Unchanged starting roster to face Brazil on Saturday

SAO PAOLO, BRAZIL (February 7, 2019) –Canada head coach Kingsley Jones has named an unchanged starting team for the second match of the 2019 Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) against Brazil on Saturday.  
 
The squad will be captained by 23-year old Lucas Rumball, who is set to earn his 27thtest cap; 4thas Captain.
 
The lone change in the 23-man side is on the bench, with Quebec’s Justin Blanchet replacing Ontario’s Mike Sheppard, giving him a chance to win his first cap. Will Percillier – who was selected as a replacement against Uruguay last week, but did not make it onto the field – could also make his Canada debut this weekend.  
 
“Despite the final result, we had a good performance last week.  The players fought to the death. It was a really tough way to lose.  Hopefully we use the experience to galvanize the group; take the disappointment and turn it into a positive against a good Brazil team,” said Jones.
 
Brazil opened their ARC campaign last weekend with a 54-3 loss to Argentina XV, failing to score a try in the effort. 
 
“We’re not reading too much into Brazil’s result against Argentina XV in the first round of the ARC.  They faced a very good Argentinian team on home soil.  We are anticipating a very different Brazil team on Saturday; we expect a game full of passion and commitment in a tough environment,” he added.   
 
Canada has a 2-1 record all time against the South Americans, with all three fixtures taking part during the ARC dating back to 2016. Brazil’s lone victory came in 2017 at Estadio do Pacaembu by a score of 24-23.
 
“Brazil have come a long way in the last few years with some very good players who are very well coached.  We’re looking forward to a tough challenge in the scrum.  We will have to play for the full 80 to get the result we want,” added Jones.
 
Newfoundland’s all-time cap leader Ciaran Hearn is set to reach another milestone when he steps on the field Saturday, surpassing Scott Stewart to take over fourth place in appearances for Canada with 65. 33-year-old Hearn, who won his first cap against Ireland in 2008 and has competed in the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups, only sits behind Winston Stanley (66), Al Charron (76) and Aaron Carpenter (80) on the all-time list.

Kick off on Saturday is 5:15pm ET/2:15pm PT in Canada and fans can watch LIVE on TSN 3.
 
----------------------
 
Tickets for the two fixtures in Langford, BC can be purchased at https://rugby.ca/en/tickets. With Westhills Stadium currently under construction, the total capacity for these two test matches is 1,000, therefore seating is limited.
 
Canada Roster:
 
1. Djustice Sears-Duru – (Seattle Seawolves) Oakville, ON
2. Eric Howard – (NOLA Gold) Ottawa, ON
3. Matt Tierney – (Pau) Oakville, ON
4. Conor Keys – (Rotherham Titans) Stittsville, ON
5. Josh Larsen – (Austin Elite) Parskville, BC
6. Kyle Baillie – (NOLA Gold) Summerside, PEI
7. Lucas Rumball – Captain(Toronto Arrows) Mississauga, ON
8. Luke Campbell – (James Bay AA) Victoria, BC
9. Jamie Mackenzie – (Toronto Arrows) Oakville, ON
10. Pat Parfrey – (Unattached) St. John’s, NL
11. Kainoa Lloyd – (Toronto Arrows) Mississauga, ON
12. Ciaran Hearn – (London Irish) Conception Bay South, NL
13. Ben LeSage – (UBC Thunderbirds) Vancouver, BC
14. Andrew Coe – (Markham Irish) Toronto, ON
15. Theo Sauder – (Toronto Arrows) Vancouver, BC
16. Noah Barker – (Utah Warriors) Courtenay, BC
17. Ryan Kotlewski – (Westshore RFC) Calgary, AB
18. Cole Keith – (Toronto Arrows) Sussex, NB
19. Justin Blanchet – (Bedford Blues) Montreal, QC
20. Dustin Dobravsky – (Castaway Wanderers) Hanover, Germany
21. Nakai Penny – (Seattle Seawolves) Penticton, BC
22. Will Percillier – (Stade Francais) Mill Bay, BC
23. Nick Blevins – (Calgary Hornets) Calgary, AB
 
2019 ARC Schedule:
 
February 2
Canada 17 - 20 Uruguay
 
Canada vs. Brazil
February 9
Sao Paolo, Brazil
Kick-off: 20:15 local time (5:15pm ET/2:15pm PT)
Broadcast: 
Live on TSN 3
 
Canada vs. Chile
February 22
Westhills Stadium
Langford, BC
Kick-off: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Broadcast: 
Live on TSN 5
 
Canada vs. Argentina XV
March 1
Westhills Stadium
Langford, BC
Kick-off: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Broadcast:
Live on TSN 5
 
Canada vs. USA
March 8
Starfire Sports
Seattle, USA
Kick-off: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Broadcast:
Live on www.tsn.ca/TSNApp
Tape delay 11pm ET/8pm PT on TSN 2