Canada set to open 2019 in Hamilton and Sydney
Bryan Kelly
Rugby 7s Senior Men
Langford, BC (January 16, 2018) – Canada Men’s Sevens Team head coach Damian McGrath has named a 14-man travelling roster for the next two stops on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Hamilton, NZ and Sydney, AUS.
Canada will once again be captained by veteran playmaker Nathan Hirayama, who tallied 45 points in the opening two stops on the series.
Canada opened the Tokyo 2020 qualifying season with back-to-back Challenge Trophy semi-final losses in Dubai and Cape Town and currently sit in 12thplace.
McGrath will be without the services of Lucas Hammond, Admir Cejvanovic and Harry Jones, who are sidelined due to injury. Two of McGrath’s charges – Mike Fuailefau and Phil Berna – have returned from lengthy injuries to bolster the roster; Fuailefau has been unavailable since the 2018 Rugby World Cup 7s in San Francisco while Berna has not featured on Canada’s squad for over a year.
Alberta’s Cole Davis and Ontario’s Brock Webster could potentially win their first sevens caps for Canada after being named to the long list. The two recently returned from two weeks in South America playing with the Canada Maple Leafs development team.
Canada opens the pool stages in Hamilton against Spain, hosts New Zealand and Japan in Pool D.
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Single day tickets for the fourth annual HSBC Canada Sevens at BC Place in Vancouver, BC on March 9-10, 2019 officially went on sale yesterday and can be purchased at https://www.canadasevens.com!
Canada Roster:
Phil Berna – UBC Thunderbirds (Vancouver, BC)
Connor Braid – James Bay AA (Victoria, BC)
Cole Davis – Calgary Saints (Calgary, AB)
Justin Douglas – Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford, BC)
Mike Fuailefau – Castaway Wanderers (Victoria, BC)
Nathan Hirayama – Captain,Unattached (Richmond, BC)
Isaac Kaay – UVIC Vikes (Kamloops, BC)
Pat Kay – Castaway Wanderers (Duncan, BC)
Luke McCloskey – Castaway Wanderers (Victoria, BC)
Josiah Morra – Toronto Saracens (Toronto, ON)
Matt Mullins – James Bay AA (Belleville, ON)
Jake Thiel – Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford, BC)
Brock Webster – Oshawa Vikings (Oshawa, ON)
Adam Zaruba – Capilano RFC (North Vancouver, BC)
Unavailable due to injury
Harry Jones –Capilano RFC (North Vancouver, BC)
Lucas Hammond – Toronto Nomads (Toronto, ON)
Admir Cejvanovic – Burnaby Lake RFC (Burnaby, BC)
Canada’s Hamilton Day one schedule:
Friday, Jan. 25 –
Canada vs. Spain at 6:14pm ET/3:14pm PT
Canada vs. New Zealand at 10:26pm ET/7:26pm PT
Canada vs. Japan at 2:14am ET* Jan. 26/11:14pm PT
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