Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team roster named for Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifier

Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team for Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens, the rugby sevens Paris 2024 Qualification Event taking place August 19-20 in Langford, BC, has been named by interim Head Coach Sean White.

Tokyo 2020 Olympian Phil Berna captains the team, which includes 10 players who helped Canada win the 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series Play-off final this May with a thrilling 12-7 victory over Kenya. Cooper Coats returns to competition following recovery from injury, having last played at the Hong Kong Sevens last November.

Three players on the roster, Berna, Coats and Josiah Morra, played in the previous edition of RAN Sevens, which was hosted in the Cayman Islands in July 2019 and qualified Canada for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with their win over Jamaica in the final.  

“I’m continually impressed by our group,” said White. “Their effort level, attention to detail, and consistent willingness to make the small adjustments in training allow them to grow as a collective. We’ve had this date circled on our calendar for over a year now. To host it in front of our home crowd, family and friends is going to be special. We’re ready to take the challenge head-on.”

Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team opens the tournament in Pool B versus St. Vincent & The Grenadines on Saturday August 19 at 10:52 a.m. PT before playing Barbados at 1:58 p.m. PT and Jamaica at 4:42 p.m. PT. The top two teams from each men’s pool will then play in the semi-finals on Sunday August 20, with the winners progressing to the gold medal final, which will determine the team that will earn a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Tickets start at $40 for a full weekend pass and $25 for a single day ticket and are available for purchase at rugby.ca/en/tickets. Questions regarding ticket purchases can be directed to tickets@rugby.ca. For more information on suites, please contact suites@rugby.ca.  

Broadcast coverage will be available in Canada via CBC. The full tournament will be available to stream via cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports all, and the free CBC Gem streaming service, with live and highlight television coverage from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. PT / 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET on August 19 and 20.

Media accreditation applications are currently open here. Questions regarding media accreditation can be directed to media@rugby.ca.  

CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM

4.  Phil Berna (Vancouver, BC) – Vancouver Rowing Club
5.  Alex Russell (Chichester, ENG) – McGill University
6.  Josiah Morra (Toronto, ON) – Castaway Wanderers / Toronto Saracens
7.  Brock Webster (Uxbridge, ON) – Oshawa Vikings RFC
8. Cooper Coats (Halifax, NS) – Halifax Tars
12. David Richard (Milton, ON) – Mississauga Blues RFC
19. Matthew Oworu (Calgary, AB) – Pacific Pride
23. Thomas Isherwood (Okotoks, AB) – Foothills Lions RFC
33. Kal Sager (Peterborough, ON) – Peterborough Pagans / Trent University
44. Lockie Kratz (Victoria, BC) – Castaway Wanderers / NOLA Gold
64. Elias Hancock (Ottawa, ON) – Bytown Blues
99. Jack Carson (Victoria, BC) – University of British Columbia