Rugby Americas North Sevens roster named for Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team

Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team’s roster for Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens, the regional qualification event for the HSBC Sevens Challenger series, has been named by Head Coach Sean White.  

Taking place November 22 to 24, 2024, at Larry Gomes Stadium in Arima, Trinidad, RAN Sevens will see Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team as one of eight teams in Tier 1, along with Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, and Trinidad & Tobago. 

Joining the squad off of Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team’s November tour to Romania are Cooper Coats, Josiah Morra, and Matthew Oworu. All three also recently signed to MLR teams, Coats to NOLA Gold, Morra to the New England Free Jacks, and Oworu to the Chicago Hounds.  

Returning to Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team for the first time since January 2023’s Sydney Sevens is D’Shawn Bowen, with Noah Bain set to appear with the team for the first time since the 2022 Spain Sevens. In addition, three players are set to make their international sevens debut: RFC LA’s Jack Shaw, the Pacific Pride Development Academy’s Kyle Tremblay, and Capilano RFC’s Johnny Franklin. 

"Prep for RAN has been a little different than years previous with a new decentralized model. This year our selection camps for each tournament will have a mix of our carded athletes as well as select invited players who have earned their selections through their club or university play,” said Head Coach Sean White. “This has made for some fantastic competition for our RAN touring team and provided difficult selection decisions in all positions for this tournament. We have an exciting blend of new caps and returning vets, highlighting our One Squad philosophy. We are looking forward to getting the full group together in Trinidad and Tobago and starting our 2025 campaign off with a successful RAN tournament in a week’s time.” 

The winner of RAN Sevens will qualify for the 2025 World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger series, the dates and locations of which are still to be announced by World Rugby. The top four placed teams from the HSBC Sevens Challenger will secure a spot in the promotion and relegation play-off competition at the HSBC SVNS World Championship taking place May 3 to 4, 2025, in Los Angeles, at which four HSBC SVNS 2026 berths are up for grabs.  

The team will also play in an invitational men’s sevens tournament taking place at BC Place alongside HSBC SVNS Vancouver this upcoming February, with tickets available here and more information to be announced soon.  

The full tournament schedule and broadcast information for RAN Sevens will be announced by Rugby Americas North shortly. More information on RAN Sevens can be found here. 

CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM – RUGBY AMERICAS NORTH SEVENS 

5. Alex Russell (Bracebridge, ON) - McGill University 
6. Josiah Morra (Toronto, ON) - Castaway Wanderers / Toronto Saracens / New England Free Jacks 
8. Cooper Coats (Halifax, NS) - Halifax Tars / NOLA Gold 
10. Noah Bain (Abbotsford, BC) - UBCOB Ravens 
12. David Richard (Milton, ON) – Mississauga Blues RFC 
14. D’Shawn Bowen (Toronto, ON) – James Bay AA 
15. Ethan Hager (Brantford, ON) - Brantford Harlequins 
19. Matthew Oworu (Calgary, AB) – Pacific Pride / Chicago Hounds 
22. Kyle Tremblay (White Rock, BC) – Pacific Pride / UBC Okanagan 
23. Thomas Isherwood (Okotoks, AB) – Foothills Lions RFC 
27. Johnny Franklin (Bowen Island, BC) - Capilano RFC 
55. Jack Shaw (Oakville, ON) – RFC LA / Castaway Wanderers 
64. Elias Hancock (Ottawa, ON) - Bytown Blues / University of Ottawa