On the back of the loss to Tonga on Friday night, Rugby Canada head coach Kieran Crowley has made 12 changes to his starting line up to face Samoa tomorrow evening at BMO Field in Toronto.
The front row looks entirely different, which by the “discussion” that ensued at the end of the Tonga match, is a necessary move to make against strong packs. The first row will consist of Oakville’s own Djustice Sears-Duru, Ray Barkwill and Doug Wooldridge, followed by Evan Olmstead in his debut along side Tyler Hotson. The flankers will be John Moonlight, who has been solid, and Kyle Gilmour, and then Captain Tyler Ardron will retain his number 8 position.
Canada to Face Tough Samoa Tomorrow
The interesting pairing of scrum and fly half of Phil Mack and Nate Hirayama in for McRorie and Underwood could make a difference, as both are fast and decisive, though they usually have more space on the field, being entrenched in that 7s state of mind.
Happy to see James Pritchard back for what will be the 60th Cap earned for Canada. He also has ammassed 597 points in his test career – he’s one penalty kick away from being one of 20 players ever to reach 600 points. He’s also a decent fullback and can provide some grit in the back along with Evans, Mackenzie, Trainor and Blevins.
Absent from tomorrow’s match are DTH Van Der Merwe and Aaron Carpenter, the two players who had the most promising games on Friday night. Neither is even on the bench. Richard Thorpe is, however, so we will get to see more of what he’s able to do for our side when he comes on in the 21 shirt.
It is going to be gritty. Canada needs to add another good 20 minutes to the good almost-forty they had last Friday night. But it’s going to be tough for them, as they have never beaten Samoa, who currently sit 9th in the world and are a very solid side.
Canada and Samoa play last in a triple header at BMO which will see USA v Tonga and Japan square off against Fiji.
It’s not an easily winnable game for our boys, but it’s an excellent way for Crowley to see who needs to be in which position leading up to world cup. If Canada did manage to edge out Samoa, it would be huge for them psychologically. So, we’ll hope for that.
Wednesday’s game can be seen LIVE on TSN 5. Kickoff is 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT. All Pacific Nations Cup games can also be watched at www.worldrugby.org.
Tickets to Wednesday’s triple-header are available at events.rugbycanada.ca
Canada’s Roster vs. Samoa in the Pacific Nations Cup – (Club), Hometown, Province
1 – Djustice Sears-Duru – (Oakville Crusaders/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON
2 – Ray Barkwill – (Castaway Wanderers/Ontario Blues) Niagara Falls, ON
3 – Doug Wooldridge – (Lindsay RFC/Ontario Blues) Lindsay, ON
4 – Tyler Hotson – (Doncaster Knights) Vancouver, BC
5 – Evan Olmstead – (Parramatta Two Blues/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
6 – Kyle Gilmour – (Rotherham Titans/Prairie Wolf Pack) St. Albert, AB
7 – John Moonlight – (James Bay AA/Ontario Blues) Pickering, ON
8 – Tyler Ardron – Captain (Ospreys) Lakefield, ON
9 – Phil Mack – (James Bay AA/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
10 – Nathan Hirayama – (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
11 – Matt Evans – (Cornish Pirates) Maple Bay, BC
12 – Nick Blevins – (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
13 – Conor Trainor – (UBCOB Ravens/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
14 – Phil Mackenzie – (Sale Sharks/Ontario Blues), Oakville, ON
15 – James Pritchard – (Bedford Blues) Parkes, NSW, Australia
16 – Benoit Piffero – (Blagnac/Atlantic Rock) Montreal QB
17 – Hubert Buydens – (Castaway Wanderers/Prairie Wolf Pack) Saskatoon, SK
18 – Andrew Tiedemann – (Plymouth Albion/Prairie Wolf Pack) St. Albert, AB
19 – Callum Morrison – (UBC Old Boys Ravens/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
20 – Thyssen de Goede – (James Bay AA/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
21 – Richard Thorpe – (London Welsh) Beckenham, England
22 – Gordon McRorie – (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
23 – Harry Jones – (Capilano RFC/BC Bears) North Vancouver, BC
Canada Senior Men’s Schedule:
Pacific Nations Cup:
July 18 – Canada 6-20 Japan (San Jose, USA)
July 24 – Canada 18-28 Tonga (Swangard Stadium, Burnaby)
July 29 – Canada vs. Samoa (BMO Field, Toronto)
August 3 – Canada vs. TBD (Swangard Stadium, Burnaby)
Road to the Rugby World Cup:
August 22 – Canada vs. USA (Twin Elm Rugby Park, Ottawa)
August 29 – Canada vs. Glasgow Warriors (Wanderers Grounds, Halifax)
September 2 – Canada vs. Georgia (Esher, England)
September 6 – Canada vs. Fiji (The Stoop, England)
Rugby World Cup:
September 19 – Canada vs. Ireland (Cardiff, Wales)
September 26 – Canada vs. Italy (Leeds, England)
October 1 – Canada vs. France (Milton Keynes, England)
October 6 – Canada vs. Romania (Leicester, England)
