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Canadian women's and men's rosters named for rugby sevens World Cup

The Langford-based Canadian women’s and men’s rugby sevens teams will be looking to build on encouraging results from the recent Birmingham Commonwealth Games at next weekend’s 2022 World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.
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Canada’s Anton Ngongo is stopped by the United States’ Joe Schroeder during last year’s HSBC Canada Sevens in Vancouver. DARRYL DYCK, THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Langford-based Canadian women’s and men’s rugby sevens teams will be looking to build on encouraging results from the recent Birmingham Commonwealth Games at next weekend’s 2022 World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Canada rosters for the World Cup were announced Friday.

Four Victoria players — Anton Ngongo, Ciaran Breen, Lachlan Kratz and Jake Thiel — headline the Canadian men’s team.

“The key is sticking to the game plan, trusting each other and being proud to represent the Maple Leaf at the highest level,” said Kratz, a graduate of Oak Bay Secondary.

The other Canadian men named are Thomas Isherwood, Phil Berna, Alex Russell, Josiah Morra, Brock Webster, Elias Ergas and Langford Pacific Pride Under-23 development team players Matthew Oworu and D’Shawn Bowen.

“There’s no greater honour than representing your country at a World Cup,” men’s head coach Henry Paul said in a statement.

“All of the players are eager to get the action underway in South Africa. This is a real opportunity for us to end the season on a high note and make some waves in the biggest and most important event of the year.”

The Canadian women’s team roster will be led by the seemingly indestructible Bianca Farella of Montreal, the sole survivor the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze-medallist team.

“This is a new generation for Paris 2024 [Olympic Games] and I have confidence in it. Our whole vibe is confidence. That’s why I’m still here,” she said.

Also named was Krissy Scurfield of the University of Victoria Vikes, UVic Vikes graduate Pamphinette Buisa and Fancy Bermudez of Westshore RFC, along with Florence Symonds, co-captain Breanne Nicholas, Nakisa Levale, Emma Chown, Chloe Daniels, co-captain Olivia Apps, Piper Logan, Keyara Yardley and Olivia De Couvreur.

The young, Langford-based Canadian men’s and women’s rugby sides displayed plenty of promise in both making the 2022 Commonwealth Games championship-side playoff rounds in daunting fields last month in Birmingham.

The Canadian women finished 2-1 in group play to qualify for the semifinals before falling 24-7 to Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists Fiji and gave Tokyo Olympic champion New Zealand all it could handle in a 19-12 loss in the bronze medal game.

“I can’t wait for the next eight years,” Canada head coach Jack Hanratty said of his young side.

The Canadian men also stated their case for the future in ­Birmingham by going 2-1 in group play to qualify for the Commonwealth Games quarter-finals before losing 33-0 to the South Africa Blitzboks.

Reaching the quarter-finals was a credible performance for a Canadian side reloading after the retirement of veterans ­Connor Braid of Victoria, former UVic Vikes star Nathan Hirayama and Harry Jones following their quarter-final appearance in the Tokyo Olympics last summer.

“I watched that older group while growing up and talked to them all the time when we trained alongside in Langford as juniors and development athletes, and always got good feedback,” Claremont Secondary-graduate Ngongo said in Birmingham.

“It’s a passing of the torch.”

Thiel and Berna are the two key returnees from the Tokyo Olympics heading to the World Cup on the youthful Canadian men’s team.

The Canadian men open the World Cup against Zimbabwe next Friday with the winner advancing to the Round of 16. The loser goes to the consolation side.

The Canadian women open the World Cup against China in the Round of 16 with the winner advancing in the championship side and the loser going to the consolation round.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com