Eight Ontario Men's Sevens Players Centralized By Rugby Canada

October 20, 2016

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Eight Ontario Men's Sevens Players Centralized By Rugby Canada For 2016-2017 Season

With files from Matt Tidcombe, Rugby Canada Communications

LANGFORD — Rugby Canada is pleased to announce the twenty-two Men’s Sevens players that have centralized in Langford, BC, ahead of the 2016-17 HSBC Sevens Series season.

The squad features 15 returnees from last year’s carded squad while a number of next generation players have also joined the program creating a blend of experience and youth.

“The squad that we have centralized for the 2016-17 season is a fascinating mix of youth and experience and has made the environment a very exciting one to be part of,” said Assistant Coach, Lee Douglas. “It will be great to see this squad build and develop throughout the season and I’m excited about seeing a new crop of talented players getting to pull the jersey on and represent their country on the World Series.”

Phil Berna, Luke Bradley, Riley Dinardo, Justin Douglas, Mike Fuailefau, Nathan Hirayama, Harry Jones, Pat Kay, Karsten Leitner, John Moonlight, Luke McCloskey, Matt Mullins, Mitch Santilli, Liam Underwood and Adam Zaruba return as carded players. They are joined by Andrew Battaglia, David Dinbandhu, Caleb Jordan, Isaac Kaay, Kyle Lagasca, Josiah Morra and Crosby Stewart.


“We have a number of high caliber players returning with lots of World Series experience and its good see them interacting with the younger players and passing on their knowledge,” Douglas said. “The returning players really set the bar high with their standards and work ethic which creates a challenging but highly rewarding training environment for these new players to be a part of.

“Having an influx of new players into the squad freshens things up and naturally changes your dynamics and keeps your game developing. We have a group of core players that have consistently performed on the world stage and it is great to be in a position where we can add to this with some exciting young talent.”

The 2016-17 season starts a new era for Canada’s Mens Sevens program under new Head Coach Damian McGrath. The Englishman takes over as Canada begins a new four-year cycle with eyes on retaining core status, the Rugby World Cup 7s in 2018 and qualifying for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.


Despite the retirement of Phil Mack, Sean White, Mike Scholz and Sean Duke, and the departure of Conor Trainor to Vannes and Admir Cejvanovic and Nanyak Dala to Canada’s Men’s 15s program, Canada has retained a ton of experience, where veterans Moonlight, Jones and Hirayama will be leaned on.

Hirayama was the third highest scorer on the HSBC Sevens Series last year with 295 points, while his 27 tries were tied for eighth most. Jones and Moonlight each scored 19 tries for Canada last season while Douglas (15) and Fuailefau (12) also had double-digit try numbers last year.


After making their series debuts last year, Phil Berna, Luke Bradley, Luke McCloskey and Matt Mullins are poised for bigger roles this year while the team is buoyed by the return of Liam Underwood who missed all of last season due to injury.

Despite coming off of a 13th place HSBC Sevens Series finish last season, Canada is only two seasons removed from a sixth place finish. Canada is also the two-time defending Pan-Am Games gold medallists from 2011 and 2015.

“The men's program has been through many changes over the past few seasons and we are looking forward to starting the new quad with the ultimate goal of the Tokyo Olympic games,” said Meaghan Howat, Rugby Canada’s Director of Rugby Sevens Operations.  “Many great athletes are returning to the program for another season on the Series and we are excited to see the new young talent develop over the coming year.

“We’re thankful for the continued funding of Sport Canada and Own the Podium as well as the support of the City of Langford.”

For the second straight year, HSBC Canada Sevens returns to Vancouver’s BC Place March 11-12. After more than 60,000 fans filled the stadium for this year’s inaugural events, tickets have been selling at a rapid rate with more than 75 percent sold already. To purchase tickets, please click here.


Canada’s Men’s Sevens 2016-17 Centralized Roster:


Phil Berna, UBC Thunderbirds (Vancouver, BC) 

Andrew Battaglia, Aurora Barbarians (Richmond Hill, ON) 

Luke Bradley, UVic Vikes/Port Alberni Black Sheep (Port Alberni, BC) 

David Dinbandhu, Brit Lions RFC, (Suva, Fiji) 

Riley Dinardo, Toronto Saracens (Toronto, ON) 

Justin Douglas, Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford, BC) 

Mike Fuailefau, Castaway Wanderers (Victoria, BC) 

Nathan Hirayama, UVic Vikes (Richmond, BC) 

Harry Jones, Capilano RFC (Vancouver, BC) 

Caleb Jordan, Montreal Wanderers (Montreal, QC) 

Isaac Kaay, UVic Vikes (Kamloops, BC) 

Pat Kay, Capilano RFC (Duncan, BC) 

Kyle Lagasca, Toronto Saracens (Toronto, ON) 

Karsten Leitner, UBC Thunderbirds( Vancouver, BC) 

John Moonlight, JamesBay AA (Pickering, ON) 

Luke McCloskey, Castaway Wanderers (Victoria, BC) 

Josiah Morra, Toronto Saracens (Toronto, ON) 

Matt Mullins, Queen’s University (Bellville, ON) 

Mitch Santilli, Brantford Harlequins (Brantford, ON) 

Crosby Stewart, UVic Vikes (Victoria, BC) 

Liam Underwood, Balmy Beach RFC (Toronto, ON) 

Adam Zaruba, Capilano RFC (Vancouver, BC) 


2016-17 HSBC Men’s Sevens Schedule:


Dubai — Dec. 2-3

Cape Town — Dec. 10-11

Wellington — Jan. 28-29

Sydney — Feb. 4-5

Las Vegas — March 3-5

Vancouver — March 11-12

Hong Kong — April 7-9

Singapore — April 15-16

Paris — May 13-14

London — May 20-21

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