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Canada have officially qualified for Rugby World Cup 2019. The men in red earned their ticket to Japan with a 27-10 win over Hong Kong in the final match of the Repechage competition in rainy Marseille. It wasn’t all smooth sailing but in the end the strength of the Canadian defense proved the difference.
The first half did not go as planned for Kingsley Jones and Company. Hong Kong owned 75% possession and played the majority of the half in Canada’s end but couldn’t get points on the board. At halftime they had only managed three points through the boot of Matt Rosslee, a comical occurrence with the Dragons forced to kick for goal after the tee carrier ran on the pitch prematurely.
Despite almost no opportunities Canada scored two tries before the break. The first came from hooker Ray Barkwill, who capitalised on several phases from close range. The second came from the restart following Rosslee’s penalty. DTH van der Merwe was fastest down the pitch to charge down Rosslee’s clearance attempt, showing good skill to regather in the conditions.
The second half would be even more frustration for Hong Kong. They failed to execute with Gordon McRorie in the bin for an intentional knock-on, instead going backwards and kicking the ball away. Canada’s defense stymied them time after time until finally Conor Hartley dove into the corner to give the Dragons some hope.
It was a false hope. As the clock wound down Canada took a stranglehold on the game with McRorie landing two penalties and van der Merwe finishing superbly in the corner to seal the result. The final minutes were a formality with both teams aware that the game had been won.
After many long months of disappointment and discussion Canada can now breathe a sigh of relief. They have retained their perfect record of qualifying for every World Cup and with it come the financial spoils so desperately sought after. Hong Kong, like Germany, are left to wonder what might have been and will now turn their focus to a return to France for RWC 2023.
For Canada their gaze turns to Japan, where they will compete against New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, and Namibia in Pool B. Wins over the latter two would earn them automatic qualification for RWC 2023, a target surely in their sights now with their turn of fortunes.
SCORING
HONG KONG 10
Tries – C. Hartley (52’)
Cons – M. Rosslee 1/1 (53’)
Pens – M. Rosslee 1/1 (30’)
CANADA 27
Tries – R. Barkwill (17’), D. van der Merwe 2 (32’, 70’)
Cons – G. McRorie 3/3 (18’, 33’, 71’)
Pens – G. McRorie 2/3 (61’, 66’)
Yellow cards – G. McRorie (39’)
TEAMS
HONG KONG
1 Dan Barlow (17 Ben Higgins 50’), 2 Dayne Jans (16 Alex Post 59’), 3 Grant Kemp (18 Jack Parfitt 57’), 4 Craig Lodge (19 Michael Parfitt 67’), 5 Fin Field, 6 James Cunningham (capt.), 7 Toby Fenn, 8 Thomas Lamboley, 9 Liam Slatem (21 Jamie Lauder 64’), 10 Matt Rosslee, 11 Conor Hartley, 12 Ben Axten-Burrett (22 Jamie Hood 64’), 13 Tyler Spitz (23 Max Woodward 2’), 14 Salom Yiu (20 Nick Hewson 68’), 15 Casey Stone
CANADA
1 Hubert Buydens (17 Djustice Sears-Duru 57’), 2 Ray Barkwill (16 Eric Howard 77’), 3 Matt Tierney (18 Jake Ilnicki 50’), 4 Mike Sheppard (20 Matt Heaton 45’), 5 Evan Olmstead, 6 Kyle Baillie, 7 Lucas Rumball (19 Brett Beukeboom 64’), 8 Tyler Ardron, 9 Phil Mack (capt.) (21 Jamie MacKenzie 77’), 10 Gordon McRorie, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 12 Ciaran Hearn (22 Nick Blevins 50’), 13 Ben LeSage, 14 Taylor Paris (23 Conor Trainor 68’), 15 Theo Sauder
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Romain Poite (FFR)
Assistants: Joy Neville (IRFU) & Adam Leal (RFU)
TMO: David Grashoff (RFU)
