April 3, 2025 (Langford, BC) – The 12 players that will represent Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team in the final round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger have been announced by Head Coach Sean White.
Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow, Poland, will host the third and final stop of the Sevens Challenger over April 11 to 12. Following this tournament, the four teams with the most cumulative points gained across the three rounds will qualify for the HSBC SVNS Play Off in Los Angeles over May 3 to 4. Canada is at the top of the men’s standings going into Krakow with 34 points.
This tournament will see Alex Russell captain the team, with the roster including nine players who competed in the first two rounds in Cape Town, where Canada finished second and third. This includes the team’s leading try scorers, Kyle Tremblay (5 tries), Jamie Armstrong (4 tries), and Morgan Di Nardo (4 tries).
Three players are set to make their international sevens debut. The Pacific Pride’s Rhys James and James Thiel competed in the men’s invitational tournament held alongside HSBC SVNS Vancouver in February, while Kainoa Lloyd brings his experience from 24 caps with Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team.
“We certainly are not resting on where we stand in the table and came away from Cape Town with some key areas where we wanted to make significant improvements,” said Sean White. “All that being said, our results over the previous tournaments have put us in a great position where we control our destiny for LA. Debuting three new players shows the level of competition within our wider training group. Players all over the country, from club to university, have been working hard to make the most of their opportunities at camp. In our decentralized One Squad training model, we rely on relationships with coaches, schools and professors. It has been massive for us to have the support of players’ educational institutions, and we thank each of them for their support of our national team members.”
More information on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger, including full schedules and updated scores, can be found here.
SCHEDULE
Friday April 11
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Madagascar
1:06am PT / 4:06am ET
Watch live on TSN+
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Japan
4:36am PT / 7:36am ET
Watch live on TSN+
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Portugal
7:44am PT / 10:44am ET
Watch live on TSN+
Saturday April 12
Semi-finals and finals
Times and opponents TBD
Watch live on TSN+
CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM
1. Rhys James (Kelowna, BC) – UBC Okanagan / Pacific Pride
2. James Thiel (Abbotsford, BC) – Abbotsford RFC / Pacific Pride
3. Ethan Turner (Maple Ridge, BC) – Burnaby Lake Rugby Club
5. Alex Russell (Bracebridge, ON) – McGill University
13. Brenden Black (Oakville, ON) – Oakville Crusaders / Guelph University
15. Ethan Hager (Brantford, ON) – Brantford Harlequins / Castaway Wanderers
18. Morgan Di Nardo (Toronto, ON) – Toronto City Rugby / University of Victoria
20. Jamie Armstrong (Ottawa, ON) – Ottawa Irish / University of Ottawa
22. Kyle Tremblay (White Rock, BC) – Pacific Pride / Bayside RFC
23. Thomas Isherwood (Okotoks, AB) – Foothills Lions RFC / Westshore RFC
30. Kainoa Lloyd (Mississauga, ON) – Mississauga Blues / James Bay AA
64. Elias Hancock (Ottawa, ON) – Bytown Blues / University of Ottawa
-30-
About Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of Rugby Union in Canada. They administer and operate Men’s and Women’s Senior and Junior National programs in both rugby 15s and 7s, as well as govern the Club and community game for more than 30,000 registered participants from coast to coast in conjunction with ten Provincial Union members.
Rugby Canada is headquartered at the Al Charron National Training Centre in Langford, BC, with staff also working from Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. Rugby Canada business operations, programs and events are delivered nationwide, including the internationally recognized HSBC Canada Sevens annual tournaments.
Media Contacts:
Liz Montroy
Manager, Communications
lmontroy@rugby.ca