A busy stretch in Canadian rugby colours begins this weekend in Great Britain and concludes next March in B.C. Place for Nathan Hirayama.
The 15s and Sevens standout will be seeing double duty for Canada in a pair of high-profile tournaments.
The 27-year-old fly half from Richmond is among 31 players named to the national team roster for the 2015 World Cup which will take place in 15 cities over the next six weeks. Canada begins pool play Saturday against Ireland, followed by matches versus Italy (Sept. 26), France (Oct. 1) and Romania (Oct. 10). All games will be televised on TSN.
Hirayama was a member of the Canadian team that went 1-3 in the preliminary round four years ago in New Zealand after making his international debut in 2008.
The Richmond Rugby Club product and McRoberts Secondary School graduate also has the World Rugby Sevens Series to look forward to next year which will include a first-ever stop in Vancouver — March 12-13 at B.C. Place Stadium.
Hirayama has been a mainstay with the Canada’s Sevens team since he was 18 and has built a reputation as one of the top playmakers in the game.
During the 2012-13 season, he ranked third in the World Series in points scored and was also the top producer at the Rugby Seven Sevens World Cup two years ago in Moscow.
He was subsequently named team captain but battled injuries last season, missing five of the nine tournaments. Now he is back to form and fit enough to play for both national teams.
“The difference between Rugby Sevens and 15s is, tournaments wise, Sevens is a lot more exciting,” said Hirayama. “I know a lot of my buddies, who follow me in 15s and Sevens, prefer Sevens a lot more.
“It is so quick. Game after game, they just roll out. I think the track at B.C. Place is going to promote a good brand of rugby and hopefully we will put on a good show next March.”
Hirayama helped Canada win gold in Rugby Sevens at this summer’s Pan Am Games. The sport makes its debut at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games.
