RWC Repechage – Who will Canada pick?

The clock is ticking loudly now. In less than one month’s time Canada will be fighting for their World Cup life in the Repechage against Kenya, Germany, and Hong Kong. Selection for the three-match competition will be almost as important as the flagship event itself.

Much of the squad, likely to be 28 players, will not be a surprise. Canada’s best overseas players are certain to be called up, while the best of the domestic group have been together during the Americas Pacific Challenge.

Hampering domestic selections has been the refusal of core sevens players to report to the new integrated centralized training program implemented by Rugby Canada. The purpose of the change was to boost Canada’s player pool with a number of players such as World Cup starters Nathan Hirayama and Connor Braid.

The execution of the changes, however, has not gone to plan and instead it appears that the sevens players will take no part in the Repechage. Should an agreement somehow be made in the next week it remains unlikely that Kingsley Jones would opt to select players with little to no recent XV-a-side exposure in games of such importance.

While this is certainly a disappointment to both Jones and the Canadian rugby public, on paper the squad remains sufficiently talented to enter the round-robin competition as favorites to qualify for their 9th consecutive World Cup. This appraisal comes despite sitting two spots below Hong Kong on the official World Rugby Rankings.

FRONT ROW

There should be little debate when it comes to the front row. Ray Barkwill remains the preferred hooker while Hubert Buydens cemented his spot in the squad with a dominant scrummaging performance against the Tongans on Sunday. DJ Sears-Duru should be the second loosehead prop selected while at tighthead Cole Keith is set to be joined by overseas pair Jake Ilnicki and Matt Tierney.

Eric Howard may have been hopeful of being the second hooker selected but his chances look decidedly less certain after a rocky performance against Argentina and then being left on the bench for the entirety of the Tonga match. Instead it looks increasingly likely that Benoît Pifféro will get the job. The 31-year-old is first choice at Blagnac in the French Fédérale 1.

APC squad members Noah Barker and Ryan Kotlewski would be the next props in line if required. Barker was used as a temporary replacement on Sunday when Buydens was sent to the sin-bin while Kotlewski didn’t see the field at all.

SECOND ROW

Brett Beukeboom, Evan Olmstead, and Josh Larsen. Mark them down. They will be the match day regulars. The fourth spot is likely the most debatable position in the squad.

Paul Ciulini, Conor Keys, and Mike Sheppard were the APC locks, any of whom could get the nod. Matt Beukeboom is in a professional environment at Pau. A bolter could be Lucas Albornoz, capped as a blindside flanker but earning a late call-up to the Northland Mitre 10 Cup squad as lock cover.

BACK ROW

Easier to narrow down are the loose forwards. Kyle Baillie has been in excellent form since returning from injury and looks a near-certainty on the blindside flank. Tyler Ardron has been in good form with Bay of Plenty, he will start at No8. One of Matt Heaton and Lucas Rumball should start at openside with the other on the bench. The fifth spot most likely goes to Luke Campbell.

On standby will be Dustin Dobravsky, Travis Larsen, and possibly Seawolves openside Nakai Penny. National u20 captain James O’Neill could also be an emergency option if either Heaton or Rumball are injured at any point.

HALFBACKS

With Andrew Ferguson ruled out the backup to Phil Mack is now certain to be Gordon McRorie. The question might be is the latter also the backup at flyhalf? Shane O’Leary is in fine form for Nottingham and surely starts at flyhalf. The most likely bench scenario is McRorie as cover at both halfback spots opening a spot for a specialist midfielder.

How Jones sees McRorie will dictate the fourth halfback spot. Patrick Parfrey had been eyed as a fullback earlier in the year but more recently has been playing No10 exclusively. Injury permitting he has the inside line with Jorden Sandover-Best, a specialist scrumhalf, an alternative.

CENTRE

The midfield is the problem area heading for Marseille. Nick Blevins and Ben LeSage are the incumbents and Blevins looks to be on track to take a spot. LeSage missed out on the APC with school commitments but is rated highly by Jones. Will he earn a recall for November?

Ciaran Hearn and Conor Trainor are professional options who could well be the starting combination next month. Neither have played for Canada this year after long spells on the sidelines with knee and Achilles injuries respectively. Trainor is in regular rotation with a strong Nevers side though Hearn is struggling to get back in the London Irish lineup.

Doug Fraser and Jordan Wilson-Ross are the other options. Both have enjoyed their moments in the APC and look set to be on the reserve list. Guiseppe du Toit is a goal-kicking option who can cover multiple positions but looks to have slipped down the pecking order.

OUTSIDE BACKS

DTH van der Merwe and Taylor Paris are Canada’s top professionals and certainties on the wing. A third wing spot is a choice between Kainoa Lloyd and Dan Moor. The former has been the best domestic winger for some time, the latter has been a standout in a struggling Yorkshire Carnegie side. Moor’s professional status might give him the nod.

If anyone has forced their way into the side in Montevideo it’s Theo Sauder. The UBC playmaker has been at his creative best as a fullback, and his ability to cover flyhalf and wing makes him an ideal bench player if nothing else. Expect him to get the nod for November.

That leaves one spot open. Matt Evans is back from his own serious knee injury but hasn’t quite been firing on all cylinders for Cornish Pirates. His professionalism is exemplary, however, and that might be enough to get him in the squad even if he is fighting the in-form Sauder for the starting position.

Brock Staller warmed the bench against Tonga and is on the outside looking in. Cole Davis didn’t make the trip south. Robbie Povey is a utility alternative who could be called from Coventry in the case of an injury. The decision looks to be two from Lloyd, Moor, and Evans. A better problem to have than the uncertainty in the midfield.

 

POSSIBLE 28-MAN SQUAD

PROP (5)
Hubert Buydens (New Orleans Gold, US)
Jake Ilnicki (Yorkshire Carnegie, UK)
Cole Keith (Ontario Arrows)
Djustice Sears-Duru (Ontario Arrows)
Matt Tierney (Pau, FR)

HOOKER (2)
Ray Barkwill (Castaway Wanderers)
Benoît Pifféro (Blagnac, FR)

LOCK (4)
Brett Beukeboom (Cornish Pirates, UK)
Conor Keys (Rotherham Titans, UK)
Josh Larsen (Otago, NZ)
Evan Olmstead (Auckland, NZ)

BACK ROW (5)
Tyler Ardron (Bay of Plenty, NZ)
Kyle Baillie (New Orleans Gold, US)
Luke Campbell (James Bay)
Matt Heaton (Darlington Mowden Park, UK)
Lucas Rumball (Ontario Arrows)

SCRUMHALF (2)
Phil Mack (Seattle Seawolves, US)
Gordon McRorie (Calgary Hornets)

FLYHALF (2)
Shane O’Leary (Nottingham, UK)
Patrick Parfrey (Ontario Arrows)

MIDFIELD (3)
Nick Blevins (Calgary Hornets)
Ciaran Hearn (London Irish, UK)
Conor Trainor (Nevers, FR)

OUTSIDE BACKS (5)
Matt Evans (Cornish Pirates, UK)
Dan Moor (Yorkshire Carnegie, UK)
Taylor Paris (Castres, FR)
Theo Sauder (UBC Thunderbirds)
DTH van der Merwe (Glasgow Warriors, UK)