By Canadian Press

Canada names 13-man sevens roster for second-tier World Rugby Challenger Series

Feb 24, 2025 | 3:04 PM

Veterans Alex Russell, Thomas Isherwood, Kal Sager and Elias Hancock lead the Canadian men’s rugby sevens side looking to win its way back into the elite HSBC SVNS series.

The four are among 13 players chosen by head coach Sean White for the first two legs of the second-tier HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series.

Relegated from the top tier last June, the Canadian men are looking to finish in the top four in the three-event Challenger Series. That will earn them a spot in a promotion/relegation tournament May 3-4 in Carson, Calif., where the top four teams from the Challenger Series and the bottom four from the HSBC SVNS will meet to decide four spots in next season’s HSBC SVNS field.

Cape Town, South Africa will host the opening two rounds of the Challenger Series March 1-2 and March 7-8. The top eight teams will then compete in the Challenger Series finale in Krakow, Poland, in April.

All 13 players on the roster took part in a men’s invitational tournament at B.C. Place Stadium on the weekend in conjunction with the Vancouver stop on the HSBC SVNS series.

Ethan Hager and Jamie Armstrong each scored four tries through four games against Japan and Trinidad and Tobago.

“Having the opportunity to build cohesion as a team as well as fine-tune our processes on and off field will allow us to hit the ground running in Cape Town,” White said in a statement. “I was certainly pleased with our performances in Vancouver, and it made for very difficult selections which is what you always want as a coach.”

Morgan Di Nardo and Ethan Turner made their debut for Canada last year at the Hong Kong Sevens, while Kyle Tremblay and Johnny Franklin debuted in November at the Rugby Americas North Sevens.

Canada will face Madagascar and Hong Kong in Pool D in the first Cape Town event.

Canada Roster

Ethan Turner, Maple Ridge, B.C., Burnaby Lake Rugby Club; Alex Russell, Bracebridge, Ont., McGill University; Noah Bain, Abbotsford, B.C., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Brenden Black, Oakville, Ont., University of Guelph; Ethan Hager, Brantford, Ont., Castaway Wanderers; Morgan Di Nardo, Toronto, University of Victoria; Jamie Armstrong, Ottawa, University of Ottawa; Kyle Tremblay, White Rock, B.C., Bayside RFC; Thomas Isherwood, Okotoks, Alta., Westshore RFC; Johnny Franklin, Bowen Island, B.C., Capilano RFC; Kal Sager, Peterborough, Ont., Trent University; Elias Hancock, Ottawa, University of Ottawa; Michael Laplaine-Pereira, Montreal, Concordia University.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2025

The Canadian Press