Rugby Ontario – (TORONTO, ON) – Ontario Blues head coach Chris Silverthorn has named his starting lineup for Saturday’s international friendly against England Counties at Markham’s Fletcher’s Fields.

Squad Notes:

– Twelve different Ontario rugby clubs are represented on the Blues’ matchday squad

– Nineteen members of Ontario’s squad from last Saturday’s CRC opener against the Atlantic Rock have been selected

– Five players – Mark Denton, AJ Quattrin, Hayden Ryan, Marcello Wainwright, and Jeremy Wright – will make their first starts for the Blues
– Two players – Chris Gladney and AJ Quattrin – are set set to make their senior team debuts

– Front row man JT Rowbotham returns to the Blues lineup for the first time since Oct. 27, 2014, when Ontario travelled to Scotland to face Pro12 club Edinburgh ‘A’

Chris Silverthorn, Head Coach:

“We’re very excited to be hosting a side of England Counties’ calibre. We had an opportunity to face them back in 2010, and we’re looking forward to giving our all in this rematch six years later. This England Counties side has been playing some fantastic rugby on their current Canadian tour, and I’m expecting a very tough match out of them for their tour finale.

“With 11 of our current Blues playing for Canada in our national team’s Summer Series opener against Japan on the same day as our fixture with England Counties, we’ve had a great opportunity to call up a number of our young players, and they’ll gain some quality experience when they’re put in some high-pressure situations. I’m looking for many of our guys to seize the opportunity.”

The touring England Counties is the flagship team of the Community Game in England, and features players from National League One and below. The mid-season fixture marks the third and final stop on the visiting side’s Canadian tour; Counties opened their tour with a 41-0 victory over the British Columbia Bears in Vancouver on June 3, and earned a 67-10 win over the Prairie Wolf Pack in Calgary on June 7. Saturday’s fixture represents the first meeting between the two teams since England Counties earned a narrow 32-26 win over the Blues in 2010.

Kickoff for the international clash is set for 3:30 p.m. at Fletcher’s Fields in Markham, Ont., the home of Ontario’s McCormick Cup Final. Tickets for the match can be purchased at the gate.

The match will also be streamed online via Rogers TV at www.rogerstv.com/ontariorugby 

Ontario Blues Squad vs. Atlantic Rock – Name (Club)

1. Brendan Blaikie (Markham Irish)

2. AJ Quattrin (Aurora Barbarians)

3. Rob Brouwer (Lindsay)

4. Hank McQueen, Captain (Balmy Beach) 

5. Mike Sheppard (Brampton Beavers) 

6. Marcello Wainwright (Toronto Saracens) 

7. Peter Milazzo (Toronto Saracens) 

8. Jeremy Wright (Lindsay)

9. Josh Campbell (London St. George’s)

10. Mitch Richardson (Stoney Creek) 

11. Brandon McLeod (Guelph Redcoats) 

12. Rich Lebel (Waterloo County) 

13. John Sheridan (Markham Irish) 

14. Hayden Ryan (Lindsay)

15. Mark Denton (Aurora Barbarians) 

16. Chris Gladney (Oshawa Vikings)

17. JT Rowbotham (Lindsay)

18. Armin Gurdic (London St. George’s)

19. Brandon Black (Markham Irish) 

20. Dillon Goos (London St. George’s)

21. Chad Strapp (Stoney Creek)

22. Jason Hubbell (Waterloo County)

23. Kainoa Lloyd (Mississauga Blues)

Ontario Blues Staff

Chris Silverthorn – Head Coach

Paul Connelly – Assistant Coach

Mark Winokur – Manager

Rodin Lozada – Performance Analyst

Chris Kelly – Athletic Therapist

Dr. Chris Gallimore – Team Doctor

Ontario Blues 2016 Match Schedule:

Alberta Selects 9 v. Ontario Blues 19
Sunday, May 22, 2016*
1 p.m. MDT; 3 p.m. EDT
Ellerslie Park, Edmonton, Alta.

Ontario Blues 12 v. Atlantic Rock 22

Saturday, June 4, 2016

5 p.m. EDT

Sherwood Forest Park, Burlington, Ont.

Ontario Blues v. England Counties
Saturday, June 11, 2016*
3:30 p.m. EDT
Fletcher’s Fields, Markham, Ont.

Atlantic Rock v. Ontario Blues
Saturday, July 2, 2016
3 p.m. NDT; 1:30 p.m. EDT
Swilers RFC, St. John’s, N.L.
 

 

Ontario Blues v. Prairie Wolf Pack
Thursday, July 21, 2016
6:30 p.m. EDT
Fletcher’s Fields, Markham, Ont.
 

 

Ontario Blues v. British Columbia Bears
Sunday, July 24, 2016
3:30 p.m. EDT
Fletcher’s Fields, Markham, Ont.

* indicates non-CRC match

About Rugby Ontario:

Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to promote, govern, and develop rugby at all levels in a safe, affordable and enjoyable environment within the province of Ontario.

There are more than 10,000 Rugby Ontario members registered with 63 rugby clubs and four branch unions located across the province, with participation in age grades ranging from minor (age 6+) to masters (age 35+) in male and female divisions.

For more information, visit http://www.rugbyontario.com/

About Ontario Blues:

The Ontario Blues program is the high performance representative program for male rugby players in Ontario. It is designed to develop and showcase male athletes for Canadian national teams.

The senior team represents Ontario in the annual Canadian Rugby Championship, and has earned four national titles, having won the competition’s MacTier Cup annually from 2011-2014.

The under-19 team represents Ontario at the annual under-19 men’s Canadian Rugby Championship, and is designed to develop and showcase male athletes for the under-20 national team, as well as serving as a feeder program for the Ontario Blues senior team.

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For more information, please contact: 

Brock Smith
Communications Coordinator
Rugby Ontario
(647) 560-4790 x106
bsmith@rugbyontario.com

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