Four new names in Canada squad for ARC openers

Canada coach Kingsley Jones has named four uncapped players in his 28-man squad for the South American leg of the Americas Rugby Championship. Justin Blanchet, Nakai Penny, Will Percillier, and Will Kelly are set to make their senior international debuts.

Blanchet is one of five who play their domestic rugby in Europe. The Montreal native is a former Canada u17 rep and trained with England u20 after moving abroad with his family. After coming through the Exeter Chiefs academy Blanchet signed for Bedford Blues in the RFU Championship where he is now in his fifth season. The 25-year-old is a hard-hitting flanker typically found on the blindside.

Still a couple weeks short of his 20th birthday, Percillier has recently joined up with the Stade Français academy program after impressing as a goal-kicking scrumhalf with the Canada u20 side. Kelly, 20, joined Welsh regional side the Dragons at the beginning of the season from the Ontario (Toronto) Arrows. He was Canada’s flyhalf at the 2017 World Rugby u20 Trophy in Uruguay.

Also arriving from the UK are Rotherham lock Conor Keys and veteran midfielder Ciaran Hearn. Keys missed out on November’s World Cup qualifiers while Hearn is the most experienced player in the squad with 63 caps. Hubert Buydens, Ray Barkwill, and Nick Blevins have each hit the 50-cap mark.

Major League Rugby is well represented with 15 players in all sporting contracts including seven from the expansion Arrows side. Seattle Seawolves openside flanker Nakai Penny showed promise during the championship-winning season and is rewarded with a spot in the group. The 22-year-old was a starter for the Canada u20 side in 2016. Glendale, New Orleans, and Austin have all contributed players.

Several players are expected to be made available for the final three matches of the tournament in North America. Lucas Rumball is set to lead the side in the absence of regular skipper Phil Mack.

Canada’s tournament opens on February 2 against Uruguay in Montevideo, with a trip to São Paulo to face Brazil a week later. A detailed squad list can be seen here.

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), 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)