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With the mission to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2019 now complete, Canada enter the 2019 Americas Rugby Championship with a bit of levity. Head coach Kingsley Jones can now search for potential bolters for his squad to Japan and worry less about results. That said he will also be keen to build on the momentum of three straight test wins and the team will be targeting their first three matches.
Last year’s tournament started badly for Canada as they lost their World Cup Qualifier match against Uruguay in Vancouver. With their confidence shaken they were then defeated by the USA before taking out their frustrations on Brazil. The win over Chile in the final round pushed their points differential into the positive though their record remained a losing one.
Eight players would make their test debuts during the 2018 competition. Four of them have been named in the squad. Noah Barker has since started at loosehead prop but can cover across the front row, while Dustin Dobravsky and Luke Campbell provide depth in the back row. Doug Fraser started three matches in the midfield last year and is set to join the professional ranks in Major League Rugby.
RECENT FORM
The struggles continued in June with three heavy defeats, each seeing the team concede in excess of 40 points. Coach Jones used warm-up wins against Oxford and Coventry to get their chins up and the blowout win over Kenya signaled their intent at the Repechage. Germany and Hong Kong would fall by similar scores to earn Canada the final ticket to Japan.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Josh Larsen looked in good shape for Austin last weekend and will be desperate to reclaim his starting spot in the second row for the World Cup. Ageless veteran Ray Barkwill remains the incumbent hooker but Eric Howard has been named captain of the New Orleans Gold and at 25 could be ready to make his move having started only one of 17 test caps.
There are two uncapped flankers in the squad. Justin Blanchet arrives from Bedford in the RFU Championship where he specialises in chopping down opposing forwards, usually as a blindside. Also called up is Nakai Penny, now in his second season with the Seattle Seawolves. The national u20 graduate is a well-rounded openside who can offload in the tackle and win turnovers at the breakdown.
The other newcomers in the halfbacks are both age-grade reps who are now in professional academy programs overseas. Will Percillier has been the starting scrumhalf for Canada’s u20 side for the past two years and is now on the books at Stade Français in Paris. Will Kelly is tall and rangy flyhalf with a big boot. He impressed with the u20s and the Ontario Arrows during their spring campaign to earn a spot with the Dragons, one of the Welsh regional sides in the Guinness Pro 14.
VERDICT
Getting a win over Uruguay in Montevideo is no longer a given, while Canada also dropped their last match in Brazil. The North American leg will open against Chile, comfortably the easiest opposition in the tournament, while the final two matches are the two biggest challenges. Three wins from five would be a positive result. Winning both of their matches in South American, however, looks easier said than done.
FIXTURES
| DATE | LOCAL | ET | OPPONENT | VENUE |
| Sat, Feb 2 | 21:40 | 19:40 | Uruguay | Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo |
| Sat, Feb 9 | 20:15 | 17:15 | Brazil | Estádio Pereira, São José dos Campos |
| Fri, Feb 22 | 19:10 | 22:10 | Chile | Westhills Stadium, Langford |
| Fri, Mar 1 | 19:10 | 22:10 | Argentina XV | Westhills Stadium, Langford |
| Fri, Mar 8 | 19:10 | 22:10 | USA | Starfire Stadium, Seattle |
SQUAD
FORWARDS: Noah Barker (Glendale Raptors, US), Hubert Buydens (New Orleans Gold, US), Cole Keith (Toronto Arrows), Ryan Kotlewski (Westshore), Djustice Sears-Duru (Seattle Seawolves, US), Matt Tierney (Pau, FR), Ray Barkwill (Castaway Wanderers), Eric Howard (New Orleans Gold, US), Conor Keys (Rotherham Titans, UK), Josh Larsen (Austin Elite, US), Mike Sheppard (Toronto Arrows), Kyle Baillie (New Orleans Gold, US), Justin Blanchet (Bedford Blues, UK), Luke Campbell (James Bay), Dustin Dobravsky (Castaway Wanderers), Nakai Penny (Seattle Seawolves, US), Lucas Rumball (Toronto Arrows)
BACKS: Jamie Mackenzie (Toronto Arrows), Will Percillier (Stade Français, FR), Will Kelly (Dragons, UK), Patrick Parfrey (Swilers), Nick Blevins (Calgary Hornets), Guiseppe du Toit (Toronto Arrows), Doug Fraser (Austin Elite, US), Ciaran Hearn (London Irish, UK), Ben LeSage (UBC Thunderbirds), Andrew Coe (Canada Sevens), Kainoa Lloyd (Toronto Arrows), Theo Sauder (Toronto Arrows)
