Nanyak Dala (born 18 June 1984) is a Canadian

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. His position is flanker, and he has played 14 tests for the Canadian national team. Dala currently plays for

Castaway Wanderers RFC The Castaway Wanderers RFC is a Canadian rugby club based in Oak Bay, British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a ...

in the British Columbia Premiership and with

Prairie Wolf Pack The Prairie Wolf Pack is a Canadian rugby union team representing the Prairies region in the Canadian Rugby Championship. The Wolf Pack's inaugural season includes a home game at the Calgary Rugby Park against The Rock and away games at the BC ...

in the

Canadian Rugby Championship The Canadian Rugby Championship (CRC) (french: Championnat provincial du Canada de rugby à XV) was a Canadian amateur rugby union competition, partially funded by the World Rugby. It was the highest level of men's domestic rugby in Canada. Four r ...

Personal life

Dala was born in Jos,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, but moved to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

with his family and took up rugby at age 12. Eventually Dala would go on to represent

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

provincial teams at various age-grade levels. Dala and his family would eventually move on to the city of

North Battleford North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The Batt ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

where his father, Gideon, sought job opportunities in the medical field. Dala later moved on to

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

to pursue university education at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. In Saskatoon Dala would go on to join local club side, Saskatoon Wild Oats RFC.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dala, Nanyak 1984 births Canadian rugby union players Canada international rugby union players Living people Sportspeople from Jos Canadian sportspeople of Nigerian descent University of Saskatchewan alumni Canada international rugby sevens players Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada Pan American Games medalists in rugby sevens Rugby sevens players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games rugby sevens players for Canada Rugby sevens players at the 2011 Pan American Games Prairie Wolf Pack players Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Nigerian emigrants to Canada