Rookie Brennig Prevost and newly minted assistant captain Jake Thiel, both of Victoria, are looking ahead to the Edmonton Sevens on Saturday and Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium after being named the Canadian finalists for the all-star Dream Team last weekend in the HSBC World Series Sevens tournament held at sa国际传媒 Place.
Four players from champion South Africa, two from finalist Kenya and one from the U.S. were chosen to the Vancouver Dream Team. But a new generation of Canadian players is being noticed following the host nation鈥檚 sixth place finish at sa国际传媒 Place. The quest will continue this weekend in Edmonton as sa国际传媒 was drawn into a Pool A with South Africa, Hong Kong and Mexico.
Glenlyon Norfolk School-grad Prevost, Oak Bay High-prodcut Jack Carson, Ciaran Breen of Victoria out of Shawnigan Lake School, Matt Percillier from Mill Bay and Brentwood College and Anton Ngongo of Victoria, out of Claremont Secondary, were among the nine debutantes for sa国际传媒 at sa国际传媒 Place.
With the cornerstone Canadian players from the past decade retiring recently post-Tokyo Olympics, the mantle has fallen to the young Island players and others at the team鈥檚 Langford base.
鈥淭he new guys are so hungry and their talent level is so high,鈥� said Thiel, one of only three returnees from the quarter-颅finalist Tokyo Olympics team to suit up for sa国际传媒 at sa国际传媒 Place and Edmonton.
鈥淭he Pacific Pride [Langford-based national U-23 team] has done a great job of feeding these guys into the senior program. We are going to have the kind of depth we鈥檝e never had before.鈥�
Twelve men鈥檚 teams, minus several of the marquee nations due to COVID travel restrictions, will contest the Edmonton tournament. Only half the lower bowl of Commonwealth Stadium, about 16,000 seats, will be open due to health restrictions.
