Here is the all new Canadian Rugby thread to deal with the emphatic demise of Canadian rugby throughout 2017.

Canada's summer test Schedule.



With Georgia's captain retiring from International rugby our hopes for a victory there have taken a huge hit. While Romania will scrum and maul(literally, not much food over there) us to death.

Canuckles has promised to take me to the two tests in Alberta btw, haven't heard from him lately though? Hmmm.......

Don't like our chances against the Yanks either, they can field a side of 23 Manoa's on steroids and all we can do is field a side of 23 Moonlight's on the wing

How come you guys don't get the Irish? That is shock.

We f**king lost to Brazil two months ago. We don't deserve to play them.

We should be able to go three for four in June/July. I doubt if Romania and Georgia will bring their full squads. Has the Romanian Test side ever played out here?
Against the Yanks, it all depends how many expats, eligible(s) they dress. They are probably up to 15 out of their 23.
Have to admit, the Toronto league team is getting good press. Neil Davidson at CP is giving them a million bucks in fee advertising. I can't blame Neil, that team is something new, at least, and the news from RC headquarters is their same old stuff.
And for clarification, I promised your wife to take her to the two tests. Or did I send that info to your email address by mistake?

Woo hoo! Free night on the town!


BTW, Cudmore has retired from playing as of today. there goes all of our grit.

So is there any positive news for Canadian rugby? Right now it looks like league and the Wolf pack are kicking RC's ass!


Any update on O'Leary and Finlay? What about Coe?

I believe Cuddles will play for Canada this summer and retire after we qualify in July.

fixed for you. You're welcome.

Hearing that there is a good chance O'Leary will play this June!

I am surprised they are allowed to use the Wolfpack name.

I mean I assume RC would have taken steps to ensure that other rugby teams in Canada couldn't use that name.

No?

That would require RC to have foresight and a brain.

in other news Ardron could be heading to super rugby and the Chiefs.

You have become more pessimistic than me and Nieghorn combined during your sabbatical. Good work!

Playing for the Yanks helped MacGinty. O'Leary coming over should not hurt his 'career.' And if he brings Finlay over with him that is OK with me.
Is Joyce still a prospect for us? We need a young #9 to come through for us. I have been too busy and too lazy to track these guys over winter.

Not even close. Macginty is the only surefire starter who is an expat/eligible. Lamborn, Ngwenya, Eloff, Davies and Peterson the others likely to be in the 23. Brache, Tarr and Durutalo are all US-born but learned their rugby overseas so maybe you can count them at a stretch.

Chile has produced one decent prospect since Arancibia, and you lot are going to pinch him. Filthy.

Have your suits decided on a KO time for the July 1 Test? I will be in the area the week leading into it, and I would not mind sticking around for the game.

Sure you want to stay around at watch that carnage?

Neil Davidson of CP on Canada's Prep for the summer internationals:



Rugby World Cup road challenging for Canada


Wednesday's Rugby World Cup draw in Japan will show Canada coach Mark Anscombe his ultimate destination.

But obstacles remain on Canada's journey to the 2019 tournament, starting with the 17th-ranked U.S. Eagles in a June home-and-away aggregate qualifying series.

Should the 22nd-ranked Canadian men fail against the U.S., they will have two more chances at making the 20-team World Cup field out of the Americas. There is a home-and-away series against a top South American team like No. 21 Uruguay (No. 9 Argentina has already qualified) with the winner advancing.

The loser of that playoff can still qualify via a world repechage tournament.

In addition to the Americans, Uruguayans and whoever else might stand in the way, Anscombe faces structural challenges in assembling his Canadian team.

At Rugby Canada's annual general meeting last month, the New Zealander spoke highly of his players' character and willingness to follow his program.

But he also painted a disturbing picture of a national team talent pool that was unfit and ill-prepared because of the lack of top-level domestic club competition.

"There's no sugar-coating it," Anscombe, just back from a European scouting trip, said in an interview. "There's work to be done."

