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BC Bears coach Gabriel Fulcher has named his starting side to take on England Counties at Klahanie Park in West Vancouver on Friday. Americas Rugby Championship caps Liam Chisholm and Joe Dolesau headline a team that contains only seven returning players from last year’s entry in the Canadian Rugby Championship.
The team is dominated by CDI Premier League finalists Burnaby Lake, who provide the entire starting front row and 10 players to the 24-player squad. Anthony Luca captains the side with former Canada ‘A’ hooker Micha Govorchin getting the start ahead of clubmate Andrew Lackner. Ryan Ackerman anchors the scrum at tighthead, with Chisholm partnering uncapped ARC call-up, UBC’s Sam Clark, in the second row.
Chisholm returns after a three year absence from the side, and back after an even longer hiatus is former Canada u20 forward Glen McKinnon. The 2012 CDI Player of the Year has been a dominant player for Capilano for several years and is a welcome addition to a side that has failed to fire in recent years.
Scottish flyhalf James Reekie, now eligible for Canada on residency, makes his Bears debut at flyhalf with familiar faces Dolesau and Doug Fraser in the midfield. New Zealander Gareth Marsden lines up at fullback, and another debutant in UBC’s Manar Kulkhan is on the wing.
Halfbacks Cody Rockson and Geoff Ryan are the only non-forwards on a bench that lists four back row specialists, among them bruising Burnaby no8 Taitusi Vikilani – still only 19 – and Canada u20 openside Ollie Nott. Ryan March is another interesting addition. Another national u20 graduate, the prop was called up to the Senior Men’s tour to Europe in November of 2013 but has been in the rugby wilderness since the fall of 2014.
The match kicks off at 7pm local time.
BC BEARS v England Counties
1 Anthony Luca (capt., Burnaby Lake)
2 Micha Govorchin (Burnaby Lake)
3 Ryan Ackerman (Burnaby Lake)
4 Sam Clark (UBC Thunderbirds)
5 Liam Chisholm (UVic Vikes)
6 Brendan Kelliher (Castaway Wanderers)
7 Alex Boyd (Capilano)
8 Glen McKinnon (Capilano)
9 Chris Robinson (Capilano)
10 James Reekie (Burnaby Lake)
11 Manar Kulkhan (UBC Thunderbirds)
12 Doug Fraser (Castaway Wanderers)
13 Joe Dolesau (Burnaby Lake)
14 Crosby Stewart (UVic Vikes)
15 Gareth Marsden (Burnaby Lake)
RESERVES FROM:
Andrew Lackner (Burnaby Lake)
Ryan March (Abbotsford)
Cody McClary (Port Alberni)
Taitusi Vikilani (Burnaby Lake)
Ollie Nott (UVic Vikes)
Lee Helm (Abbotsford)
Chris Chalmers (Abbotsford)
Cody Rockson (Burnaby Lake)
Geoff Ryan (Burnaby Lake)
Head Coach – Gabriel Fulcher
Scrum Coach – Angel Cividanes
Attack Coach – Tony LaCarte
Manager – Mike James
