The Road to Americas 2 – Canada

After dropping the Americas 1 series to the US Eagles, Canada now head down the Americas 2 road in search of a seat on the plane to Tokyo in 2019. To achieve their goal they must now defeat Uruguay in home-and-away matches to be held on January 27 and February 3 of 2018. It’s a little less than seven months away and while that may seem distant, preparations will begin this week to address the shortcomings of San Diego.

 

FORM GUIDE

It’s fair to see recent times have not been kind to Canada in the test arena. Their only win of 2015 came against Georgia and while they managed four in 2016, it’s back to the drawing board in 2017 with only a solitary victory against Chile in February to speak of. Their current ranking of 23rd in the world is their lowest in the history of the official World Rugby Rankings.

 

UPCOMING FIXTURES

There are precious few opportunities at elite level between now and January. The majority of the domestic contingent are expected to take part in the upcoming Canadian Rugby Championships, but with only four matches on tap – three spread over eight days – its value is debatable.

For those not signed to professional contracts there will be a return to the Americas Pacific Challenge in October to face ‘A’ level competition in a location still to be confirmed. One ‘test’ is set to be played in Vancouver on November 4 before the full senior squad heads abroad for the international series with matches planned against Russia, Tonga, and Georgia. After that there is a significant gap that management are now trying to mitigate with a potential tour abroad, though specifics are still far from being confirmed.

 

ROSTER

For the most part Canada can be expected to be the same side that faced the Eagles, but there is room for some revision should Head Coach Mark Anscombe choose to freshen up the squad. One choice he must make sooner than later is whether to persist with a section of the squad that might not make the World Cup, provided the team qualifies. Jamie Cudmore has now played his last game and there are a handful of others on the wrong side of 30 who could face the axe if they do not make the decision themselves.

Hubert Buydens did not recover in time to take part in the Qualifiers but is said keen on continuing his test career. Rob Brouwer, Anthony Luca, Ray Barkwill, Aaron Carpenter, and Phil Mack are others whose ‘best before’ dates are fast approaching if not here. Anscombe has not been complimentary of his depth at senior level but may feel compelled to make changes now with one eye gazing towards Japan. It’s an unusual selection dilemma for Canada, one exacerbated by the challenge that awaits in Montevideo.

Canada should have access to most if not all of their overseas professionals given that Regulation 8 applies to World Cup Qualifiers. There is a lingering doubt, however, that top players like Taylor Paris and Tyler Ardron will be available. Europe-based Tier 2 players have traditionally faced pressure from their clubs in the midst of an important club season while Ardron will be asked to skip out on two weeks of pre-season training ahead of his first Super Rugby season.

There is also the specter of injury, something that Canada has been all too aware of in recent days. Jeff Hassler and Matt Evans are not certain to take part in the November tests though it’s hoped they’ll be fit and firing in time for the Qualifiers. One who is certainly out is Conor Trainor, whose Achilles injury will keep him sidelined until well into 2018.

 

OUTLOOK

In years gone by Uruguay might have been considered a formality, but those days are well and truly in the past. Los Teros are a winning team on an upwards trajectory and are a tough proposition on home soil, as Canada saw in Montevideo earlier this year. In fact on rankings alone Uruguay will be considered favorites as they now sit in 18th spot.

Canada have work to do to shore up deficiencies in the side, not least in the tight-loose where their maul defense has been shown to be sorely lacking. They must also find cohesion in their attacking game. Settling on a consistent halfback duo will help in that regard. Most importantly the culture of ‘finding ways to lose’ is one that needs discarding. It will be up to Anscombe and his coaching staff to inspire the charges to victory rather than defeat.