Anscombe said players arrived out of shape for his first test match as Canada coach against Japan, with provincial rugby seasons either over or about to start.

"When we tested our squad in June last year it was quite appalling," Anscombe told the AGM.

In the 10 weeks ahead of the Japan game, 14 players had had less than two games while 13 had less than five. Only two had more than five.

Canada lost 26-22.

And in the November tests, when Anscombe was able to call on his top overseas players, he determined only three had been playing at a good level and preparation (two from the Pro12 and one from the English Premiership).

Eighteen others came from domestic club rugby, and four each from the English and French second-tier.

Conditioning for Anscombe means two things: fit to play and conditioned to play in the intense, pressure-filled cauldron of international ruby.

"Guys are getting fitter but they're not match-conditioned at a higher level," he said. "If you drive your motor vehicle around a racing circuit at 30 miles an hour, you're comfortable taking risks at 30 miles an hour and doing things and executing things at 30 miles an hour.

"But if you have to go into a competition and do it at 60, then I'm certain that you're not comfortable manoeuvring that vehicle around once in a blue moon at 60, are you? Our guys are comfortable at club level but they're not getting challenged enough at that higher end ... You don't have time on the ball, you don't have space on the ball. You're getting challenged a lot more. The hits are a lot harder.

"No matter how good you are, you only get better at that if you get familiar with doing it regularly."

In a 46-21 romp over a poor Russian side last June, Canada ran in four converted tries in the first 20 minutes. Anscombe said his players were averaging 60 running metres a minute in the first 20 minutes before falling to 40 running metres a minute, then 25 as the match wore on.

Super Rugby, in contrast, sees players hit 80 metres a minute and the All Blacks and England can get up to 100 metres a minutes, Anscombe said.

For the Americas Rugby Championship earlier this year, the Canadian coach deliberately looked to test young talent.

The reason?

"We keep bringing out the same old guy that we know's not good enough to play rugby at the high level but because we have to make the numbers, get the squad together, we keep throwing back names that get found out time and time again."

Looking for some long-term projects, he chose 12 players 22 or younger.

"Did all of them step up? No, but some showed some real good promise."

It came at a short-term cost. After finishing fifth in the six-team tournament with a 1-4-0 record, the Canadian men dropped to an all-time low of No. 23 in the world rankings.

Anscombe and his strength and conditioning coach, Michael Deasy, are hoping to work with the provinces to up the fitness levels of Canadian players.

"If we're going to be successful, we've got to be fit. And we're just not fit enough and guys break down through that," he said.

That takes money if you want to establish programs across the country to monitor and support players trying to improve together.

During the AGM, Anscombe was asked what would be at the op of his wish list. He answered a pro team in Canada.

Rugby Canada has had talks with Pro12, which covers Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It has also approached Super Rugby but that elite circuit, which features teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan, seems more in contraction than addition mode.

Anscombe believes a pro team could come to Canada "within the next couple of years."

While attempts to link up with the American PRO Rugby failed and the circuit closed shop after its inaugural season, he still sees a North American league being an opportunity.

Rugby just needs a shop window in North America, Anscombe argues. Once people see it, they will believe there is a future in the sport.

"You'd be amazed at how quickly the game will develop and the players will improve," he said.

In the meantime, Anscombe is using his contacts to place Canadians in top-notch training environments, with Pat Parfrey, Conor Keys, Cole Keith and Kyle Baillie going to New Zealand ahead of the summer tests.

Canada plays No. 12 Georgia on June 10 in Calgary before facing No. 16 Romania on June 17 in Edmonton as warmups for the World Cup qualifying series against the U.S. on June 24 at Hamilton's Tim Hortons Field and July 1 in San Diego.

"I think, quite positively, that we could be putting our best team since I've been here together in June," he said.

