In many ways it was a metaphor as Brennig Prevost of Victoria scored the try of the tournament Saturday in the Edmonton Sevens, a flipping full somersault across the line at Commonwealth Stadium, in sa国际传媒鈥檚 opening 21-12 victory over Hong Kong.
鈥淚t was the less painful route when landing on this field,鈥� he said.
The Glenlyon Norfolk School graduate is among nine newcomers as sa国际传媒 plots it leap to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
鈥淲e realize we鈥檙e the next generation coming up but right now we鈥檙e just focusing on the immediate 鈥� these two tournaments [the HSBC World Series Sevens at sa国际传媒 Place last week, in which sa国际传媒 placed sixth, and Edmonton this weekend],鈥� he said.
Only three players from sa国际传媒鈥檚 quarter-finalist team from the Tokyo Olympics are on the roster for the Vancouver and Edmonton tournaments. The nine youth replacements on the national side 鈥� including Island players Prevost, Jack Carson from Oak Bay High, Victoria鈥檚 Ciaran Breen out of Shawnigan Lake School, Anton Ngongo from Claremont Secondary and Mill Bay鈥檚 Matt Percillier from Brentwood College 鈥� are getting their chance.
鈥淭he rate of speed 鈥� you have to be quick 鈥� and the physicality are the biggest things I鈥檝e learned [in the jump up to the senior national team],鈥� said Prevost.
The victory against Hong Kong was followed by a 47-0 Canadian blowout of Mexico as Ngongo and Breen scored two tries each while fellow-Islanders Percillier added four converts and Prevost two converts.
Then came a 49-0 blowout the other way as world power South Africa overwhelmed sa国际传媒.
鈥淭hey are so good and very quick with the ball,鈥� said 颅Prevost, of the Blitzboks.
The cornerstones of the Canadian team the past decade 鈥� Victoria鈥檚 Connor Braid, UVic Vikes great Hirayama, Jones, Justin Douglas and Conor Trainor 鈥� retired following the Olympics in Tokyo.
鈥淭hose guys were class acts and I learned a lot by watching them and the things they did on and off the field,鈥� said Prevost.
sa国际传媒 will play Ireland in the quarter-finals today of the 12-team Edmonton tournament. The other quarter-final match-ups have South Africa against Hong Kong, Kenya playing Germany and the U.S. meeting Great Britain.
Meanwhile, Renee Gonzalez of the University of Victoria Vikes scored two tries as sa国际传媒 opened the four-team women鈥檚 competition in Edmonton with a 26-26 draw against the U.S., followed by a 7-7 draw against Great Britain, before completing the day undefeated with a 40-12 victory over Mexico. The Canadians will play the U.S. in the semifinals today.
Women鈥檚 team player Kiri Ngawati of Westshore RFC continued a big year of firsts for the Victoria rugby family. Kiri, whose brother Quinn Ngawati earned his first men鈥檚 XVs caps for sa国际传媒 this year, made her senior national team debut.
