Beukeboom and van der Merwe named Canada Co-Captains

Head coach Mark Anscombe has named co-captains for Canada’s June international series. Second row Brett Beukeboom and winger DTH van der Merwe will share the leadership responsibilities for the upcoming tests. van der Merwe led the team during the November tests after Aaron Carpenter was injured, and while Beukeboom has not captained from the kickoff he acted as vice-captain during the South American leg of the Americas Rugby Championship.

Both Beukeboom and van der Merwe are professional players and established veterans. The 26-year-old Beukeboom has won 23 caps since his debut in 2012 and was part of the 2015 World Cup squad. At 31 years of age van der Merwe is the senior of the two and has 42 caps to his credit after a decade in a Canadian jersey that includes World Cup selection in 2007, 2011, and 2015.

Five players who have previously captained Canada will be available should the pair need advice. Carpenter led the side on 14 occasions while 2015 World Cup skipper Tyler Ardon has 11 matches wearing the armband under his belt. Hubert Buydens acted as a stand-in on five occasions and Ray Barkwill has captained once each in the 2016 and 2017 Americas Rugby Champoinships. Gordon McRorie was named captain for the latter tournament.