---

Format for Wednesday World Cup draw in Kyoto, Japan

Band 1: The four highest ranked directly qualified teams (New Zealand, England, Australia, Ireland)

Band 2: The next four highest ranked directly qualified teams (Scotland, France, South Africa, Wales)

Band 3: The final four directly qualified teams (Argentina, Japan, Georgia, Italy)

Band 4: Africa 1, Americas 1, Europe 1, Oceania 1

Band 5: Oceania 2, Americas 2, Playoff winner, Repechage winner

Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

By Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

I'm definitely against poaching Kalm but there's a lot of competition in the back row for him to get into the Eagles. They have a couple Top 14 players who have made themselves available for their RWCQs this month, which should see them perform a bit better than they have in the ARC. No time yet to my knowledge.

Official now

Ardron heading to the Chiefs

Forgive the poor grammar of the article.

Correct.

Ardron to Chiefs (NZ), and Baillie to London Scottish. A little disappointed in the latter, but suppose all the Premiership clubs have basically filled their rosters. Worcester were reportedly after Ardron as well to replace Chris Vui. Baillie could have done a job for them.

Still a few Canadian free agents out there. Sears-Duru, Ilnicki, Carpenter, Braid. Hopefully O'Leary impresses with us and lands somewhere decent soon.

Gotta hand it to the Wolfpack, they're media savvy. Won't catch me ever watching the stuff but good for them. RC need to massively up their game.

Joyce is still a prospect but was more a B-side player for Trinity this year. Hopefully Ferguson plays well against Glendale and gets a look.

Heard anything about Canadian teams in MLR? Early success of the Wolfpack could be a decent proof of concept for potential Canadian MLR investors.

Have heard that both Vancouver and Toronto have interested parties and have met or will meet with MLR soon.

What is with RC and Ferguson? Just because a player does not want to spend his time in Langford sitting in a circle singing "Kumbaya"? That should not be held against him.
We need a young scrummie and every time I see Ferguson play he goes okay. He can place kick, too.

Ontario will take on Glendale this Saturday in the Big O. I take it Glendale is last year's Denver squad in PRO. It should be a good game. Ontario's front row looks good. The game will be streamed so, hopefully, it will be archived. Ontario team is below:

Ontario Blues Senior Men's Head Coach Chris Silverthorn has named his 23 man squad for Saturday's rugby clash with professional side Glendale Raptors of Major League Rugby. The match will be played in Burlington, Ontario at Sherwood Forest Park. Gates open at 1:00pm and kick-off is at 3:00pm.

Five changes have been made to the squad that prevailed in New York three weeks ago, including the additions of Glasgow Warriors prop Djustice Sears-Duru, Lindsay flanker Jeremy Wright, Toronto Scottish center Alex Colborne and Rugby Canada centrally carded players, wing Dan Moor and hooker Eric Howard.

“Its still early in our season, but the guys have now had a few games under their belt and the attitude at training has been excellent," said Silverthorn. "We know they are a pro team that is way ahead of us in preparation, but we feel we can look forward to a very even contest.”

Tickets for the match are available at the gate for $10/person. If you are planning on attending in a group of 25 or more, please contact info@rugbyontario.com by Friday May 19 to receive a discounted rate.

If you can't make it out to Burlington, catch the LIVE STREAM on our YouTube page.

Ontario Blues Roster

FORWARDS:

Rob Brouwer, Lindsay (capt)

Djustice Sears-Duru, Crusaders

Eric Howard, Brantford Harlequins

Andrew Quattrin, Aurora Barbarians

Ryan Surgenor, Bytown Blues

Pat Lynott, Bytown Blues

Hank Mcqueen, Balmy Beach

Mike Sheppard, Stoney Creek Camels

Paul Ciulini, Aurora Barbarians

Lucas Rumball, Balmy Beach

Andrew Wilson, Crusaders

Jeremy Wright, Lindsay

Seb Pearson, London St. George's

BACKS:

