ONE CHANGE TO CANADA’S STARTING TEAM TO FACE USA IN TEXAS AS PART OF AMERICAS RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
AUSTIN, TEXAS – Canada’s Senior Men’s interim head coach Francois Ratier has made one change ahead of Saturday’s Americas Rugby Championship match against the USA.
Alistair Clark, who scored a try on debut last weekend in Canada’s 33-17 win over Uruguay, replaces Kyle Gilmour at openside flanker in the starting XV while Liam Chisholm is added to the bench. Gilmour is unavailable due to injury.
“We arrived Tuesday and so far training has gone very well,” Ratier said. “We’re keen to build off of our performance against Uruguay.
“Besides Kyle, the team is healthy so we had no reason to change the roster. The more they play together the more they will find their timing.”
Ratier maintains the same tight five as Captain Hubert Buydens, Ray Barkwill, Jake Ilnicki, Callum Morrison and Paul Ciulini keep their places. Clark is joined by Lucas Rumball at blindside flanker with Clay Panga at no.8.
Gordon McRorie, who kicked eight points against Uruguay, will start at scrum half while Calgary’s Gradyn Bowd gets the nod at fly half. Dan Moor and Phil Mackenzie man the wings with Mozac Samson and Nick Blevins at centre. Newfoundland’s Pat Parfrey starts at fullback.
Canada role into their second game of the ARC on a high after a fantastic win over Uruguay at Westhills Stadium in the first game of the tournament in which they ran in five tries and thrilled a crowd of 1,123 home fans.
Debutant Dan Moor had a pair of tries while Clark also touched down less than two minutes into his test debut. 2015 Rugby World Cup veterans Mackenzie and Blevins also scored tries.
The USA began their campaign with a thrilling 35-35 draw with Argentina XV on Saturday. Canada is 38-15-1 all-time against the USA in test matches although the USA have won the past three matchups, including two last year in the lead in to the Rugby World Cup.
“We know that they are a physical side and are efficient at the breakdown,” Ratier said. “They will provide strong opposition for us.”
The ARC will give Canada four additional test matches a year with games against Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and the USA. They will also travel to Argentina as part of the ARC and while classed as an official test match, point rankings will not be awarded for either team. Canada will host Brazil on Feb. 20 at Westhills Stadium and tickets to that game are available at events.rugbycanada.ca.
Saturday’s game kicks off at 7pm ET / 4pm PT and can be seen LIVE at www.usarugby.org
Canada’s Roster vs. USA (Club, Hometown, Province):
1. Hubert Buydens – Captain (Castaway Wanderers/Prairie Wolf Pack) Saskatoon, SK
2. Ray Barkwill – (Castaway Wanderers/Ontario Blues) Niagara Falls, ON
3. Jake Ilnicki – (Castaway Wanderers/BC Bears) Williams Lake, BC
4. Paul Ciulini – (Aurora Barbarians/Ontario Blues) Vaughan, ON
5. Callum Morrison – (UBCOB Ravens/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
6. Lucas Rumball – (Balmy Beach RFC/Ontario Blues) Scarborough, ON
7. Alistair Clark – (Bay Street Pigs/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON
8. Clay Panga – (Westshore Valhallians/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
9. Gordon McRorie – (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
10. Gradyn Bowd – (UVIC Vikes/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
11. Dan Moor – (Balmy Beach RFC/Ontario Blues) Toronto, ON
12. Nick Blevins – (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
13. Mozac Samson – (Calgary Saints/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
14. Phil Mackenzie – (Sale Sharks/Ontario Blues), Oakville, ON
15. Pat Parfrey – (Swilers RFC/Atlantic Rock) St. John’s, NL
16. Eric Howard – (Brantford Harlequins/Ontario Blues) Ottawa, ON
17. Djustice Sears-Duru – (Oakville Crusaders/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON
18. Rob Brouwer – (Lindsay RFC/Ontario Blues) Lindsay, ON
19. Kyle Baillie – (Halifax Tars/Atlantic Rock) Summerside, PEI
20. Liam Chisholm – (UVIC Vikes) Kenora, ON
21. Michael Hamson – (Halifax Tars/Atlantic Rock) Halifax, NS
22. Andrew Ferguson – (Oakville Crusaders/Ontario Blues) Mississauga, ON
23. Duncan Maguire – (St. Albert RFCC/Prairie Wolf Pack) St. Albert, AB
Canada’s Senior Men’s Coaching Staff:
Francois Ratier – Interim Head Coach
Jamie Cudmore – Forwards/defence coach
Graeme Moffat – Attack coach
Mike Shelley – Scrum coach
Chris Silverthorn – Forwards coach
Andy Evans – Strength and Conditioning coach
James Kent – Performance analyst
Americas Rugby Championship | 2016 Competition Calendar
(Home v Away)
Round 1 – Weekend of Feb. 6 -7, 2016
Canada 33-17 Uruguay
USA 35-35 Argentina
Chile 25-22 Brazil
Round 2 – Weekend of Feb. 13 – 14, 2016
USA v Canada
Argentina v Chile
Brazil v Uruguay
Round 3 – Weekend of Feb. 20 -21, 2016
Canada v Brazil
USA v Chile
Uruguay v Argentina
Round 4 – Weekend of Feb. 27 – 28, 2016
Argentina v Canada
Brazil v USA
Chile v Uruguay
Round 5 – Weekend of March 5 – 6, 2016
Chile v Canada
Uruguay v USA
Brazil v Argentina
Americas Rugby Championship standings:
1. Canada (5 points)
2. Chile (4 points)
3. Argentina XV (3 points)
4. USA (3 points)
5. Brazil (1 point)
6. Uruguay (0 points)
About Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of rugby union in Canada. Rugby Football has a long history in Canada dating back to its initial appearance in the 1860s. Since 1974, Rugby Canada has been a permanent fixture on the global rugby scene, including trips to each of the six IRB Rugby World Cups. As a regular on the IRB Sevens Circuit, Canada continues to climb the world rankings and challenge the dominant rugby nations in both versions of the game.
To support the growth of rugby at the grass-roots level and to ensure there are elite programs for prospering young rugby players to become involved with, Rugby Canada has put an emphasis on developing its junior programs. Our goal is to develop and train a competitive team for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. We also continue to be a world leader in the development of women’s rugby.
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For more information, please contact:
Bryan Kelly, Rugby Canada
Manager, Communications and Media Relations
Phone: 250-216-5272
Email: bkelly@rugbycanada.ca