Canada Selects overwhelm Arrows in Langford

The Canada Selects got through their final tune-up before the June internationals in convincing fashion, scoring eight tries en route to a 58-28 win over the Ontario Arrows at Westhills Stadium on Saturday. Ontario proved difficult opponents with only six points between the two sides at the break, but the pace of the Canadian attack overwhelmed the visitors in the second half.

Gordon McRorie cast a dominant shadow throughout, starting the match at flyhalf and switching to his more accustomed scrumhalf position mid-way through the second period. McRorie sliced through to score the opening try just four minutes in. He would continue to plague the Ontario defense either by footwork or sleight of hand, and finished with a personal haul of 23 points from an 8-from-10 performance off the kicking tee.

Andrew Ferguson, Ben LeSage, and Matt Heaton gave the Selects four tries to only one for Kolby Francis and the Arrows at the 30-minute mark. The Arrows found inspiration in their forwards, who at last began to exert dominance in the tight-loose. Numerous phases sucked in the defense to open holes first for Marcello Wainwright and then Aaron McLelland, with Shawn Windsor’s kicking radar proving accurate even from difficult angles.

The second half belonged to the Selects. With several subs made by each team to give players opportunities in front of the Canadian selectors, the quick conditions on the turf allowed for much more adventure than had been seen in Toronto a week before. Luke Campbell and Dustin Dobravsky found the line from in close before McLelland would grab a second for the Arrows in response.

Replacement flyhalf Theo Sauder showed his class as he scythed through the Arrows defense to score close to the hour mark. The final say would go – fittingly – to Selects winger Kainoa Lloyd, who showed his trademark pace and power to beat his Arrows clubmates to the corner.

It’s unlikely that many will have forced their way into the Canadian squad to be announced on Monday beyond those who were already on track to be there. Potential bolters include Sauder, whose x-factor and versatility makes him an intriguing option, while Windsor impressed for the Arrows and is a more experienced option at the thinly-covered flyhalf position.

In the front row Noah Barker looks to have secured his spot at loosehead prop while young hooker Steven Ng showed well in an 80-minute shift. Both Paul Ciulini and Conor Keys are in the mix though the second row is becoming increasingly congested. Clint Lemkus and Aaron McLelland will have each caught the eye but remain ineligible for Canada until mid-2019.

Most notably this brings the Ontario Arrows to their end of their spring campaign, though their postponed home fixture against Rugby United New York remains unscheduled. The discussions over potential inclusion in the 2019 Major League Rugby season will continue with a decision to come next month. Canadian coach Kingsley Jones has added his name to the long list of those who hope the final word is an emphatic ‘yes’.

SCORING

CANADA 58
Tries – G. McRorie (4’), A. Ferguson (8’), B. LeSage (23’), M. Heaton (27’), L. Campbell (45’), D. Dobravsky (47’), T. Sauder (58’), K. Lloyd (80’)
Cons – G. McRorie 6/8 (9’, 28’, 46’, 48’, 59’, 80’)
Pens – G. McRorie 2/2 (15’, 71’)

ONTARIO 28
Tries – K. Francis (19’), M. Wainwright (34’), A. McLelland 2 (40’, 51’)
Cons – S. Windsor 4/4 (20’, 35’, 40’, 52’)
Yellow cards – M. Sheppard (70’)

TEAMS

CANADA SELECTS
1 Noah Barker, 2 Steven Ng, 3 Ryan Kotlewski, 4 Paul Ciulini, 5 Conor Keys, 6 Matt Heaton, 7 Lucas Rumball (capt.), 8 Luke Campbell, 9 Andrew Ferguson, 10 Gordon McRorie, 11 Kainoa Lloyd, 12 Nick Blevins, 13 Ben LeSage, 14 Cole Davis, 15 Patrick Parfrey

Replacements: 16 Grant Crowell, 17 Liam Murray, 18 Cole Keith, 19 Liam Chisholm, 20 Dustin Dobravsky, 21 Robbie Povey, 22 Theo Sauder, 23 Guiseppe du Toit, 24 Karsten Leitner, 25 Doug Fraser

ONTARIO ARROWS
1 Rob Brouwer, 2 Alex Post, 3 Clint Lemkus, 4 Mike Sheppard (capt.), 5 Tom van Horne, 6 Marcello Wainwright, 7 Peter Milazzo, 8 Kolby Francis, 9 Alex Gliksten, 10 Shawn Windsor, 11 Kyle Lagasca, 12 Jamie Leveridge, 13 Mitch Richardson, 14 Johnny Sheridan, 15 Aaron McLelland

Replacements: 16 Cam Sandison, 17 Pat Lynott, 18 Alex Forrest, 19 Dillon Goos, 20 Travis Larsen, 21 Mario van der Westhuizen, 22 Cooper Coats, 23 Josh Campbell, 24 Josh Thiel

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Harry Mason (RC)