Canada Men in Dubai for SVNS 3 in November: Top 2 Teams Advance to SVNS 2
The Canadian men’s 7s team will be in action in November in Dubai in the SVNS 3 tournament. The women will be competing in the top level SVNS 1 tournament at the same time. The men’s team have to finish top 2 in the 6 team tournament to advance to the SVNS 2 tournaments taking place in 2027. The teams participating besides Canada are Samoa, Chile, Italy, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe. It’s the debut for the new 7s coach Rugby Canada hired from Scotland, Craig Dods, who was the GB7s Assistant Coach.
The men’s XVs team are away in Europe from November 7th to 20th, the Dubai tournament starts November 27th. Will any of the players on that tour be used? I believe Kyle Tremblay, Jesse Kilgour, Demetri Patterson, Takoda McMullin all have Canada 7s experience. Looking over the BC Premier rosters from the last two weeks there are a number of potential players with Canada 7s experience, Lockie Kratz, Rhys James, Cody Nhanala, Cooper Coats, Josiah Morra, Andrew Coe, Josh Thiel, D’Shawn Bowen, Kainoa Lloyd, Ethan Turner. Will any of them be used by the new coach? We’ll wait and see as the selection announcement should be on the horizon.
These were the players selected the last time the team were in action at the SVNS 2 tournament in March 2026. Some are dealing with long term injury, some returning from injury and haven’t been playing BC Premier XVs this fall, that includes Johnny Franklin, Thomas Isherwood, Morgan di Nardo. We’re not sure about Adam Doane, he was one of the upcoming 7s stars, but we haven’t seen his name mentioned lately, same with Andrew Cooper.
3. Ethan Turner (Maple Ridge, BC) – Burnaby Lake Rugby Club
7. Johnny Franklin (Bowen Island, BC) – Capilano RFC
10. Adam Doane (Sutton, ON) – Aurora Barbarians
13. Brenden Black (Oakville, ON) – Oakville Crusaders
14. D’Shawn Bowen (Toronto, ON) – James Bay AA / Agronomia Rugby
18. Morgan Di Nardo (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Scottish / University of Victoria
22. Kyle Tremblay (White Rock, BC) – Bayside RFC
23. Thomas Isherwood (Okotoks, AB) – Foothills Lions RFC / Westshore RFC
37. Ian Jones (Bass River, NS) – Ajax Wanderers / Pictou County
44. Lockie Kratz (Victoria, BC) – Castaway Wanderers / UBCOB Ravens
55. Jack Shaw (Oakville, ON) – Castaway Wanderers / Oakville Crusaders
66. Andrew Cooper (Vancouver, BC) – Meralomas RFC
from World Rugby
HSBC SVNS 3 will return to Dubai on 27-28 November 2026, taking place alongside the opening round of the HSBC SVNS Series 2027.
- 28 international men’s and women’s teams will compete across both tournaments at The Sevens Stadium.
- HSBC SVNS 3 provides an important pathway for teams to progress to HSBC SVNS 2.
- The tournament marks the start of the pathway towards the LA28 Olympic Games.
HSBC SVNS 3 represents an important step on the pathway to the highest level of international rugby sevens, providing teams with the opportunity to progress through World Rugby’s global competition structure.
The tournament will feature six men’s and six women’s teams, who qualify through regional competitions. The top two men’s and women’s teams will secure promotion to HSBC SVNS 2, which will be contested across three rounds in Nairobi, São Paulo and Montevideo in early 2027.
Hong Kong China, Canada, Italy, Chile, Zimbabwe and Samoa have already qualified for the men’s HSBC SVNS 3 competition, while China, Mexico, Poland, Colombia and Samoa have secured their places in the women’s competition. The remaining teams will be confirmed following the conclusion of regional qualification tournaments.
World Rugby Sevens World Series General Manager Sam Pinder said: “The return of HSBC SVNS 3 to Dubai is another important moment for the development of international rugby sevens and our ambition to create meaningful opportunities for more nations to compete on the global stage.
“Bringing HSBC SVNS 3 together with HSBC SVNS provides a fantastic platform to showcase the depth of talent across the game, from teams looking to take the next step to the world’s best competing at the highest level.
“With promotion to HSBC SVNS 2 at stake, there is plenty to play for, and we’re looking forward to an exciting weekend of rugby sevens in Dubai.”
HSBC SVNS 3 will kick off on Friday 27 November, with the finals taking place on Saturday 28 November, as teams compete for the opportunity to progress to the next level of international competition.
Dubai marks the opening round of the HSBC SVNS Series 2027, with the world’s top eight men’s and women’s teams competing and New Zealand returning to defend both titles won at last year’s event.
The series will then travel to Cape Town, Singapore, Perth, Vancouver and New York before the HSBC SVNS World Championship takes place in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux in April and May 2027.
The global competition structure provides a clear pathway for teams competing in HSBC SVNS 3 to progress through HSBC SVNS 2 and ultimately reach the highest level of the sport, with the opportunity to compete for the HSBC SVNS World Championship title.
The pools and match schedule for the HSBC SVNS is now available, with fans able to look forward to a packed weekend of international rugby sevens action. The HSBC SVNS3 match schedule will be confirmed once all the teams have qualified.
Tickets for Emirates Dubai 7s are on sale now at emiratesdubai7s.com. More information on the HSBC SVNS Series can be found at SVNS.com.