Nathan Hirayama will be returning to the pitch this weekend to help celebrate B.C. Rugby Union's 125th anniversary.
The Richmond standout is slated to participate in a special anniversary fixture that will see the B.C. Bears take on the Canadian Selects at West Vancouver's Klahanie Park at 4 p.m. The match-up features the top talent the country has to offer with Canada's overseas-based professionals and domestic players participating.
The purpose of the game is two-fold; along with recognizing B.C. Rugby Union's milestone year, Canadian national team coaches will also be using the fixture to select their roster for the June 7 Pacific Nations Cup opener in Burnaby. The Test match will feature Canada against Japan at Swangard Stadium.
A standout with Canada's Sevens program, Hirayama has returned from injury to be in the mix for Canada's 15s team.
"It's of massive importance to our selection. It will be our only opportunity before a World Cup year to get all our players on the same field," said Canadian senior men's national team head coach Kieran Crowley. "It will be great to see our overseas players
playing against domestic-based players."
Meanwhile, Hirayama's former high school team came up big at the B.C. AA Rugby Championships in Abbotsford Wednesday.
The sixth ranked McRoberts Strikers reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2010 after a 10-9 upset win over No. 3 Brentwood College.
A long first half run for a try by Justin Turner-Pearce and a second half penalty from Mati Gordon was enough to knock off the Vancouver Island powerhouse. McRoberts now face No. 2 Collingwood of West Vancouver in today's semi-finals.
