Men Finish 14th in Dubai, Women Finish in 9th, Series Moves to Cape Town Next Weekend
The Canadian men dropped from 10th place to 12th place in the series standings with a 14th place finish in Dubai. Probably the most concerning for new coach Sean White is how they were humbled by the Spanish, 38-7, in the 13th place final match. Spain is ranked 13th in the series, Kenya 14th and Japan 15th. The 15th place team will be dropped at the end of the series, the 12th to 14th place teams will play a repechage tournament along with the winner of the Sevens Challenger Series to determine who stays in the series for 2023-24. Canada also lost to Kenya in Dubai.
The Canadian women won both their games (Brazil, Japan) in the 9th place playoff round to finish 9th out of 12 teams. They’ll be disappointed they didn’t make the Cup round in Dubai. The women are in 9th place in the series standings with Japan, China and Brazil below them.
Australia won the women’s tournament and South Africa won the men’s tournament.
In Cape Town next weekend the Canadian women are in a pool with USA, France and Japan. If they can avoid a blow out loss they should be able to make the Cup round. The men are in a pool with South Africa, France and Fiji, it’s a tough pool and it’s unlikely the men will make the Cup round unless they can change things around in a week.
Day 2
MEN
Canada 7 – Kenya 17 (9th place QF)
Josiah Morra 6′
Canada 29 – Uganda 0 (13th place SF)
D’Shawn Bowen 2′
Jake Thiel 4′
Thomas Isherwood 7′
Lachlan Kratz 10′
Kalin Sager 13′
Canada 7 – Spain 38 (13th place Final)
Josiah Morra 9′
WOMEN
Canada 36 – Brazil 5 (9th place SF)
Breanne Nicholas 6′
Bianca Farella 7′ & 8′
Keyara Wardley 8′ & 10′
Krissy Scurfield 14′
Canada 15 – Japan 10 (9th place Final)
Keyara Wardley 4′
Charity Williams 6′ & 16′
*Both Men and Women Finish 1-2 on Day 1 in Dubai and Drop to Consolation Round*
We’re used to seeing the Canadian men in the 9th place consolation round as only the top two teams in each pool go through to the Cup round but it’s rare to see the women in that position as, with only 12 teams, the two best third place finishers go through to the Cup round. The Canadian women were 3rd best third place finishers this day. The 33-0 scoreline against Australia pushed their point differential to -22 which was worse than 3rd place teams Great Britain +19 and Fiji +5.
The men lost to USA and Samoa, defeating Japan. The women lost to USA and Australia, defeating China. On Day 2 the men will face Kenya at 21:22 PT and the women will face Brazil and 22:50.
The CBC usually has the replays up but at the time of writing only have the first games and the women’s second game against Australia. They’re posted below.
Women
Canada 7 v USA 12
Breanne Nicholas 10′
Canada 0 v Australia 33
Canada 26 – China 10
Keyara Wardley 1′
Charity Williams 6′ & 9′
Krissy Scurfield 13′
Men
Canada 14 – USA 19
Phil Berna 4′
Josiah Morra 11′
Canada 5 – Samoa 33
Phil Berna 6′
Canada 28 – Japan 14
Jake Thiel 7′
Josiah Morra 8′ & 13′
David Richard 12′
*Canada Name Men’s and Women’s 7s Teams for Dubai Tournament: December 1st to 3rd*
The Canada men’s and women’s teams have been announced for Dubai, Dec 1-3 2022. Each team has 19 carded players, 13 to be chosen for each tournament, with 12 to dress.
On the men’s side there’s no real surprises from the Hong Kong roster with Cooper Coats coming back into the team from the XVs program and Elias Ergas giving up his spot. Canada are in a pool with USA, Samoa and Japan. Their best chance of a quarter-final spot will be to upset the USA in their first match. Samoa have started well making the Cup quarter-finals in Hong Kong.
On the women’s side, it’s their first tournament of the season. Charity Williams and Julia Greenshields have returned to the roster after a prolonged absence. Shalaya Valenzuela gets her first series selection. Canada are in a pool with USA, Australia and China. The women have a bit more leeway in making the Cup quarter-finals, with only 12 teams the top two in each pool plus the two best 3rd place finishers make the Cup quarter-finals. A win over USA in their first match will set them up for an easier quarter-final opponent.
CBC Sports, as usual, will stream the matches. The men kick off at 10:06pm PT on Dec 1st, the women kick off at 9pm PT on Dec 1st.
Carded Men (19)
Thomas Isherwood
Matthew Oworu
Philip Berna
Jacob Thiel
Brennig Prevost
Antonin Ngongo
Elias Ergas
Jarvis Dashkewytch
Lachlan Kratz
Joshua Thiel
John (Cooper) Coats
Josiah Morra
Brock Webster
David Richard
D’Shawn Bowen
Dawson Fatoric
Kalin Sager
Callum Botchar
Alexander Russell
Carded Women (19)
Temitope Ogunjimi
Keyara Wardley
Fancy Bermudez-Chavez
Krista Scurfield
Piper Logan
Nakisa Levale
Florence Symonds
Renee Gonzalez
Shalaya Valenzuela
Julia Greenshields
Charity Williams
Pamphinette Buisa
Breanne Nicholas
Olivia Apps
Emma Chown
Olivia De Couvreur
Asia Hogan-Rochester
Chloe Daniels
Bianca Farella
Men’s Announcement
Canadas Mens Sevens Team roster has been named by Assistant Coach Sean White for the second stop of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 in Dubai.
An HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series mainstay event, the Emirates Dubai Sevens will take place December 1-3, and is the first of four consecutive mens and womens combined events. The mens tournament will see 16 teams competing in four pools, with Canada in Pool D.
Twelve players return from the squad that finished 10th in Hong Kong in early November, with Cooper Coats re-joining the team after missing Hong Kong. Coats, Josiah Morra, David Richard, and Brock Webster join the team in Dubai following two test matches with the Mens National Team in Amsterdam, including a win over the Netherlands and a narrow loss to Namibia.
Coming off a standout performance in Hong Kong is Thomas Isherwood. The Okotoks, Alberta native, playing in just his second season with the Mens Sevens program, made a name for himself with an impressive offload play to David Richard in Canadas match against Kenya, as just one example of his exceptional play. The Hong Kong tournament was monumental for Kal Sager as well, as it marked his international debut; Dubai will be his second tour with the Mens Sevens program.
Our team is looking forward to utilizing our learnings from Hong Kong and finding a more consistent performance over the next two legs, said White, who will lead Canadas Mens Sevens Team following the departure of Head Coach Henry Paul. It is an honour to be given the opportunity to lead and develop this team in our back-to-back stops in Dubai and Cape Town. The approach is to continue to prepare the players for the challenges they face and grow as a group each time we come together, on or off the pitch.
Canada will play the United States, Samoa and Japan during pool play, starting with the United States on Thursday December 1 at 10:06 p.m. PT / Friday December 2 at 1:06 a.m. ET.
SCHEDULE / COVERAGE
For the most up to date information on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and live coverage, visit the official website world.rugby/sevens-series. There you will find details regarding the event format, schedule, and the latest news.
WHERE TO WATCH
Broadcast coverage of the HSBC World Rugby 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.
CANADAS MENS SEVENS ROSTER
1. Anton Ngongo (Victoria, BC) Castaway Wanderers
2. Jake Thiel (Victoria, BC) James Bay AA
3. DShawn Bowen (Toronto, ON) Pacific Pride
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) Castaways Wanderers / NOLA Gold
Women’s Announcment
Canadas Womens Sevens roster has been named by Head Coach Jack Hanratty for the teams first stop of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 in Dubai.
The 12 best womens sevens teams in the world will compete over December 1-3 at the Emirates Dubai Sevens, which is widely known as the longest running and largest annual sports and entertainment event in the Middle East. The tournament, the first of four consecutive mens and womens combined stops, will kick off the 2023 womens sevens season.
Newcomer Shalaya Valenzuela, from Abbotsford, BC, will gain her first international game experience after two years in Rugby Canadas Maple Leaf Academy when the team begins pool play next week. The Abbotsford Rugby Football Club member also played for the BC Bears U23 team this past summer.
Two-time Olympian Charity Williams and Tokyo Olympian Julia Greenshields return to the line up for the first time since Tokyo 2020 (played in 2021) following a long injury recovery period, bringing with them extensive experience on the world stage. They will be joined by four other teammates from Tokyo: Olivia Apps, Bianca Farella, Keyara Wardley, and Breanne Nicholas, Canadas leading points scorer from 2022. Florence Symonds and Krissy Scurfield return to the national team fresh off the U SPORTS Womens Rugby Championship, where Symondss UBC squad defeated Scurfields University of Victoria team in the consolation final.
Apps returns to the sevens game after travelling to New Zealand in late October to support Canadas team at the Womens Rugby World Cup following an injury to Brianna Miller, and will co-captain the team with Nicholas.
Its exciting to be back competing with this group and kicking off the 2023 World Series in Dubai, said Hanratty. This will be his first HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series stop since being confirmed as the full-time Head Coach of Canadas Senior Womens Sevens team in August. Last season it was about creating stability and depth. We had a number of big performances, but this year we want to build on that with consistently challenging in the knockout rounds. With several key leaders returning to the pitch, we are excited to continue to progress and perform as a team this season.
Canada will play the United States, Australia and China in Pool A, starting with the United States on Thursday December 1 at 9:00 p.m. PT / Friday December 2 at 12:00 a.m. ET.
SCHEDULE / COVERAGE
For the most up to date information on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and live coverage, visit the official website world.rugby/sevens-series. There you will find details regarding the event format, schedule, and the latest news.
WHERE TO WATCH
Broadcast coverage of the HSBC World Rugby 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.
CANADAS WOMENS SEVENS ROSTER
1. Olivia De Couvreur (Ottawa, ON) Ottawa Irish
2. Krissy Scurfield (Canmore, AB) University of Victoria
3. Renee Gonzalez (Toronto, ON) University of Victoria
4. Breanne Nicholas (Bienheim, ON) Kent Havoc RFC
5. Julia Greenshields (Sarnia, ON) Sarnia Saints
6. Charity Williams (Toronto, ON) Markham Irish
7. Florence Symonds (Hong Kong) University of British Columbia
8. Bianca Farella (Montreal, QC) Town of Mont Royal RFC
10. Fancy Bermudez (Edmonton, AB) Norwester Athletic Association / Westshore RFC
12. Keyara Wardley (Vulcan, AB) Not Affiliated
19. Nakisa Levale (Abbotsford, BC) Abbotsford RFC
21. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) Lindsay RFC
23. Shalaya Valenzuela (Abbotsford, BC) Abbotsford RFC