A Maple Ridge rugby player will be playing with Team Canada in the upcoming sevens rugby international tournament that is coming up at BC Place on March 7 and 8.
Ethan Turner, 24, has broken through with the national team, with the first-step quickness and top speed that creates opportunities in the wide-open sevens game. He loves to make a pass that finds a teammate in open space, and on defence, he takes pride in not missing a tackle.
So in 2024 the nats brought him to the Hong Kong Sevens for one of the most the prestigious tournaments in the HSBC SVNS, then last year he played in the Vancouver SVNS event.
It’s a tourney that has been celebrated for the fun, party atmosphere, with fans and supporters of international teams coming in costumes, and being loud and proud. The games are short and sweet – two seven minute halves, but there’s lots of scoring for fans to cheer.
For Turner, the BC Place event was a chance to share his sport with the people he cares about.
“It was pretty exciting to play in front of friends and family,” he said. “For us, this is one of the best tournaments in the world – everyone enjoys playing at home.”
He sat in the stands with his dad and brother when the first HSBC SVNS was there 11 years ago. He comes from a rugby family – parents from rugby powerhouse South Africa, and both played the game.
“I grew up with it always on TV, and there was always a rugby ball in the house.”
The grad of Thomas Haney played with the Burnaby Lake Rugby Club, and with Indian side Kalinga Black Tigers in the Rugby Premier League.
He living in India as a pro athlete was a “super unique experience,” and he’s hoping to go back this summer.
Turner plays scrum half, fly half, and hooker, and takes pride in being a versatile player.
He was on the cusp of making the Canadian 15s team. He travelled with them to the Pacific Nations Cup, but is still waiting to earn his first cap for playing in an international game.
His goal is to make that squad and play in the World Cup in Australia in 2027, at the Pan American Games in Peru that year, and in 2028 to play sevens at the Olympics in Los Angeles.
Pro rugby is on his radar, but currently Turner is in the process of finishing a business degree at SFU.
This weekend, the men will play in the Teck Tri-Nations Challenge during the HSBC Vancouver Sevens, and Canada’s Sevens stars will face formidable opponents in Japan and Chile.
This competition will also serve as vital preparation for the team as they head into the final two events of the HSBC SVNS 2 Series later in March. Strong performances in these events will support the team in their journey to return to the top tier of the global series.
“We are excited to have our men compete in the Teck Tri-Nations Challenge in Vancouver in front of a Canadian crowd.” said Nathan Bombrys, CEO of Rugby Canada. “We are grateful Teck has chosen to continue investing in Rugby Canada, and their support has enabled us to host Japan and Chile, two proud rugby nations, as part of the HSBC SVNS Vancouver weekend on March 7 and 8 at BC Place.”