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Henry Paul has stepped down as Head Coach of Canada’s Men’s Sevens team with immediate effect. The change comes ahead of next weekend’s Dubai Sevens, and two weeks after the opening tournament of the World Series in Hong Kong where Canada finished in 10th spot.
A statement from the 48-year-old New Zealander was included in a press release:
“I’m really proud of my time here in Canada. I’ve worked with some incredible colleagues and coached some world class players, experiencing too many incredible moments to mention but ones that I will always cherish. Now is the right time for me to focus on my family and the next challenge in my career.”
Paul took over the side in May 2019 after Rugby Canada controversially opted to part ways with Damian McGrath. The team finished 8th in Paul’s first season in charge, and held the same ranking at the Tokyo Olympics. This past year saw Canada finishing 14th on the circuit, tied for 7th at the Commonwealth Games, and 13th at the Sevens World Cup.
Stepping into the lead role for the upcoming tournaments in Dubai and Cape Town is Sean White. An accomplished international in both sevens and fifteens for Canada, the 34-year-old was most recently an Assistant Coach under Paul. He has also coached at the Premier Rugby Sevens and now looks to be front-runner to take over the Head Coach position in a full-time capacity.
