Rugby Canada boasts a high number of players who never take for granted how fortunate they are to play rugby for their country, and if they’re especially lucky they play professional rugby as well.
I have had the pleasure of interviewing Oakville Ontario’s Phil Mackenzie twice in recent years and he’s surprisingly down to earth, a trait he is renowned for. Anyone who has come in contact with Phil knows him to be appreciative of everything he’s accomplished; his career at Sale Sharks, and his international tenure with Rugby Canada.
His former coaches at the Oakville Crusaders feel he’s the best ambassador of the sport; Phil always makes time to talk to young players when he’s in town. Community and where he’s from means a lot to Phil. He knows he’s achieved the heights he has in part because of the support of his family and coaches. Phil says his “list of people to thank could be endless. My parents and family have to be at the top because they have always supported me from day one. Don Stewart my high school coach, the Oakville Crusaders and the Ontario rugby union all played a massive role in helping me achieve my dreams.” That’s to say nothing of his style of play, which is fast-paced and quick thinking. He’s got fast boots on the wing.
Phil isn’t taking for granted his spot within the Rugby Canada World Cup squad. When asked how he feels approaching his second World Cup, Phil’s reply is enthusiastic: “I am unbelievably excited at the prospect of participating in another World Cup. Never in my right mind did I imagine even attended one World Cup so the thought of getting to do a second is mind blowing.”
Phil’ fitness level is high as World Cup approaches. He’s been effective in the break down and had some great runs in the recent Pacific Nations Cup, as well as a try versus Samoa at BMO Field in Toronto in front of family and friends that would have quelled any self doubts; Phil has appeared confidant and ready for the challenge of World Cup.
However, Phil says this hasn’t happened overnight. In the last couple of years he’s struggled with fitness and a couple of nagging injuries. It’s only been with a lot of “hard work and
support from Sale and the staff I finally feel like my body is firing on all cylinders again.”
This has allowed Phil to keep up with the rigorous training in the Canada camp. “Our preparation [for World Cup] has been extremely tough but will pay off and show in our performances in the future. We are trying to play an exciting brand of rugby and therefore fitness levels have to be world class.
“When preparing for the World Cup I was totally focused on getting my body right. That has been my goal: get fit and then show what I can do on the pitch.”
Phil does a lot of training to maintain these high fitness levels. An average day has consisted of two on field sessions and a weights session. “On-field sessions include some form of fitness and/or fitness testing, as well as rugby-specific training. Weights sessions are designed to work on individual deficiencies identified during testing.”
Phil is greatly interested in training and helping people with their fitness regimes. He’s got a website in which he shares his various bits of wisdom. Mackenzie says: “I have really enjoyed writing and talking to people about fitness and ways to improve one’s health. People have been extremely receptive and encouraging. I love the idea of helping people achieve their desired fitness goals!” You can check out Phil’s great site here: www.philmackenzie.com.
Phil is proud of his time at Sale Sharks, calling it a “great club with great people.” The club and organization have worked to achieve some great results over the last couple years. Phil hopes upon his return to Sale post-World Cup that he’s “healthy [so I can] really make a push to get into the first team. Every day I’m in the Canada camp I go to training with the mindset that I am going to improve my game. I know this will put me in good stead when I return to Sale.”
First is the job at hand, and that’s to train with his Canada teammates. “Canada camp is a great experience. It’s a different environment to Sale and provides me with an opportunity to learn and experience new things from different people. I love learning from different people.”
Upon reflection of the Samoa game in the PNC, where Canada put in a full 80 minutes of grafting, Phil says, “the Samoa game felt amazing right up until the last play. I know a lot of people wrote us off before we even kicked off, which got us fired up even more. I think people really enjoyed the passion and intensity the boys showed out there. If we clean up a few mental errors we will be able to beat teams in the top 10 like Samoa.”
There is s strong rapport in the Canada camp, and the boys work hard together and play together as well. And apparently some of the drink a lot of coffee like Phil does.
“I drink a lot of coffee with the boys on tour. Myself and a few of the boys should invest in Starbucks considering the amount we go there.”
I asked Phil about the future of rugby in Canada and he said what many of us who follow rugby here feel. “I think the future is bright. I never imagined 20,000 people would show up to the Pan Am 7s gold medal match. It’s incredible. Similarly, the fact that our games are on national TV (TSN) is a huge bonus.
“I think we need to keep providing kids with an avenue to progress. We need to capitalize on the fact that 7s is in the Olympics and we now have a 7s World Series event in Canada. All of these factors provide the perfect storm for rugby to explode in Canada.” Agreed!
To further the potential explosion of rugby in Canada, funding for a new incredible training facility has just been announced. Phil feels this will help advance the growth.
“I think government funding shows that they are personally taking a stake in the growth of rugby. To continue growing the game we need world class facilities and that is exactly what the government is helping Rugby Canada build.”
As for the grassroots support of rugby here at home, it was during the 2011 World Cup campaign that Mackenzie and teammates began to feel the social media fan support.
“Since then,” he says, “I have witnessed Rugby Canada achieve numerous monumental milestones such as a sold out BMO game, winning a bid to host a World Series 7s event, a Pan Am 7a gold medal, and qualifying for another World Cup. My favourite memories are running out onto BMO’s field with thousands of Canadian fans in the crowd. It’s crazy how far the game has come.”
When I asked Phil if there was anything he wanted to add, he reiterated that he’d love people to check out his blog and help it grow. “I want to keep going down the fitness route but will also touch base on my rugby experiences and anything else people are interested in!”
It’s a great way for people to “get inside the head” of a pro player, so I encourage everyone to give it a read.
Phil Mackenzie is an inspiration and completely approachable. He’s another great ambassador of Rugby in Canada. We’re immensely proud of what he’s achieved and can’t wait to see what’s next in store for him.
One thing is certain of this genuinely affable guy, his #RedNation and Sale Sharks followers wish him all the best, in the upcoming World Cup and beyond.
Photo courtesy Getty Images.
