You have to be ready for when the opportunity arises. Tausani Levale was just that. The native of Tofino, raised in Abbotsford, will make her debut with the Langford-based, Olympic-medallist Canadian women’s rugby team at the Dubai Sevens. Levale only turned 18 in October and will earn her first caps when Canada plays Spain, Ireland and Fiji on the opening day Nov. 30 in the first of five World Series events of the season, including the Canada Sevens in May at Westhills Stadium in Langford.
This season also includes the 2018 Commonwealth Games in April at Gold Coast, Australia, for both the Canadian women’s and men’s teams. Both national squads have been training at Westhills Stadium the past few months ahead of leaving today for Dubai and the start of the World Series season.
Levale is the youngest player to suit up for Canada since Caroline Crossley of Victoria did so at the age of 17 in 2015, also at the Dubia Sevens.
“It’s surreal and took me by surprise,” Levale said.
“If I’m serious about making the Olympic team one day, I knew my goal had to be to make a World Series stop this season. So I did.”
The chance came with injuries to regulars Bianca Farella, Charity Williams, Kaili Lukan and Sara Kaljuvee, which prompted head coach John Tait to call up Levale and 21-year-old Emma Chown of Barrie, Ont., to make their national team debuts in Dubai.
Levale was born in Tofino to missionary parents — dad Poi is from Samoa and mom Nettie from Manitoba — who were assigned to the tiny community of Ahousaht just off Vancouver Island, near Tofino.
“Ahousaht is where my heart is and I go back there once a year,” she said.
Levale’s love of rugby is literally in the genes and comes from her Samoan ancestry on her dad’s side: “I grew up with rugby all around me . . . from my dad to my uncles. That’s just the way it was.”
She listened and learned well.
“I feel I have a step, and am a playmaker,” Levale said.
Named Wednesday to the Canadian women’s team for Dubai were Levale, Chown, Crossley, Julia Greenshields, Breanne Nichols and 2016 Rio Olympic bronze-medallists Britt Benn, Hannah Darling, Megan Lukan, Kayla Moleschi, Natasha Watcham-Roy, Jen Kish and captain Ghislaine Landry.
The Canadian men have an all-African opening day at the Dubai Sevens on Dec. 1 against Kenya, Uganda and South Africa. Named to the team are Pat Kay of Duncan, Mike Fuailefau and Connor Braid, both of Victoria, University of Victoria Vikes products Nathan Hirayama, Lucas Hammond and Isaac Kaay, John Moonlight of James Bay along with Phil Berna, Admir Cejvanovic, Justin Douglas, Matt Mullins, Liam Underwood and captain Harry Jones.