Andrew Ferguson, Crusaders

Mario Vanderwesthuizen, Guelph Redcoats

Shawn Windsor, Stoney Creek Camels

John Sheridan, Markham Irish

Alex Colborne, Toronto Scottish

Dan Moor, Balmy Beach

Jon West, Crusaders

Josh Campbell, London St. George's

Kainoa Lloyd, Mississauga Blues

Rory Mcdonnell, Brantford Harlequins

COACHING STAFF:

Chris Silverthorn - Head Coach

Cory Hector - Assistant Coach

Mark Winokur - Team Manager

Chris Kelly - Athletic Therapist

Rodin Lozada - Video Analyst

Dr Chris Gallimore - Team Doctor

Ontario Blues Sr. Men vs. Glendale Raptors

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Kickoff: 3:00pm ET

Sherwood Forest Park, Burlington

Stream: LINK

Glendale isn't exactly last year's PRO squad, but it is a lot of it minus a couple guys who went to Austin. They also recently added Eagle center Bryce Campbell.

41-25 for the Blues. Ontario had too much power at the scrums and mauls. Ontario got snappy games from Ferguson and Lloyd. The latter showed promise when I saw him last year during the Victoria weekend. Lloyd is still a bit rough in spots but showed marked improvement in a year. DSD came on early in the first half with Brouwer moving to Tight Head. Going from this game's performance, The Prairie Wolf Pack would also take Glendale by some measure.

I do not follow Toronto's league team but was sent a note saying the team got another good crowd in the thousands. The optics for the Blues game is not a good one in comparison: playing out in a suburban field in front of a few hundred folks with a stream of poor camera work and worse announcers.

CanNZ has waited four years for this day: Shane O'Leary has entered the building.

Lineups below (O'Leary and Coe are the two new big names) for the Pacific Tyee (whatever!) BC match, er, scrimmage, er, practice, er, whatever ...


LANGFORD, BC — Canada’s senior men’s head coach Mark Anscombe has named a 25-man Pacific Tyee roster for two domestic trial matches ahead of Canada’s June series.

The Pacific Tyee will face the BC Bears on May 27 in Langford, BC, after Day 1 of the HSBC Canada Women’s Sevens before facing the Prairie Wolf Pack in a controlled scrimmage on June 2 in Calgary.

“These games are crucial as we determine our squad for next months critical test matches,” Anscombe said. “The Bears and Wolf Pack will provide quality opposition and we’ve selected a squad that features a number of test proven players.”

The squad features a wealth of experience including Ray Barkwill, Conor Trainor, Nick Blevins, Brett Beukeboom, Djustice Sears-Duru and Gordon McRorie.

Both games are free to the public to watch but neither game will be streamed live as they are for internal selection purposes. Gates will open for the Bears game at 6pm PT but for fans looking to arrive sooner, they will need a ticket to Day 1 of the HSBC Canada Sevens.

The Canadian Rugby Championships — featuring the Atlantic Rock, BC Bears, Ontario Blues and Prairie Wolf Pack — is the domestic pathway to Canada’s senior men’s program. The 2017 tournament will see each side play four games, with the final three games, including the final, taking place over a week in Calgary from August 13-19. The Ontario Blues are the defending MacTier Cup champions.

Canada are gearing up for a busy June schedule that sees them face Romania on June 10 in Calgary, Georgia on June 17 in Edmonton before heading to Ontario to face the USA on June 24 in Hamilton at Tim Horton’s Field in the first leg of their 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifier. The second leg takes place July 1 in San Diego.

Canada’s June series squad will be announced at a later date. Tickets for Canada’s home test matches in June can be purchased by clicking here.

