BC is once again well represented in Canada’s latest Senior Men’s and Women’s squads for the upcoming HSBC Spain Sevens in Malaga.
Two BC-born players are in line to make their HSBC Sevens Series debuts for the Senior Men’s side. Abbotsford’s Noah Bain (UVic Vikes) and Mill Bay’s Sion Griffiths (Cowichan RFC) are the latest young talent from British Columbia to be called into the national squad. Canada is bolstered by the return of BC duo Phil Berna (captain) and Jake Thiel (vice-captain), who both return having recovered from injury.
“Our entire team is fortunate and thankful to be able to continue to compete on the Sevens circuit given the current circumstances that everyone is facing at the moment. We are excited to return to action with some new and familiar faces as we continue to develop young talent and welcome back a couple of players returning from injury. Every player is relishing the opportunity to showcase their skills on the international stage.” Canada Senior Men’s Sevens head coach Henry Paul
Meanwhile, Vancouver’s Florence Symonds (University of British Columbia) is expected to make her international HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series debut after being named in the Senior Women’s roster, alongside Abbotsford’s Nakisa Levale. Pamphinette Buisa (UVic Vikes) and Elissa Alarie (Westshore RFC) are also included alongside veteran Paige Farries (Westshore RFC), who makes her return to the Sevens squad after representing Canada’s Senior Women’s 15s team during their 2021 Fall Tour.
“The players and staff are extremely aware of how fortunate we are to be able to compete in this weekend’s event. We had a weeklong preparation camp in Spain which was a great way to prepare for the tournament and get some much-needed training together. We were able to see new combinations in Dubai and we are excited to see some of those combinations continue to grow, while also growing our depth chart as the program heads towards a busy and exciting summer.” Canada Senior Women’s Sevens Head Coach Jack Hanratty
Canada’s Senior Sevens teams returns to action this Friday at the HSBC Spain Sevens in Malaga, for the second stop of the 2022 World Rugby Sevens Series
Canada Senior Men’s Sevens Roster
1. Theo Sauder (Vancouver, BC) – Vancouver Rowing Club
2. Jake Thiel (Abbotsford, BC) – Abbotsford RFC
3. Nick Allen (North Vancouver, BC) – Capilano RFC
4. Phil Berna (Vancouver, BC) – UBC Thunderbirds
5. Alex Russell (Chinchester, ENG) – McGill University
6. Josiah Morra (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Saracens
7. Anton Ngongo (Victoria, BC) – Okanagan RFC
8. Cooper Coats (Halifax, NS) – Halifax Tars RFC
9. Sion Griffiths (Mill Bay, BC) – Cowichan RFC
10. Noah Bain (Abbotsford, BC) – UVic Vikes
11. Elias Ergas (Vancouver, BC) – UBC Thunderbirds
12. Thomas Isherwood (Okotoks, AB) – Foothills Lions RFC
13. Matthew Oworu (Calgary, AB) – Rugby Canada Development Academy Pacific Pride
UNAVAILABLE FOR SELECTION DUE TO INJURY AND/OR ILLNESS
Brennig Prevost
Brock Webster
Giovani Douyon
Jarvis Dashkewytch
Lachlan Kratz
Pat Kay
David Richard
Isaac Olson
Lucas Scheck
PARTICIPATING IN OTHER RUGBY COMPETITIONS
Andrew Coe – Rugby United New York
Cody Nhanala – Rugby Canada Development Academy Pacific Pride
D’Shawn Bowen – Rugby Canada Development Academy Pacific Pride
Canada Senior Women’s Sevens Roster
1. Olivia De Couvreur (Ottawa, ON) – Ottawa Irish
2. Alysha Corrigan (Charlettetown, PEI) – CRFC
3. Pamphinette Buisa (Gatineau, QC) – Ottawa Irish/University of Victoria
4. Breanne Nicholas (Blenheim, ON) – London St. Georges
5. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Lindsay RFC
6. Emma Chown (Barrie, ON) – Aurora Barbarians
7. Sabrina Poulin (St. Georges de Beauce) – Town of Mount Royal Rugby
8. Nakisa Levale (Abbotsford, BC) – Abbotsford RFC
9. Paige Farries (Red Deer, AB) – Worcester Warriors/Westshore RFC
10. Karen Paquin (La Ville de Quebec, QC) – Club de Rugby de Quebec/Stade Bordelais
11. Elissa Alarie (Trois-rivieres, QC) – Westshore RFC/ Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC/Braves de Trois-Riviéres
12. Chloe Daniels (Sutton, ON) – RC Maple Leafs Academy/Queen’s University
13. Florence Symonds (Vancouver, BC) – University of British Columbia
UNAVAILABLE FOR SELECTION DUE TO INJURY
Keyara Wardley
Julia Greenshields
Charity Williams
How To Watch Canada’s Sevens Teams In Spain
Canada’s Men’s Squad has been drawn into Pool D alongside Kenya, France and Wales. For full coverage of this weekend’s action, visit the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series website for the most up to date information, scores, stats and schedule updates.
Canada’s Women’s Squad has been drawn into Pool B alongside USA, Fiji* and Poland. With Fiji’s women’s team currently unable to travel to Malaga and unable to be replaced at this late stage, Canada, USA and Poland will receive three match points for a “bye” and a score of 0-0 will be recorded for scheduled games against Fiji.
Broadcast coverage of the HSBC Sevens Series will be available in Canada via CBC. All events are available to live stream via cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app and the free CBC Gem streaming service. CBC will air coverage of this weekend’s tournament on Saturday, January 22 at 10:00am PT/1:00p.m. ET.
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