoria
- Jonty Nicholas – UBC Thunderbirds – Cowichan Valley
- Elijah Palov – Castaway Wanderers – Victoria
- Oliver Lenahan – Langley RFC – Maple Ridge
- Jackson Powell – UVIC Vikes – Victoria
- Brek Ball – Capilano RFC – Vancouver
- Rio Iwabuchi – Salish Sea Warriors – Shawnigan Lake
- James Holm – UVIC Vikes – Vancouver
- Evan Palmer – Queens/St. George’s School – Vancouver
- Owen Barlow – Salish Sea Warriors – Victoria
BC Bears U18 Boys 7s Support Staff: Jake Thiel, John Tait
The selection process for the BC Bears U18 Boys and Girls 7s teams was very competitive and took into account key events throughout the BC Rugby season, including the 2024 Vancouver Sevens Invitational (VSI), 2024 Provincial Regional Championships (PRCs), 2024 BC Bears season, 2024 Kamloops 7s and the 2024 Age-Grade Club Leagues.
ABOUT GLOBAL YOUTH SEVENS
Since 2016, the Global Youth Sevens (formerly the World School Sevens) has held annual international U18 Sevens Rugby tournaments at Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. The competition has featured over 100 national sides including USA, Canada, Wales, Japan, Fiji, Australia, Samoa, Nauru and New Zealand. We’ve also hosted many representative and composite teams including NZ Tongans, NZ Fijians, NZ Samoans, Cook Islands NZ and NZ Niue.
The purpose of the tournament is to deliver a high-level professional event that’s both an entertaining spectacle, and a platform for players to showcase their talents on the world stage.
That’s why Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby decided to work together to provide a high-performance competition, above domestic tournaments with adequate funding and global reach.
BC Rugby
A: 2015 Main Street, Vancouver, BC | V5T 0J8
T: 604.737.3065
E: info@bcrugby.com
BC Rugby gratefully acknowledges that its offices reside on the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
