Former Zimbabwe youth international Matthew Oworu has retained his place in the Canada rugby sevens squad for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series season-opening Dubai Sevens.
Newly appointed Canada coach Sean White has named his first World Sevens squad after taking over as acting head coach from the departed Henry Paul.
The roster shows just one change from the group that finished 10th in Hong Kong, with Zimbabwe-bred Oworu among the players who have retained their places in the squad.
The powerfully built Owuru, who stands at 1.88m, and weighs 111kgs has established himself as a key member of Canada’s rugby sevens squad.
He was educated at Churchill High School in Harare and played domestic club rugby for Pitbulls RFC before relocating to Calgary, Canada.
Oworu will be eager to further cement his place in the side by putting on a solid shift in Dubai.
The Canada squad also includes Cooper Coats, who rejoins the squad after starring for Canada on their European tour, with Elias Ergas dropping out.
The trio of Josiah Morra, David Richard, and Brock Webster also return from Amsterdam after featuring in both tests for the fifteens side.
In a media release, new head coach White said it was an honour to step into the senior leadership role.
“Our team is looking forward to utilizing our learnings from Hong Kong and finding a more consistent performance over the next two legs. The approach is to continue to prepare the players for the challenges they face and grow as a group each time we come together, on or off the pitch.”
The two-day tournament begins on December 2. Canada have been drawn in Pool D along with Samoa, Japan, and the USA.
CANADA MEN’s SEVENS
Phil Berna (capt.), D’Shawn Bowen, Cooper Coats, Thomas Isherwood, Lockie Kratz, Josiah Morra, Anton Ngongo, Matthew Oworu, David Richard, Alex Russell, Kal Sager, Jake Thiel, Brock Webster