Press Release from Rugby Canada
Canada Head Coach Kieran Crowley has released his 23-man roster to face fellow Rugby World Cup 2015 qualifier Namibia on Friday at Parc Eirias in the second game of the year-end tour.
Captaining the side for the second consecutive game will be loose-head prop Hubert Buydens, who will be joined by Ray Barkwill and Jason Marshall in the front row. Marshall, along with winger Sean Duke, returns to the Canadian team having recently defeated Leicester Tigers 59-26 on Tuesday night as part of the historic Barbarians RC team.
London Irish forward Jebb Sinclair makes his return to the second row alongside Tyler Hotson, and the trio of Kyle Gilmour, Nanyak Dala and John Moonlight remain as Canada’s loose forwards.
Scrum half Gord McRorie, who scored two tries in last weekend’s 28-23 loss to Championship XV in Worcester, will provide service to the backs through Connor Braid at flyhalf.
In the centres, Canada Sevens stalwarts Ciaran Hearn and Conor Trainor will inject an exciting level of pace and skill through the midfield. Joining Duke on the wing will be Ospreys’ Jeff Hassler, who has five tries this season for the Ospreys, and DTH van der Merwe of the Glasgow Warriors.
Forward substitions for Canada will be Doug Wooldridge, Ryan Hamilton, Jake Ilnicki, Brett Buekeboom and Aaron Carpenter, with Sean White, Pat Parfrey and Jordan Wilson-Ross on the bench for the backs.
25-year-old Wilson-Ross, originally from Alliston, Ontario could receive his first cap for Canada’s Men’s Team against Namibia.
“Obviously it’s a huge honour for me to be named to Canada’s Team and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to if I come off the bench to play against Namibia,” said Wilson-Ross from Colwyn Bay.
With less than one year to go until the Men’s World Cup in England and Wales, Canada will see Friday’s game as a must-win and a chance to build momentum.
“If you look at many of our last test matches we’ve been in a position to win them but we haven’t been able to finish them off. We’ve had a few lapses in concentration and had a few systems errors and things and on Friday we need to fix those and hopefully get the win,” said Crowley after training.
Despite a number of injuries and select players being unavailable due to club commitments, Friday’s roster is ready to compete.
“We’ve developed a bit of depth in the roster through competition and the team that has been selected I believe is the best we have available. Through this selection we’re also looking at a number of positions and building for down the road,” added Crowley.
Parc Eirias is a familiar ground for the Canadian side, having played test matches against Samoa and Russia two years earlier during their November tour. Also, a number of Canadian players, including Jebb Sinclair, Doug Wooldridge, Hubert Buydens and Sean White to name a few, were involved in the RGC 1404 team to call the North Wales facility home a few seasons ago.
Namibia qualified for next year’s World Cup by winning the Confederation Africaine de Rugby Division 1A title in dramatic fashion earlier this year in Antananarivo, Madagasgar and will face New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Georgia next fall.
At the moment, Friday’s game is not being broadcast on television, but a live stream is being organized and may be available. Stay tuned on Rugby Canada’s social media websites for full details on game day.
CANADA’S STARTING ROSTER TO FACE NAMIBIA:
1- Hubert Buydens – Captain (Unattached/Prairie Wolf Pack) Saskatoon, SK
2- Ray Barkwill – (Niagara Wasps RFC/Ontario Blues) Niagara Falls, ON
3- Jason Marshall – (Hawkes Bay Magpies/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
4- Tyler Hotson – (Doncaster Knights) Vancouver, BC
5- Jebb Sinclair – (London Irish/Atlantic Rock) Fredericton, NB
6- Kyle Gilmour – (St. Albert RFC/Prairie Wolf Pack) St. Albert, AB
7- Nanyak Dala – (Castaway Wanderers/Prairie Wolf Pack) Regina, SK
8- John Moonlight – (James Bay AA/Ontario Blues) Pickering, ON
9- Gordon McRorie – (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
10- Connor Braid – (Glasgow Warriors/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
11- Sean Duke – (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
12- Ciaran Hearn – (Castaway Wanderers/Atlantic Rock) Conception Bay South, NL
13- Conor Trainor – (UBCOB Ravens/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
14- Jeff Hassler – (Ospreys/Prairie Wolf Pack) Okotoks, AB
15- DTH van der Merwe – (Glasgow Warriors) Regina, SK
16- Doug Wooldridge – (Lindsay RFC/Ontario Blues) Lindsay, ON
17- Ryan Hamilton – (Capilano RFC/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
18- Jake Ilnicki – (NSW Country Eagles/BC Bears) Williams Lake, BC
19- Brett Buekeboom – (Plymouth Albion) Lindsay, ON
20- Aaron Carpenter – (Cornish Pirates RFC) Brantford, ON
21- Sean White – (James Bay AA/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
22- Patrick Parfrey – (Swilers RFC/Atlantic Rock) St. Johns, NL
23- Jordan Wilson-Ross – (James Bay AA/Ontario Blues) Alliston, ON
Unavailable due to injury:
Matt Evans – (Cornish Pirates) Maple Bay, BC
Harry Jones – (Capilano RFC/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
Phil Mack – (James Bay AA/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
Phil Mackenzie – (Sale Sharks) Oakville, ON
Mike Scholz – (Castaway Wanderers/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON
Liam Underwood – (Ontario Blues) Toronto, ON
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