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Ray Barkwill scored five test tries for Canada; the first of these was truly memorable. It came with the hooker featuring as a replacement for his country against Fiji in the 2013 Pacific Nations Cup.
The match was played at Twin Elm Park in Ottawa. The North Americans played well to complete a 20-18 victory. Central to the result was Barkwill’s try. The score came in the 55th minute and would be Canada’s final scoring moment of the match. It ultimately kept the home side above the dangerous Flying Fijians who scored scored a late try in reply though flanker Akapusi Qera.
Barkwill’s score was not only memorable for the significance in downing a highly reputable opposite; it was also an excellent try. It came from a clean break from the base of a scrum from scrum-half Phil Mack. He received a pass from Tyler Ardron who also showed why his success in the Pro 14 and Super Rugby is no fluke.
Ardron ran in support to play scrum-half some 60 meters up field, where Mack was tackled. From there he linked quickly with center Ciaran Hearn who found an open Barkwill to dive over for the try.
Canada finished second in the 2013 Pacific Nations Cup. In addition to knocking-over Fiji in Ottawa, the Canadians also defeated Tonga in Kingston and the USA in Edmonton. A loss against Japan in Nagoya meant that the Japanese were the tournament’s winners.