Pacific Tyee Squad for Domestic Trial Matches (Name, club, hometown):

Kyle Baillie – (Westshore RFC/Atlantic Rock) Summerside, PEI

Ray Barkwill – (Castaway Wanderers/Ontario Blues) Niagara Falls, ON

Brett Beukeboom – (Cornish Pirates) Lindsay, ON

Nick Blevins – (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB

Gradyn Bowd – (UVIC Vikes/Prairie Wolf Pack) Red Deer, AB

Rob Brouwer – (Lindsay RFC/Ontario Blues) Lindsay, ON

Admir Cejvanovic – (Burnaby Lake RFC/BC Bears) Burnaby, BC

Andrew Coe – (UBC Thunderbirds) Toronto, ON

Guiseppe Du Toit – (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears) Maple Ridge, BC

Andrew Ferguson – (Oakville Crusaders) Mississauga, ON

Matt Heaton – (Darlington Mowden Park/Atlantic Rock) Godmanchester, QC

Eric Howard – (Brantford Harlequins/Ontario Blues) Ottawa, ON

Jake Ilnicki – (Manawatu Turbos/BC Bears) Williams Lake, BC

Conor Keys – (UVIC Vikes/Atlantic Rock) Stittsville, ON

Aidan McMullan – (Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC) Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC

Gordon McRorie – (UBC Old Boys Ravens/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB

Dan Moor – (Balmy Beach RFC/Ontario Blues) Toronto, ON

Shane O’Leary – (Unattached) Cork, Ireland

Lucas Rumball – (Balmy Beach RFC/Ontario Blues) Scarborough, ON

Djustice Sears -Duru – (Glasgow Warriors/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON

Brock Staller – (UBC Thunderbirds/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC

Matt Tierney – (Section Paloise/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON

Conor Trainor – (RC Vannes/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC

Adrian Wadden – (Oakville Crusaders), Oakville, ON

Canada’s June Series Schedule:

Pacific Tyee vs. BC Bears — May 27 — Westhills Stadium

Pacific Tyee vs. Prairie Wolf Pack (Controlled scrimmage) — June 2 — Calgary Rugby Park

Canada vs. Romania — June 10 — Calgary Rugby Park — 5pm ET/2pm PT

Canada vs. Georgia — June 17 — Ellerslie Rugby Park — 5pm ET/2pm PT

Canada vs. USA — June 24 — Tim Horton’s Field — 3pm ET/12pm PT

Canada vs. USA — July 1 — San Diego — 6pm ET/3pm PT

BC Bears Roster:

1. Clint Lemkus (UBC)

2. Paul Ahn (UBC)

3. Ryan Ackerman (BLRC)

4. Connor Weyell (UBC)

5. Liam Chisholm (UVic)

6. Travis Larsen (JBAA)

7. Nakai Penny (UBC)

8. Connor Hamilton (UBC)

9. Jorden Sandover-Best (UBC)

10. Connor Braid (JBAA)

11. Sean Duke (UBC)

12. Doug Fraser (CW)

13. Mike Newen (JBAA)

14. Anton N’Gogo (CW)

15. Aaron McLelland

16. Noah Barker (JBAA)

17. Anthony Luca (BLRC)

18. Neil Courtney (UBC)

19. Jordan Reid-Harvey

20. Taitusi Vikilani (BLRC)

21. Luke Campbell (JBAA)

22. Josh Thiel (Abbottsford)

23. Harjun Gill (UBCOB)

24. Kimi Vunituraga (BLRC)

25. Phil Mack (JBAA)

26. Shea Wakefield (JBAA)

27. James Pitblado (UVic)

28. Brandon Shellenberger (CW)

29. Tu’a Va’a (West Shore)

O'Leary!



I already have my tickets, I think.

IRISHMAN SHANE O’LEARY has been called up to Canada’s squad for two domestic trial games before they name their final selection for the June Tests against Romania, Georgia and the US.

The uncapped O’Leary recently left Connacht after three seasons under Pat Lam and previously played for French outfit Grenoble.
Shane O’Leary celebrates O'Leary was part of last season's Pro12 triumph.

The out-half is a native of Cork who grew up in Ballina, across the river Shannon from Killaloe on the border between Tipperary and Clare.
The 24-year-old played club rugby with Ballina-Killaloe RFC and went on to represent Munster at U18, U19 and U20 levels.
O’Leary, whose mother is Canadian, played for the Canada U20s at the 2013 Junior World Trophy, when he was the tournament’s top-scorer with 45 points as he helped his side to second place overall.

