Canada lose Baillie and O’Leary for Vancouver test

Canada have been dealt a significant blow ahead their Americas 2 World Cup Qualifying series against Uruguay. First choice professionals Kyle Baillie and Shane O’Leary have been ruled out of the first test to be played at BC Place in Vancouver next Saturday. Baillie is still recovering from injury sustained while playing for London Scottish on December 28 and O’Leary’s return from ankle injury has been delayed. It’s uncertain whether either will be fit to play for the second leg in Montevideo.

Also left out of the 30-man roster named for the first leg are Oxford University winger Dan Moor and two uncapped players – loose forward Dustin Dobravsky and midfielder Doug Fraser. Moor is a surprise absentee with no clear indication of injury. There are two uncapped players named in Atlantic Rock hooker Martial Lagain and BC Bears flanker Luke Campbell.

The crucial flyhalf position now falls to either Patrick Parfrey or Connor Braid. Parfrey deputised for O’Leary, starting all four games in November including the match at BC Place against the New Zealand Māori. Braid missed the November series with injury and has since been playing on the HSBC Sevens Series. He last played for a test for Canada in the Americas 1 World Cup Qualifiers against the USA as an inside centre, starting at flyhalf in the match against Romania on June 17.

Options for Baillie’s blindside flank role appear to be Evan Olmstead, Lucas Rumball, or Admir Cejvanovic. Olmstead is a first choice second row but started on the flank against Samoa in November 2016. Rumball is comfortable on either side of the scrum and started on the blindside against Georgia on November 11. Cejvanovic is another who has been training with the Sevens side recently. He started both matches of the Americas 1 Qualiifers against the USA.

The question of who will play fullback in the injury-enforced absence of Ciaran Hearn, Matt Evans, and Andrew Coe, is another yet to be answered. Brock Staller appears the most likely having played the position during the 2017 Americas Rugby Championship. Alternatives include Parfrey or possibly Taylor Paris, though the latter has been used exclusively as a winger in his professional career.

Canada trained with both Harlequins and Oxford University during their week-long stay in the UK, returning to Victoria on Friday to begin preparations for the two-leg series. Uruguay meanwhile have landed in Houston and will play against the SaberCats of Major League Rugby this evening before departing for Vancouver tomorrow.

FORWARDS
Hubert Buydens (New Orleans Gold, US), Anthony Luca (Burnaby Lake), Djustice Sears-Duru (Ealing Trailfinders, UK), Ray Barkwill (Seattle Seawolves, US), Martial Lagain (Westshore), Benoît Pifféro (Blagnac, FR), Jake Ilnicki (Newcastle Falcons, UK), Cole Keith (James Bay), Matt Tierney (Pau, FR), Brett Beukeboom (Cornish Pirates, UK), Josh Larsen (Northland, NZ), Evan Olmstead (Newcastle Falcons, UK), Luke Campbell (James Bay), Matt Heaton (Darlington Mowden Park, UK), Lucas Rumball (James Bay), Tyler Ardron (Chiefs, NZ), Admir Cejvanovic (Burnaby Lake)

BACKS
Andrew Ferguson (Westshore), Phil Mack (capt., Seattle Seawolves, US), Gordon McRorie (Calgary Hornets), Connor Braid (James Bay), Patrick Parfrey (James Bay), Nick Blevins (Calgary Hornets), Guiseppe du Toit (UVic Vikes), Ben LeSage (UBC Thunderbirds), DTH van der Merwe (Newcastle Falcons, UK), Jeff Hassler (Ospreys, UK), Kainoa Lloyd (Mississauga Blues), Taylor Paris (Castres, FR), Brock Staller (Seattle Seawolves, US)