Canada Selects grind out win over Arrows in Toronto

The fans showed up on a windy Friday evening before a long weekend in Toronto but unfortunately they didn’t quite get the game they were hoping for. What could have been a spectacle of running rugby was instead a largely dour affair that offered plenty of front-on clashes but little ambition as the Canada Selects ground their way to a 19-0 win over the Ontario Arrows.

Choppy pitch conditions and poor handling contributed a litany of scrums throughout. The Arrows had hoped to hold an advantage but the absence of tighthead prop Tom Dolezel and second row Paul Ciulini – the latter drafted to the Selects side before the match – proved decisive. Canada’s scrum was completely dominant until the arrival of Clint Lemkus mid-way through the half but even the big South African could only slow the retreat.

Unable to clear their lines and increasingly falling foul of the referee, the Arrows spent virtually the entire first half forced to defend in their own half. They could not be faulted for their commitment, winning two turnovers in the shadow of their goal posts, but the inevitable score came after captain Mike Sheppard was binned for taking out Patrick Parfrey off the ball. Sheppard’s usual lock-mate Ciulini was appropriately the man to touch down from in close.

Just as Sheppard returned to the fray the Arrows were again reduced to only 14 when Lemkus was dispatched, presumably a result of of team infringements. The Canadian pack went into auto-pilot and pushed Ontario back to their own line. Andrew Ferguson went quick from a scrum penalty and Conor Keys was there to pick and drive for a try under the sticks at the stroke of halftime.

The home side finally got some go-forward early in the second half and found progress by moving the ball. Alex Gliksten’s quick service had the defense on the back foot and he cleverly spotted an overlap on the blindside, but the try-scoring pass from Kolby Francis to Johnny Sheridan was ruled forward and the crowd bemoaned the decision.

They would applaud as the Selects finally strung together some phases and a local favorite crossed in the corner. Canada went wide left and then shifted it to the ride sideline where Kainoa Lloyd was waiting for a rare chance to attack. He would make the most of the opportunity, beating three defenders and finishing with an acrobatic dive and one-handed touchdown.

There would be no runaway in the final quarter, however. The Arrows repelled a Canadian attack and worked their way into scoring range. Quick hands from Shawn Windsor and Mitch Richardson found Francis loitering on the left wing and the big No8 looked to have ended the match on a high with his best Lloyd impression, his big arm reaching out to touch the ball on the line. The match officials, however, did not agree. After a brief consultation it was ruled a knock-on and again the fans voiced their displeasure.

A return fixture will take place at Westhills Stadium in Langford next Saturday with both sides expected to make changes and the turf field certain to impact the style of play. For both sides it will be a match of importance – the end of the Arrows’ spring campaign and a final opportunity for players to force their way into June test contention.

 

SCORING

ARROWS 0
Yellow cards – M. Sheppard (24’), C. Lemkus (35’)

SELECTS 19
Tries – P. Ciulini (27’), C. Keys (40’), K. Lloyd (61’)
Cons – R. Povey 2/2 (28’, 40’), G. McRorie 0/1

 

TEAMS

ONTARIO ARROWS
1 Rob Brouwer (17 Pat Lynott 66’), 2 Alex Post, 3 Mike Smith (18 Clint Lemkus 26’), 4 Mike Sheppard (capt.), 5 Josh van Horne (19 Tom van Horne 54’), 6 Marcello Wainwright (17 Pat Lynott 38’-46’) (16 Cam Sandison 57’-66’), 7 Peter Milazzo (20 Travis Larsen HT), 8 Kolby Francis , 9 Alex Gliksten (21 Mario van der Westhuizen 65’), 10 Will Kelly, 11 Aaron McLelland (23 Kyle Lagasca 65’), 12 Jamie Leveridge (22 Mitch Richardson 59’), 13 Jon West, 14 Johnny Sheridan, 15 Shawn Windsor

CANADA SELECTS
1 Noah Barker (17 Liam Murray 66’), 2 Martial Lagain (16 Steven Ng 58’), 3 Cole Keith (18 Ryan Kotlewski 66’), 4 Paul Ciulini, 5 Conor Keys, 6 Dustin Dobravsky (20 Matt Heaton 53’), 7 Lucas Rumball (capt.), 8 Luke Campbell (19 Grant Crowell 72’), 9 Andrew Ferguson (21 Jorden Sandover-Best 53’), 10 Robbie Povey (22 Gordon McRorie 53’), 11 Kainoa Lloyd, 12 Guiseppe du Toit, 13 Doug Fraser (23 Josh Thiel 72’), 14 Cole Davis, 15 Patrick Parfrey

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Moe Chaudhry (RC)
Assistants: Mike Jones (RC) & Dale Hall (RC)

 

Attendance: 1,469