April 26, 2025 (Langford, BC) – The players that will represent Canada at the final stop of the 2025 HSBC SVNS season in Los Angeles over May 3 to 4 have been announced by Head Coaches Jocelyn Barrieau and Sean White.
Dignity Health Sports Park, the rugby sevens venue for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, will host the winner-takes-all HSBC SVNS World Championship, which will see Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team compete in Pool A against League Winners New Zealand, Japan, and Great Britain. Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team will compete in the HSBC SVNS Play-off, taking on Uruguay, Ireland and Germany in Pool B.
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team enters this final leg of the series ranked fourth overall, following back-to-back bronze medal finishes in Hong Kong and Singapore.
“Our team has been training this week in Chula Vista alongside our Pacific Four Series squad, living out our One Squad philosophy with combined training sessions and scrimmages as both teams prepare to compete next weekend,” said Jocelyn Barrieau, Head Coach of Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team. “We solidified our foundations and are very proud of our performances in Hong Kong and Singapore. We have identified areas we want to improve on and the gaps we want to close going into Los Angeles. We have a talented, passionate, resilient group of players, and we are all excited to get back on the pitch together in LA.”
The roster includes eight players from the Hong Kong and Singapore double podium finish squad. Charity Williams returns to competition for the first time since HSBC SVNS Vancouver following recovery from injury. Asia Hogan-Rochester and Alysha Corrigan will play with the team for the first time since HSBC SVNS Vancouver as well, with Corrigan having competed in the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) final with the Saracens in March.
Savannah Bauder, who made a strong impression in her international sevens debut in December in Dubai and Cape Town, returns following recovery from an injury sustained during training camp ahead of HSBC SVNS Perth. Larah Wright, who made her debut in Perth, has earned her second opportunity to represent the nation on Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team.
Following the HSBC SVNS World Championship, Alysha Corrigan, Asia Hogan-Rochester, Florence Symonds, Mahalia Robinson and Olivia Apps will join Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team for the remaining matches of the Pacific Four Series in New Zealand and Australia.
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team finished third in the standings following three rounds of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger, qualifying them for the HSBC SVNS Play-off as one of the top four teams.
The journey to Los Angeles started in November, with Canada winning Rugby Americas North Sevens to qualify for the Sevens Challenger. After participating in the men’s invitational held alongside HSBC SVNS Vancouver, they made their way to Cape Town for the first two Sevens Challenger rounds, finishing second and third on back-to-back weekends. The team placed fourth in Krakow for round three.
“We’ve had this tournament circled on our calendar all season,” said Sean White, Head Coach of Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team. “We’ve identified key areas of improvement coming out of Krakow and have made that our focus over the last couple of weeks of camp in Langford. I believe our continuity in selection from Krakow to LA will be a benefit to our on-field performance and cohesion. Our aim is to finish the season as one of the top 12 teams, and we look forward to earning the opportunity to do so.”
The 12 players who represented Canada in Krakow will return to the global stage in Los Angeles, with the addition of Kal Sager, who returns to the squad following recovery from injury. The roster includes Rhys James, Kainoa Lloyd and James Thiel, who made their international sevens debuts in Poland, with James and Lloyd each putting on two-try performances.
Five of these players (Rhys James, Elias Hancock, James Thiel, Kyle Tremblay, Ethan Turner) were also recently named to teams in the new Rugby Premier League (RPL) and will depart for India in June for this unique player development opportunity that will see nine Canadians compete with and against players and coaches from some of the top nations on the HSBC SVNS series.
MORE INFO
For the most up to date information on the HSBC SVNS Series and live coverage, including details on the event format, the schedule and the latest news, visit the official website: www.svns.com. More information on the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger can be found here.
LOS ANGELES SCHEDULE
*All matches will be available on TSN+, with Saturday’s Pitch 1 pool play matches available on TSN5 as of 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET, and Sunday’s finals available on TSN4 as of 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET.
Saturday May 3
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team vs Japan
10:00am PT / 1:00pm ET
Watch live on TSN+
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Uruguay
10:22am PT / 1:22pm ET
Watch live on TSN+
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team vs Great Britain
1:01pm PT / 4:01pm ET
Watch live on TSN+
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Ireland
1:01pm / 4:01pm ET
Watch live on TSN+
Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team vs New Zealand
4:29pm PT / 7:29pm ET
Watch live on TSN5 / TSN+
Sunday May 4
Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team vs Germany
12:12pm PT / 3:12pm ET
Watch live on TSN+
Men’s play-off finals, women’s semi-finals and finals
Times and opponents TBD
Watch live on TSN+ (TSN4 coverage begins at 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET)
CANADA’S WOMEN’S SEVENS TEAM ROSTER
4. Breanne Nicholas (Blenheim, ON) – Kent Havoc RFC
6. Charity Williams (Toronto, ON) – Markham Irish / University of British Columbia
7. Florence Symonds (Vancouver, BC) – University of British Columbia
8. Carmen Izyk (High River, AB) – Foothills lions / Queen’s University / RCTPM
9. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Lindsay RFC
16. Alysha Corrigan (Charlottetown, PEI) – CRFC / Saracens
19. Carissa Norsten (Waldheim, SK) – Kirin RFC / University of Victoria
22. Sabrina Poulin (St-Georges, QC) – Town of Mount Royal RFC / Exeter Chiefs
23. Shalaya Valenzuela (Abbotsford, BC) – Abbotsford RFC
24. Asia Hogan-Rochester (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Nomads / Westshore RFC
26. Savannah Bauder (North Vancouver, BC) – University of British Columbia
29. Mahalia Robinson (Fulford, QC) – Town of Mount Royal RFC
47. Larah Wright (Calgary, AB) – University of Victoria
CANADA’S MEN’S SEVENS TEAM ROSTER
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
33. Kal Sager (Peterborough, ON) – Peterborough Pagans / Trent University
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 / Contacts de médias
Liz Montroy
Manager, Communications