O’Leary, who also covers midfield, had been playing senior club rugby with Young Munster in Limerick, but Rugby Canada helped him to distribute his CV in France as O’Leary looked to break into the professional game.
After a week’s trial at Grenoble, where Bernard Jackman and ex-Young Munster director of rugby Mike Prendergast were working at the time, O’Leary signed academy terms with the then Top 14 club.

O’Leary played five times for Grenoble in the Challenge Cup during his single season in France, before earning a move back to Ireland with Connacht.
The former Killaloe Community College student played more than 20 times for Connacht over the last three seasons but departed at the end of this year’s campaign and is currently unattached to a club.
However, Canada head coach Mark Anscombe – formerly in charge of Ulster – has called O’Leary into his 25-man ‘Pacific Tyee’ roster for two trial games against Canadian sides BC Bears and Prairie Wolf Pack in the coming weeks.
Shane O’Leary celebrates after the game O'Leary left Connacht at the end of the current season.

Canada face an important summer as they meet Romania on 10 June, take on Georgia a week later and then clash with the US over two legs in a 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifier.
“These games are crucial as we determine our squad for next month’s critical Test matches,” said Anscombe. “The Bears and Wolf Pack will provide quality opposition and we’ve selected a squad that features a number of Test-proven players.”
Anscombe will confirm his final squad for the June Tests at a later date.

DTH makes it two Pro12 winners medals in 24 months. A try in each final too

Has Rugby Canada signed a major sponsor yet? Have they tried?

A good way to end his days in Wales. It sounds like two rather disappointing years for DTH there. It will be good to see the Great Man live in a couple of weeks in Alberta.

badman:

DHL is our shirt sponsor; pretty sure they have the 7s teams, too, but I do not follow that game closely. Cash is involved, but RC does not say, publicly, how much.

Unsure if it is at the level the Toronto league team has with Air Transat. That one sounds like a sweet Contra deal. It is probably saving the Toronto team 400-500K a year.

Scarlets didn't seem to know how to use him. Their issue despite how well they've been playing.

Is it not Velocity on the front, DHL on the back?

Here, how are the 7s going at Langford?

Only Neighorn cares.

as for the trial match last night Canada A beat BC 45 - 15 (I think). RC kept talking about how great a match it was on twitter, hey guys, would have been great if you guys could have live streamed it. Twats.

I care.


Stream it so bitter wannabe ROTW contenders can complain about missed passes?

From the BC Rugby News. A couple of gold stars to the writer for some whining and some disappointing info: If Mack is still that valuable to them then BC Rugby is really in trouble. Sounds like O'Leary lived up to his hype at least.

The pack that did so well for "BC" had guys from Saskatchewan, Ontario, South Africa and New Zealand in it, but I will not mention that.

Trial matches are a waste of time. I have never seen anyone or anything good come out of one. You can never have parity in the squad makeups, so the purpose of a trial match defeats itself at the onset. Pick 34-36 guys and have man-on-man practices and a few scrimmages. And if coach Anscombe and his staff do not know who are our best 30, we are in trouble. I know we have DTH and Paris back, but I think our depth at wing is weak, unless I am missing an obvious player, or the staff have decided it can throw Trainor or Hearn out there. Staller and Moor are on centralized contracts, which, I guess, means they are on the team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSWy-8GJVn8

the geniuses at RC have put the game up on YouTube but wouldn't live stream it?

Thanks for the link.

Did not see any surprises in the game. Outside of Mack and Braid (who will be on Canada), the BC #6 (Larsen?) did some good work in the first half. The South African prop did well, but I don't believe he is eligible for Canada.

Coe showed he belongs on the NSMT, but we knew that already. I thought Baillie had a good game.

Anyway, the guys on Canada got a shift in, which is what this game was about for our coaching staff.

Coe needs to get his ass to europe or super rugby.

also apparently McRorie was 9 and Ferguson was 21, so Ferguson had a good game.